Reflections on Avela’s 2025 NOLA Retreat: Growth, Connection, and Inspiration
Earlier this month, our team gathered in New Orleans for Avela’s annual company retreat—an energizing few days of collaboration, reflection, and, of course, some incredible food. As a semi-remote company, these moments together are rare but invaluable, and this retreat served as a perfect opportunity to connect, strategize, and celebrate. Gathered in a city known for its resilience, innovation, and rich community spirit, we found the perfect backdrop to reflect on our mission of transforming education access. Between recaps, deep-dives, planning sessions, and customer visits, we created the kind of connections that only happen when you share both big ideas and beignets.
Highlights from Our Week Together
Celebrating Milestones Worth Remembering
Our parent community expanded nearly eightfold across our platform in 2024, helping more families than ever navigate their educational journeys with greater ease. Our school network grew over 300%, welcoming hundreds of new partners, each bringing their unique needs and perspectives to shape our platform. We're particularly proud to see a record-breaking surge in families receiving and accepting school offers through Avela—a testament to how we're making the enrollment process more accessible for all.
This year also marked exciting technical milestones that strengthen our foundation for the future. We achieved SOC2 Type 2 certification (or as our engineers would say, an "unqualified pass"), launched our API that's already seeing great adoption, and rolled out tons of new features. Each of these achievements represents our commitment to building secure, scalable solutions that serve our communities better.
But perhaps most meaningful was watching our team grow stronger. We celebrated work anniversaries across the board—from teammates marking their first year to those who've been with us since the beginning.
Connecting with Our Customers
One of the most impactful parts of the retreat was connecting with our local partners. From visiting NOLA Public Schools and Agenda for Children to a fireside chat with education leader Gaby Fighetti of Civic Solutions Group, we witnessed firsthand how our tools shape daily workflows. During our visit to Agenda for Children, we heard how a simple character count increase in SMS messages has dramatically improved communication with busy parents.
At NOLA-PS, we saw administrators living and breathing in Avela, navigating complex enrollment challenges with our platform. Each conversation yielded invaluable feedback that we're excited to incorporate into our product roadmap. It was a powerful reminder that our work isn't just about technology—it's about real human connections. Walking through these offices and hearing directly from education leaders, we were reminded of why we do what we do: to make educational access smoother, more intuitive, and more equitable.
Cross-Functional Collaboration Reimagined
To maximize cross-functional collaboration throughout the week, we split into intentionally diverse “Retreat Squads.” From trivia to a deep-dive cross-industry case study, insights sessions, and customer hackathon, these cross-functional teams brought together from across the company in ways that sparked unexpected connections and fresh thinking. By the end, we weren't just colleagues competing for bragging rights; we were problem-solvers united by a shared mission (but also with just enough inter-team trash talk to keep things spicy.)
Keeping the Momentum Going
In 2025, we're focused on expanding our impact while staying true to our foundation. We're building toward becoming a comprehensive enrollment hub that serves as a one-stop shop for families and administrators alike. From streamlining manual processes to ensuring equal access to educational opportunities, our solutions aren't just about technology—they're about transforming how families and schools connect.
A company-wide hackathon is already transforming these insights into action. Teams are taking inspiration directly from our customer visits, focusing on high-impact improvements that will make immediate differences in administrators' daily work and families' experiences.
A Little Lagniappe
No Avela retreat would be complete without embracing the spirit of our host city, and NOLA delivered. The city's vibrant energy infused every moment of our retreat, from late-night beignets to thoughtful conversations that kept us at The Will & The Way until last call. We soaked in the city's rich culture—sampling local cuisine at Cochon, sipping French Truck lattes, discovering the perfect po'boy, and taking in the history at the Sazerac House. Some brave souls even ventured out for ghost tours (though the real haunting might have been the late-night RFP jam-sessions). And of course, no NOLA trip would be complete without King Cake from Dong Phuong—congratulations to Luis and Loi for finding the babies, which means they're "officially" in charge of planning our next retreat (no pressure!).
These weren't just social moments—they were catalysts for authentic connection and collaboration. Whether during impromptu huddles or late-night strategy sessions, we had breakthrough conversations about taking smart risks, building better processes, and finding ways to maintain this cross-functional energy long after the retreat. As one teammate observed (thanks, Diane!), our collective conscientiousness might slow us down sometimes, but it's also what makes our culture special—we care deeply about getting things right for our schools and families.
Looking Ahead
As we return to our desks, the excitement and ideas from New Orleans are still fresh in our minds. We left energized by our customers' stories, inspired by our teammates' dedication, and united in our mission to transform education access. We’re grateful for the time to connect as a team and with our customers, and we’re ready to tackle 2025 with renewed focus and energy.
To our school partners who opened their doors to us, to our incredible team who brought such energy and insight to every discussion, and to the families who trust us with their educational journeys: thank you. Here's to making education more accessible, one breakthrough at a time.
