How Odyssey and Amazon Business make educational resources accessible to students across the U.S.

As education needs evolve, access to quality, personalized learning is more important than ever. Many states offer government-funded programs to help families afford school tuition, homeschooling resources, and supplemental learning tools. However, various compliance and logistical challenges can complicate accessing these funds.

Enter Odyssey, a New York City-based company that helps families and students access high-quality, personalized education opportunities, thanks to a fintech platform that transforms how families manage education savings accounts (ESAs). By handling applications, eligibility verification, digital wallets, and payments, Odyssey removes the complexities of government-funded programs — allowing families to focus on their children's education.

Connecting families with funding and the supplies they need most

Because ESA funds must be used strictly for approved expenses, Odyssey helps drive compliance by directing payments only to authorized educational products and services. Through its collaboration with Amazon Business, Odyssey further streamlines purchasing, giving families easy access to essential educational supplies while helping maintain compliance with the government's buying policies.

"The big problem that we tackle with these sorts of programs is that while parents might be eligible and have access to government funds, they can't actually touch the dollars themselves," explains Lauren Bender, Head of Strategy and Growth at Odyssey. Odyssey serves as the intermediary, processing payments from the state to vendors. For example, if a parent selects a laptop for their child, Odyssey ensures the funds flow from the state to its Amazon Business account, where the purchase is fulfilled.

With more than 100,000 children supported and $800 million in state funding allocated, Odyssey relies on a robust vendor network. Amazon Business plays a pivotal role by providing an expansive selection of educational products and integrating directly with Odyssey's platform. "The API integration allows Odyssey to build a catalog of SKUs that align with state-approved purchases," says Salim Fadel, senior account executive at Amazon Business. "Our product search API gives them control and helps drive procurement compliance, while a direct order API allows tens of thousands of transactions to route seamlessly through their ecommerce marketplace."

This real-time integration helps ensure parents only see approved items with accurate pricing and availability. Additionally, Amazon Business's fulfillment network provides free two-day shipping on eligible products for Business Prime members, so students receive their educational tools within two business days.

Helping families make purchases with ease

Because education funding comes with specific spending guidelines, Odyssey and Amazon Business have implemented safeguards to help families navigate approved purchases. "For example, a laptop might be eligible, but only one technology resource per year is allowed," Bender notes.

Additionally, inventory safeguards help prevent purchasing roadblocks. "We made sure to put limits in place so that products with fewer than two inventory units aren't surfaced," Fadel explains. "This prevents parents from adding an item to their cart only to find it unavailable at checkout."

A familiar user experience makes the difference

A key advantage of working with Amazon Business is the ability to provide a familiar and intuitive shopping experience. "Parents across the country are already familiar with Amazon's user interface," Bender says. "So even though there's a digital wallet, shopping on Odyssey's marketplace feels just like shopping on Amazon."

While purchasing guidelines shape what families can buy, the experience remains simple and intuitive. Parents can browse, select, and receive their orders just as they would with a standard Amazon purchase.

As more states roll out education funding programs, more families will rely on Odyssey to access educational resources. Amazon Business will play a key role in scaling those operations to meet growing demand.

Originally published on The Entrepreneur