SUBJECT: Duo of industry leaders to launch unified platform to serve schools, families
DATE: SEPT. 26, 2025
BLOOMINGTON, MINN. Vanco, a proven leader in K–12 payment solutions, has announced a strategic partnership with Gaia, an AI-powered platform redefining school food service operations.
“Districts are asking for technology that makes their jobs easier, and this partnership delivers on that demand,” Vanco Senior Vice President, Education Sales Ed Tola said. “Gaia’s forward-thinking approach to nutrition services, paired with Vanco’s trusted payments platform, gives schools a system built for their reality.”
The two companies are launching a unified platform that simplifies district operations and gives families a more connected, mobile-friendly experience.
This collaboration reflects a growing shift in K–12 education toward integrated, people-centered platforms. As districts move away from legacy software and patchwork tools, school leaders are prioritizing technology that streamlines daily operations, reduces duplication and supports staff across high-compliance, high-volume departments like nutrition services and finance.
By combining Gaia’s modern back-of-house nutrition tools with Vanco’s reliable payment infrastructure, the partnership helps to eliminate disconnected systems, reduce administrative burden and enables districts to work smarter without adding more systems to manage.
Gaia CEO Souha Alameddine emphasized that the partnership supports a deeper goal: building tools that serve the people behind school operations.
“Gaia was built hand-in-hand with school nutrition professionals to reflect how their operations actually run,” Alameddine said. “Working with Vanco allows us to bring that vision to life at scale, combining innovation and trust to meet the real needs of districts.”
The integrated platform will give schools real-time visibility across finances, production, participation and compliance while offering families a unified interface to manage meals and accounts in one place.
About Gaia
Gaia is a modern school nutrition platform purpose-built for K–12 food service operations. From production records and inventory to compliance, procurement and point-of-sale, Gaia helps districts streamline workflows, reduce waste and serve better food, all from a single connected system. Learn more at www.gaiak12.com.
About Vanco
Vanco is a leading provider of secure, scalable payment solutions for K–12 schools. Trusted by thousands of districts nationwide, Vanco simplifies fee management, meal payments and online transactions to support operational efficiency and improve the family experience. Learn more at www.vancopayments.com.
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