ECMC Group's Education Impact Fund Announces Inaugural EIF Catalyst Cohort

12-Week Program Helps Early-Stage Companies Refine and Evolve Market Fit and Sales Engine

MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Five early-stage EdTech founders have been chosen to receive capital, targeted mentorship and hands-on sales coaching from go-to-market experts through the inaugural EIF Catalyst program. Developed by ECMC Group's Education Impact Fund (EIF), the 12-week offering is designed to support each organization's evolution from founder-led sales to a scalable, repeatable go-to-market enterprise by resolving the pain points that arise along the way.

"We are excited to support these five organizations building thoughtful and effective solutions to important problems across the education and workforce landscape," said Joseph Watt, managing director of EIF. "Not only have these founders demonstrated strong market demand, but they also have a high velocity growth mindset toward elevating their capabilities and approach to building their companies."

Led by sales expert Rob Snyder, EIF Catalyst will help founders gain market understanding and enhance their strategic positioning. Through intensive, hands-on customer discovery tactics, they'll learn to build customer engagement and enduring relationships while developing effective closing deals strategies. By the end of the 12 weeks, participants will have an actionable go-to-market plan, deeper customer insights and the systems in place to scale effectively.

The 2025 EIF Catalyst Cohort is:

• BoodleBox , which enhances classroom learning and workforce readiness through responsible and collaborative AI use.
• Kollegio , which leverages AI and data-driven solutions to provide students with unique college counseling support and school/program/scholarship matching while delivering high-quality predictive yields to colleges, creating a higher education marketplace.
• Pace AI , which makes on-the-job training more accessible to English as a Second Language (ESL) and lower-literacy learners.
• Unified Track , which zeroes in on real-time academic risk, absenteeism and engagement with proprietary risk algorithms trained on K-12-specific indicators through an AI-powered platform.
• Wayhaven , which provides 24/7 AI-powered well-being coaching that is accessible, personalized and backed by science.

"I was drawn to the Catalyst program due to EIF's aligned focus on higher ed and workforce development startups, their commitment to impact and the potential to be in a collaborative cohort of like-minded founders as we work to scale our companies to support more students," said Christine Nicodemus, founder of Wayhaven. "As of last year, more students are stopping out of college due to mental wellness concerns than any other factor, and our mission to lower the barrier for initial help-seeking behavior is directly aligned with EIF's impact framework to support students."

In addition to targeted mentorship, founders receive up to $250,000 in investment to power their next stage of growth.

"BoodleBox and the EIF Catalyst program share a fundamental belief: that technology should empower every learner to reach their full potential," said France Hoang, CEO and co-founder of BoodleBox. "Our AI-powered platform helps students develop critical thinking skills, collaborate more effectively and access truly personalized learning experiences. This aligns perfectly with EIF's vision of creating a more equitable and innovative education ecosystem where every learner has the tools they need to thrive in the 21st century."

To learn more, visit www.eifcatalyst.org.

About ECMC Group
ECMC Group is a nonprofit corporation focused on helping students succeed by creating, providing and investing in innovative educational opportunities. Headquartered in Minneapolis, ECMC Group and its family of companies provide financial tools and services, as well as funding for innovative programs to help students achieve their academic and professional goals. To learn more, visit www.ecmcgroup.org.

Education Impact Fund
The Education Impact Fund is a $250 million evergreen impact investment fund that aims to accelerate the transformation of America's postsecondary and workforce ecosystem by investing in innovative companies and collaborating with institutions, employers and communities toward a shared vision of improving education access and outcomes for underserved learners. To learn more and to subscribe to our quarterly newsletter, visit www.educationimpactfund.org.

SOURCE ECMC Group