New Edtech Accelerator from ETS and LearnLaunch Accelerator
ETS will invest $2 million in early-stage entrepreneurial companies seeking to solve educational challenges
PRINCETON, N.J., June 27, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- After a successful year collaborating with LearnLaunch as an investor, ETS is leveraging lessons learned and $2 million in investment capital to support education start-ups through a sponsored accelerator.
The ETS® Accelerate program is accepting applications for its first cohort through July 10, 2019. Startups interested in participating can learn more on LearnLaunch Accelerator's website (www.learnlaunch.com/accelerate) and submit applications by visiting F6S (http://www.f6s.com/learnlaunchacceleratorboost).
The new accelerator will be themed-based, providing focused resources and value. These themes focus on critical issues in education and allow for focused programming and resources from ETS and LearnLaunch. Companies applying to this first cohort should be addressing "Skills for a New Economy," "English Language Learning" or both.
"The purpose of ETS creating an accelerator is to leverage ETS's vast resources around having a greater impact and reach into education," said Richard Varn, ETS Venture Partner Lead. "I believe that this accelerator will be among the best because we're taking the power of two very strong institutions and putting them together to focus on solving educational challenges. LearnLaunch is the leader in the edtech accelerator space. This, combined with ETS's depth and breadth of expertise in education measurement, provides an advantage to edtech entrepreneurs."
While this new accelerator is sponsored by ETS, day-to-day operations will be managed by LearnLaunch Accelerator. As in all LearnLaunch Accelerator programs, companies will get access to funding, industry-leading mentors, strategic plans for scale and a community of like-minded supporters.
"Over the past seven years, we've worked with 58 start-ups and have developed a critical milestone approach that helps founders create a path to success that is measurable, tangible and attainable," said Jean Hammond, co-Founder and General Partner of LearnLaunch Accelerator. "In ETS, we found an ideal partner, who will help companies design quantifiable research to move change in education. Together, our theme-based accelerator program can drive change to help schools and employers really support learners. We will also continue our standard programs for any edtech company encompassing all of early childhood education, K-12, higher ed and workforce edtech, with applications for the next cohort opening in October."
This unique collaboration allows both organizations to mentor and fund promising start-ups to help improve their efficacy around solving educational challenges and advancing equity in education. Furthermore, it will substantially increase the resources that start-ups selected by ETS Accelerate will receive to help them reach their growth goals. Specifically, ETS is providing start-ups participating in the program with monetary support, vast industry expertise, in-kind services (including the opportunity for subsequent funding) and access to additional resources.
ETS remains committed to providing fair and valid assessments, research and related services. This initiative, however, provides another avenue for ETS to advance its mission beyond educational research and assessment to include support for the education start-up community.
For more information about ETS Accelerate please visit: www.learnlaunch.com/accelerate
About ETS
At ETS, we advance quality and equity in education for people worldwide by creating assessments based on rigorous research. ETS serves individuals, educational institutions and government agencies by providing customized solutions for teacher certification, English language learning, and elementary, secondary and postsecondary education, and by conducting education research, analysis and policy studies. Founded as a nonprofit in 1947, ETS develops, administers and scores more than 50 million tests annually — including the TOEFL® and TOEIC ® tests, the GRE ® tests and The Praxis Series ® assessments — in more than 180 countries, at over 10,000 locations worldwide. www.ets.org
About LearnLaunch
LearnLaunch is dedicated to connecting, supporting and growing the education technology ecosystem to drive innovation and transform learning. We are a vibrant community, delivering educational events, a selective accelerator program and a collaborative co-working space. We are based in Boston, a world education hub. For more information, visit www.learnlaunch.com and follow LearnLaunch at @learnlaunch.
About LearnLaunch Accelerator
LearnLaunch Accelerator is the leading edtech startup accelerator on a mission to improve teaching and learning by growing great education technology companies. We have two investment-focused programs as well as personalized bootcamps for edtech companies across Early Childhood Education, K-12, Higher Ed, and Workforce Edtech. Using our unique mix of milestone-based funding, 1x1 Venture Partner support, and deep set of mentors, we work with impact-driven entrepreneurs on achieving product-market fit and developing scaling strategies. Our relationship-driven approach supports funding, partnerships, and growth for the long-term. For more Information, visit www.learnlaunch.com/accelerator or follow us @LearnLaunchX.
SOURCE Educational Testing Service
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