Butler Accelerator for Education and Workforce Innovation Launches with Four Promising Startups
Innovative Companies Selected for 12-Week Accelerator Program
INDIANAPOLIS - Four fast-growing startup companies from across the country have each been selected to participate in the inaugural cohort of the Butler Accelerator for Education and Workforce Innovation powered by gener8tor. The program, a collaboration between Butler University, TechPoint, and gener8tor, includes strategic and financial support for each company.
The selected startups are: Minneapolis-based manager training platform Awesome People Leaders; Sweden & New York City-based coding platform for students imagiLabs, Bloomington, Ind.-based lesson planning platform Integrate School; and San Luis Obispo, Ca.-based student success & engagement platform Trees.app.
The Butler Accelerator invests $100,000 each into high-growth startups in the EdTech and Future of Work industries. Accepted startups take part in the intensive 12-week, cohort-based accelerator program, which includes 1:1 coaching, mentorship-driven programming, $1M+ in deals and perks, and 100+ connections to mentors and investors from the networks of gener8tor, Butler University, and Indiana digital innovation economy growth initiative TechPoint.
The Butler Accelerator received roughly 200 applications from across the country for the inaugural spring 2024 program. The four selected companies were chosen based on their growth potential and investor readiness.
“I’m thrilled to get to work with these four incredible companies on their growth,” said Sarah Aubrey, gener8tor Senior Managing Director. “This program not only supports these four companies, but also brings opportunity and economic development to the entire Indiana community as well as shines a light on the vital and innovative work being done in the EdTech and Future of Work sectors to equip learners of all ages for the 21st century.”
The Butler Accelerator is made possible by a partnership among Butler University, gener8tor and TechPoint.
“Butler is consistently ranked as a leader in innovation. Through the accelerator program, we are thrilled to support the next generation of companies poised to transform learning through creative solutions for today’s education and workforce challenges,” said Melissa Beckwith, VP and Chief Strategy Office for Butler University.
“We are very pleased to bring this program to central Indiana,” said Chelsea Linder, Vice President of Innovation, Entrepreneurship at TechPoint. “The EdTech sector is hugely important, and we’re happy to be a part of supporting the most dynamic and creative ideas out there. Additionally, the workforce focus is deeply important to us as we seek to add 41,000 new tech workers to the Indiana tech workforce through our Mission 41K program. We see innovation in both education and workforce technology as key to that effort.”
At the end of the program, the startup founders will pitch their companies to investors, community partners and the public at a Showcase event at Butler University on June 13. The event will take place in the Reilly Room in the Atherton Union at 5:00 p.m. ET. Register to attend the event here.
Startup founders interested in learning more about gener8tor’s programming or applying to a future program can visit the Butler Accelerator website (https://www.gener8tor.com/investment-accelerators/butler), or reach out to Senior Managing Director Sarah Aubrey at sarah@gener8tor.com. Those interested in mentoring these companies or getting involved in other ways are also encouraged to connect.
Butler Accelerator Spring 2024 Cohort
Awesome People Leaders decreases the time needed to develop leaders through its neuroscience-based manager development process, which improves retention and team performance. Awesome People Leaders’ unique content delivery and learner experience takes learning out of the learning management system (LMS) and puts it in the flow of work, combining high-tech and high touch. Awesome People Leaders uses AI to identify and diagnose when psychological safety is at risk and intervenes in critical moments. Awesome People Leaders has doubled its revenue since 2022, reaching $140K in 2023.
CEO: Heather Polivka | heatherp@awesomepeopleleaders.com | https://www.awesomepeopleleaders.com/
imagi, a female-founded company, inspires a love of technology in all kids through fun and inclusive coding education. imagi's AI-enhanced Python programming platform empowers any educator, regardless of their prior coding experience, to deliver an engaging curriculum to middle school students across gender and race. After just one hour of coding with imagi, 1 in 3 girls and non-binary children indicated a heightened interest in coding and 85% of students find coding with imagi "fun" after one workshop. imagi has paying customers in over 10 countries and 12 U.S. states, totalling $200K ARR with a 95% renewal rate.
CEO: Dora Palfi | dora@imagilabs.com
Integrate School gives teachers and administrators time back in their day and provides personalized education opportunities to every child– all without changing the way teachers work. Integrate School’s AI-powered platform transforms daily classwork into powerful assessments by mapping state standards to grade books and automatically generating personalized lesson plans tailored to students' needs. Integrate School ensures higher quality lesson delivery by providing process and accountability to the planning process. Integrate School is working with 14 schools, with a total ARR of $215.4k and an 800% growth rate from 2023 to 2024.
CEO: Kevin Celisca | kevin@integrateschool.com | https://www.integrateschool.com/
TREES Technology Company’s “recommendation engine for life” engages each college student with tailored resources and activities at the right time, increasing retention. Colleges provide TREES because students don’t read generic emails from administrators about resources and students get lost in a deluge of information and responsibilities, but students do thrive when they find the right resources and activities for them. Since the creation of the app and platform in 2022, TREES has generated $141K in revenue and has sold two B2B beta subscriptions, which have both renewed and expanded the user base.
CEO: Jonny White | j@trees.app | https://www.trees.app/
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About gener8tor
gener8tor is a global venture firm and accelerator network that supports startups, workers, employers, artists and musicians across race, place and gender. gener8tor partners with companies, governments, universities and nonprofits to operate accelerator programs and conferences in more than 41 communities across 22 states and two countries. Fast Company named gener8tor one of the Best Workplaces for Innovators in 2021 and 2022. The International Trade Council recognized gener8tor as the Global Venture Capital Firm of the Year in 2022. Media contact: Sarah Aubrey, sarah@gener8tor.com.
About Butler University
Based in Indianapolis—one of the heartland’s largest and most dynamic cities—Butler University is a nationally recognized comprehensive university encompassing six colleges: Arts, Business, Communication, Education, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Approximately 4,500 undergraduate and 1,100 graduate students are enrolled at Butler, representing 48 states, two U.S. territories, and 31 countries. A Butler education is focused on giving students the tools they need to excel personally and professionally, as demonstrated by the University’s 98 percent placement rate within six months of graduation. Butler University is the No. 1 ranked regional university in the Midwest, according to the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings, in addition to being included in The Princeton Review’s annual “best colleges” guidebook. Media contact: Mark Apple, mapple1@butler.edu.
About TechPoint
TechPoint, is the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership’s industry-led growth initiative for Indiana’s digital innovation economy and overall tech ecosystem. The team is focused on working with public, private and industry partners to expand tech talent pipeline, enhance resource connectivity for enterprise organizations and startups alike, and elevate the industry by activating the community and amplifying stories of success. For more information, please visit www.techpoint.org. Media contact: Cheryl Reed, cheryl@techpoint.org.
