Five Social Impact EdTech Startups Selected for Accelerator
gener8tor and American Family Institute welcome the sixth gBETA Social Impact Equity in Education cohort
Chicago, Ill. - Five EdTech companies have been selected to participate in a national startup accelerator program. Effective to Great Education, MegaMinds, Narrate AR, Owler A.I. and Student-Athlete.Co will participate in the sixth gBETA Social Impact Equity in Education program through national venture capital firm gener8tor.
gBETA Social Impact is a free, seven-week accelerator program designed to set a path for startups to pursue investment opportunities. Startup founders receive intensive concierge coaching and access to gener8tor's national network of mentors, customers, corporate partners and investors.
The five selected companies were chosen based on their growth potential and investor readiness. See below for more details on each company.
“Bridging equity gaps in education can be addressed in many areas of the K-12 system by supporting teachers and students where they are today. We are excited to work with founders who are asking questions about student inclusivity, teacher capacity building and student support and wellness. Each one of them is focused on outcomes for students and communities that will result in transformational impact,” said Zaineb Al-Kalby, gBETA Social Impact Director.
The program is made possible by a partnership with American Family Institute.
“It is our mission to engage with innovative initiatives that are delivering equity and people-centered solutions to educational disparities. Supporting gBETA Social Impact enables us to provide access to world class mentors that will accelerate the success of these enterprising startup founders,” said Jilly Gokalgandhi, Equity in Education Strategist at the American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact.
At the end of the gBETA program, the startup founders will pitch their companies to investors, community partners and the public at a virtual showcase event at 6 p.m. CT Dec. 14. RSVP here.
Startup companies and founders interested in learning more about gBETA’s programming and resources or applying to a future program can visit the gener8tor gBETA website, or reach out to Zaineb Al-Kalby at zaineb@gener8tor.com. Those interested in mentoring these companies or getting involved in other ways are also encouraged to connect.
gBETA Social Impact Education Fall 2023 Cohort
Effective to Great Education (ETGE) provides P-12 schools with culturally responsive and trauma-informed mental wellness education, management, and research beginning with the flagship product, Mindfulness Labs. Mindfulness Labs is modularly designed for teachers to easily integrate into the classroom that allows them to provide mental health education that empowers students to build habits and routines that improve academic and behavioral outcomes. ETGE has piloted Mindfulness Labs with five schools and more than 100 participants to date.
CEO: Laura Thomas, laura@effectivetogreat.com, effectivetogreat.com
MegaMinds provides a browser-based platform where students learn through creative, interactive activities or lessons in 3D social online spaces. MegaMinds improves student engagement and learning outcomes by combining educational content with virtual gaming experiences using any device. MegaMinds provides a collaborative and easy platform for everyday students and teachers to create 3D immersive spaces. MegaMinds has been selling since July 2023 resulting in 10 licenses (about 250 students) worth $1,500/yr, and an MOU with one of the largest online schools in the US.
CEO: Eric Tao, eric@gomegaminds.com, gomegaminds.com
Narrate AR revolutionizes education, especially for those with learning difficulties, with a platform based on fully personalized artificial intelligence (AI) co-pilots that grow with kids to unlock their full potential. Narrate AR individually supports students with disabilities including autism and dyslexia through uniquely trained co-pilots while simultaneously building capacity for educators. Since formation in May 2023, Narrate created a prototype, tested with more than 50 users and has recently secured $150K funding from New Schools Venture Fund. Narrate AR is scheduled to launch its MVP in January 2024.
CEO: Karri Haen Whitmer, karri@narratear.com, narratear.com
Owler A.I. reduces teacher burnout by empowering educators with productivity tools to review, grade, and provide meaningful feedback on student work. Owler’s machine learning platform increases educators’ capacity by comparing student submissions to grading criteria to provide individualized and reliable feedback for students. Owler is a Chicago-based company with 350+ waitlist users and will beta test with 100+ customers in late 2023.
CEO: Athena Saldanha, athena@owlerai.com, owlerai.com
Student-Athlete.co empowers the next generation of student-athletes through mentorship, practical experiences, workshops and equipping them to reach their full potential in both athletics and life. Student-Athlete.co provides college student athletes with essential skills development and training by providing mentorship to under-resourced youth in their local communities. Student-Athlete.co has delivered more than 60 engaging sessions, signed up more than 100 student athletes, two collectives and has pending contract renewals for $105K by the end of Q1 2024.
CEO: Jermaine Malcolm, jermaine@studentathlete.co, studentathlete.co
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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 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.
About gBETA
gBETA is a non-equity accelerator that facilitates the growth of early-stage companies through a network-driven program. This accelerator supports five startups per cohort and requires no fees for startups and takes no equity. Since launching in 2015, gBETA accelerator alumni have raised $714M+ in capital and created 4,281 jobs across the US and Canada.
About The American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact
The American Family Institute is a venture capital firm and capacity building partner of choice for exceptional entrepreneurs and organizations who are engaged in an effort to close equity gaps in America. The Institute invests in companies and connects with groups working to provide economic empowerment and justice reform, to build resilient communities, to create healthy youth development and to increase learning and academic achievement. It is based in Madison, Wisconsin and can be found on social media @AmFamInstitute and at its website, www.amfaminstitute.com.
