SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T is calling
on innovative ed-tech ventures to apply for the 2017 AT&T
Aspire Accelerator. In its third year, the Aspire
Accelerator's mission is to support innovations that can help every
student achieve a bright, successful future—exponentially and at
scale. For and non-profit organizations chosen to participate in
the program receive financial investment, access to expert services
and mentorship.
The Aspire Accelerator application is open thru Feb. 7. The program will begin with selected
ventures in May 2017.
The eleven previous participants have thrived in the program and
together have reached more than 4 million students. Aspire
Accelerator Alumni include Bitsbox, Cogent Education, CommonLit
(501(c)3), Couragion, GradGuru (501(c)3), The Graide Network,
LearnPlatform, MindBlown Labs, PlayPosit, Quill (501(c)3), and
TalkingPoints (501(c)3).
"We believe that education is the most important investment we
can make and tech is our business. When you marry up education with
technology you can start to make amazing change," said Nicole Anderson, assistant vice president,
Social Innovation at AT&T. "I'm excited to work with the 2017
class to bring more game-changing solutions to scale for students
and teachers across the country."
The Aspire Accelerator benefits from an external board of
advisors of leading education and technology innovators:
Charles Best, founder and CEO,
DonorsChoose.org; Kimberly Bryant,
founder, Black Girls CODE; Betsy
Corcoran, co-founder and CEO, EdSurge; Ben Jealous, partner,
Kapor Center for Social Impact; Nancy Poon
Lue, partner, Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund;
Daniel Lurie, founder and CEO,
Tipping Point Community; Ramona
Pierson, co-founder and CEO, Declara; and Sebastian Thrun, founder and president,
Udacity.
"I've loved the opportunity to work with the Aspire Accelerator
startups and serve as a mentor for the founders as they continue to
grow their organizations and bring new initiatives and products
into the ed-tech space," commented Kimberly
Bryant, founder of Black Girls CODE. "I know this year's
class will bring more innovative ideas to the table and I look
forward to continuing to collaborate with AT&T to help the
ventures succeed."
Aspire Accelerator's customized 6-month program includes:
- Aspire Investment – $100,000 AT&T investment and an additional
$25,000 for each venture to cover
costs of the program. For non-profit companies, the investment will
be a general contribution. They receive this in exchange for
participating in the Aspire Accelerator and meeting certain
requirements, including submitting impact measurements.
- Mentorship – Access to an Entrepreneur in Residence and
AT&T and external mentors from education and technology.
- Resources – UI/UX design services and opportunities to
participate in education conferences such as ISTE and ASU GSV.
- National Platform – Inclusion in the broader AT&T
Aspire initiative, which is committed to driving innovation in
education.
- Flexible Location – Organizations can participate from
where they are, without relocating.
The Aspire Accelerator is open to any venture working to develop
technology to support students' educational and career success.
Potential areas of focus may include: mobile apps that drive
education outcomes; platforms for teachers, students and/or
parents; learning and curriculum management tools; assessment and
outcome tracking platforms; education distribution (online
instruction, courses, etc.); and increased access for existing best
practices. Solutions for students at-risk of dropping out of school
will receive special consideration.
About Philanthropy & Social Innovation at
AT&T
AT&T is committed to advancing education,
strengthening communities and improving lives. Through its
community initiatives, AT&T has a long history of investing in
projects that create learning opportunities; promote academic and
economic achievement; or address community needs. AT&T Aspire
is AT&T's signature philanthropic initiative that drives
innovation in education by bringing diverse resources to bear on
the issue including funding, technology, employee volunteerism, and
mentoring. Through Aspire, we've passed the $250 million mark on our plan to invest
$350 million in education from
2008-2017.
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visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/att-accepting-applications-for-ed-tech-accelerator-300388170.html
SOURCE AT&T Inc.