EDGE Accelerator: New York City’s EDGE Accelerator has announced the first cohort of companies participating in its three-month program. The accelerator is a spinout from the Kaplan Techstars edtech accelerator that had graduated more than 20 companies including Cognotion, Degreed, MentorMob, Newsela, Ranku, Tuva Labs, and UVize. The accelerator is open to both K-12 and higher-ed startups.
The lucky group of ten includes:
- CoachTube (New York City) - online sports instruction marketplace for brand name coaches
- CredSpark (New York City) - platform that helps companies use quick formative assessments to better understand customers
- ExpertKnowledge (New York City) - helps companies capture and convert knowledge into accredited learning
- Erudite Science (Montreal) - artificial intelligence mathematics tutor inspired by IBM’s Watson
- Thrively (Glendale, CA) - reveals a child’s character strengths and connects them with personalized enrichment opportunities
- Junior Explorers (Brooklyn, NY) - connects kids to the outdoors with fun learning experiences
- Kinems (Boston, MA) - uses Microsoft Kinect educational games for children with learning disabilities
- Little Bird (New York City) - brings 21st century HR & benefits services to schools and the education sector
- Open Online Academy (New York City) - provides online education for anyone
- Ruckus Learning (Norwalk, CT) - platform for interactive apps and developers (Lynda.com for Interactive media)
This group was chosen from 560 applicants. While funding is not disclosed, each of ten companies can receive up to $170,000 in funding. The program culminates in a “Shark Tank” style demo day at the global education innovation festival on December 15-17 at New York University.