ImaginED Georgia Accelerates Startups Pursuing Solutions to Educational Disparities

Georgia-based education innovation cluster held its inaugural five-week accelerator program for education-based startups

ATLANTA, GA, December 18, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- ImaginED Georgia, a Georgia-based education innovation cluster (EdCluster/ EIC), announced the successful completion of its first 'EDgineer Accelerator' for startup companies aimed at addressing different challenges in education. The inaugural accelerator was completed by six early-stage startups led by Black and/or women founders. ImaginED Georgia launched the program to enhance startups through education, mentorship, and funding opportunities, with the goal of developing a stronger, more diverse local ecosystem of change agents addressing educational disparities in Georgia.

The curriculum for the EDgineer Accelerator, which kicked-off in early November, was spearheaded by ImaginED Georgia in partnership with SGS+ (StartUp Grow Sell), a consultancy servicing startups, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. Throughout the five-week accelerator, participants engaged in educational sessions on the intersection of education, business, and marginalized communities; revenue modeling in the education industry; leveraging business credit as a source of funding; the core legalities of running a successful startup; and marketing essentials. Sessions were led by speakers from Brown Toy Box, Karaya Consulting, Resilia, and 2 Eight Media LLC.

Participants also engaged in virtual networking and feedback sessions with advisors from zCode Solutions, School Growth, and TeachersInTouch; and concluded the program with a virtual 'demo day' pitch competition judged by investors from Launch Tennessee and SB Opportunity Fund.

"Industry-focused accelerators like the EDgineer Accelerator are amazing tools for growing a strong company and network," said Kevin Celisca, co-founder of Integrate Tech, Forbes8 Ambassador, and featured EDgineer Accelerator speaker. "For growth-driven companies, your network can affect your sales pipeline, determine the ability to raise capital, and be the strongest indicator of success. The benefits of participating in engaging accelerator programs are invaluable and can provide years worth of knowledge in an expedited time."

Each participant of the inaugural EDgineer Accelerator is contributing to a larger network of changemakers in education and pursuing solutions for different obstacles within education:
-Millennials in Education is addressing cultural diversity in the classroom and provides professional development and training to develop more effective and culturally relevant teachers
-Educate with a Purpose LLC is addressing accommodations for students with learning disabilities and promoting progressive thinking in education policy, academia, and curricula
-Academic Pipeline Project is addressing the matriculation of under-represented minorities and providing pipeline programs related to research, career and life preparation
-Pruuvn is addressing teacher recruitment/ challenges for educators seeking employment and verification of professional credentials with a platform that will provide a holistic view of teachers' professional development
-Mini Money Management is addressing financial literacy with programs that introduce children to money at a young age
-Edmoji App is addressing social and emotional learning and communication barriers by providing students with a different way to express themselves to their teachers

"The communities experiencing education disparities deserve sustainable change, and we believe that can be made possible with the proper resources, collaboration, and support," said Martin Chaplin, CEO of ImaginED Georgia. "Our goal in hosting our first accelerator was to provide comprehensive support to the companies who are pouring back into the education system in unique ways. We're thankful to have worked with an amazing group of founders who are intentional about modern education and look forward to continuing partnering to make education more equitable."

ImaginED Georgia was founded in 2019 by current and former K-12 educators. ImaginED Georgia is developing a local ecosystem of educators, innovators, investors, entrepreneurs, researchers, companies, and local education stakeholders to create uniquely personalized solutions for Georgia's diverse student populations. Through its initiatives, the EdCluster aims to close the achievement gap in Georgia and is working towards its vision of establishing extremely resourced education systems that leverage technology and innovation to support all of Georgia's public education stakeholders with students from all demographics in mind.

About ImaginED Georgia

Founded in 2019, ImaginED Georgia is a Georgia-based education innovation cluster (EdCluster/ EIC). The EdCluster aims to curate a local ecosystem of educators, innovators, investors, entrepreneurs, researchers, companies, and local education stakeholders to collaboratively address challenges in Georgia's K-12 education and leverage technology and innovation to produce equity-focused solutions for Georgia's diverse student populations. ImaginED Georgia's intent to help close Georgia's achievement gap is guided by seven core values: equity, innovation, design thinking, community, educator support, personalized solutions, and creating with Georgia in mind.

To learn more about ImaginED Georgia, visit https://imaginedga.org/ and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter @GeorgiaImaginED, and Facebook + Instagram @imaginedGA.

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