UCL EDUCATE becomes national partner in world’s largest #EdTech start-up competition

UCL EDUCATE has become the national partner in the GESAwards, the biggest EdTech start-up competition globally.

GESAwards was set up five years ago by MindCET (Israel) and is a joint venture between partners from six continents, involving 17 regional EdTech clusters with a network of more than 2,500 companies. It provides opportunities for entrepreneurs and innovators from any country to showcase their products and services to a world-wide audience.

EdTech companies have benefited from being able to connect and build partnerships and business opportunities as well as compete for the title of the Most Promising EdTech Start-up of the year.

Professor Rose Luckin, the director of UCL EDUCATE, said the involvement with GESAwards reflected the aims of the programme.

“We are delighted to become a partner of this prestigious international competition and to represent the UK on the world stage,” she said.

“Our involvement is a natural progression from being UK-based to embracing the many opportunities that are available through international collaboration and cooperation with innovators and developers around the world.

“We are all working towards a common purpose – to maximise the benefits of learning for millions and to help educators be more effective. For the first time ever, we have the ability, potentially, to ensure every person in the world is educated. We have a collective responsibility to work towards that shared aim.”

As well as promoting start-ups, GESAwards helps to build and develop local EdTech ecosystems and facilitates the flow of EdTech investments to alternative markets.

Avi Warshavsky, Founder of GESAwards, acknowledged the importance of UCL EDUCATE becoming a partner.

“From day one, UCL EDUCATE has strived to reach the same objective of enabling start-ups to gain global credibility and visibility into a global scenario.

“The founder, Professor Rose Luckin, has been a partner of MindCET for years, and both organisations strongly believe that only with alliances between EdTech ventures can we help the global EdTech ecosystem to promote innovation in education in a way that will meet the needs of the digital learner.”

UCL EDUCATE will host the UK competition in London on 16 September, which will include a pitch session by companies to judges, as well as a keynote speech and panel discussion. The event will be held from 2-5pm in the Cruciform building of UCL.

The event is part of the 6th contest of GESAwards, which launched at the SxSWEdu festival in Austin, Texas in March, this year. The global finals will take place in London during the third week of January 2020.

About UCL EDUCATE: A unique UCL IOE-led programme that connects the EdTech community to the world’s best educational research and practice. Its pioneering approach aims to build and develop world-class EdTech products and services, based on what works for teachers and learners. It enables entrepreneurs and SMEs to develop and grow, creating the very best products and services that are tried and tested, effective and fit for purpose. UCL EDUCATE links educational technologists with researchers, educators, mentors and experts in business and product development. UCL EDUCATE is a £4.5 million programme, part-funded until 2020 by the European Regional Development Fund and its partner organisations: UCL Institute of Education, UCL Engineering, BESA, F6S and Nesta.

About MindCET: An EdTech innovation center, which brings together entrepreneurs, educators, students and researchers to develop ground-breaking learning solutions in Israel and abroad. MindCET was established the Center for Educational Technology (CET). For over 40 years, CET has been leading Israel’s technology-based educational solutions, with a special interest in reaching all its culturally and geographically diverse population. MindCET is in its 6th year of activity and has been one of the worlds’ pioneer to bring the entrepreneurial culture into the educational world. Today, it is globally recognized as an important reference to the Global EdTech ecosystem, leading relevant international ventures as well as offering alternative innovative solutions. MindCET plays a central role in all major world EdTech forums and works in partnerships with organizations alike, major universities, R&Ds, Hi-Tech companies, in order to explore, strengthen, and develop innovative and relevant pedagogical solutions that meet the needs of the new generations.