13th annual Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition now accepting applications

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Applications are now open for the 13^th annual Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition, a yearly contest which invites early-stage ventures from around the world using innovation to address systemic inequities in education. The competition offers tens of thousands of dollars in cash and prizes. Applications will be accepted through April 29, with finalists being announced September 1 and a Virtual Finals ceremony to be held October 12, 2022.

The Education Business Plan Competition (EBPC), launched in 2010 as a collaboration between Penn GSE and the Michael and Lori Milken Family Foundation, is considered the most prestigious and well-funded competition of its kind — awarding more than $1.5 million in cash prizes since its founding. Thousands of applicants from more than 50 countries have participated over that 12-year stretch, each proposing their own solutions to promote educational innovation and make a global impact for educators and learners world-wide. Winners have gone on to earn more than $150 million in funding.

Last year’s winner, Readlee, is a platform that uses artificial intelligence to improve academic outcomes by listening to students read and providing real-time feedback. It captured the Michael & Lori Milken Family Foundation’s Grand Prize of $40,000.

Other winners in 2021 included HomeWorks Trenton, a community-based afterschool residential program that provides academic and socioemotional enrichment activities while empowering marginalized high school girls; Weird Enough Productions, a social impact organization that empowers young people through diverse stories told across a variety of media; and 9ijakids Educational Games, an initiative that presents children with informative and enriching gaming experiences across Africa.

“The past two years have underscored just how crucial innovative thinking is to the field of education,” said Michael Golden, executive director of Catalyst @ Penn GSE. “The ongoing pandemic has exacerbated existing inequities for learners all over the world. Participants in the Milken-Penn GSE competition believe in combining technology with novel approaches to better support the success of educators and learners in every facet of education — and we believe in their ability to do so.”

Penn GSE is one of the nation’s premier research education schools. No other education school enjoys a university environment as supportive of practical knowledge-building as the Ivy League’s University of Pennsylvania. The School is notably entrepreneurial, launching innovative degree programs for practicing professionals and unique partnerships with local educators, and the first-ever business plan competition devoted exclusively to educational products and programs. The EBPC is part of Catalyst @ Penn GSE, a collection and facilitator of unique, innovative initiatives at Penn GSE aimed at addressing persistent and emerging problems in education.

To learn more and apply to the 2022 EBPC, click here. You can also follow the conversation on Twitter: @CatalystPennGSE and #MilkenPennGSE.