Applications now open for 16th annual Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition

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The 16th annual Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition (EBPC), considered the most prestigious competition of its kind, is now accepting applications. Education and edtech innovators from across the globe are invited to apply through February 19, 2025, for the chance to receive expert mentorship, compete for over $200,000 in cash and prizes, and join a vibrant ecosystem of changemakers.

Since its founding in 2010 at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE), the EBPC has become a cornerstone for education innovation, awarding over $2 million in funding and supporting ventures that address pressing challenges in education. Past winners have launched groundbreaking solutions in areas such as AI-powered digital learning, high impact tutoring, and student well-being, making a lasting impact on learners worldwide.

“The 2025 edtech marketspace is full of vibrant possibilities, but also demands innovation, strategic thinking, and resilience from education entrepreneurs,” said John Gamba, Penn GSE’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence and director of the competition. “The Milken-Penn GSE EBPC serves as a critical platform in this evolving landscape, providing entrepreneurs with the resources, mentorship, and networks they need to navigate challenges and capitalize on opportunities to make a lasting impact on education as we know it.”

Michael Golden, Vice Dean of Innovative Programs and Partnerships, Catalyst @ Penn GSE, emphasized the competition’s enduring significance. “The EBPC has cultivated a legacy of fostering ideas that address systemic inequities in education. Through this platform, we empower entrepreneurs to expand their research-driven, scalable solutions and create lasting change in the field.”

Entrepreneurs worldwide are eligible to apply. Competitors are selected by a diverse cohort of education experts and industry leaders who evaluate submissions based on innovation, scalability, equity, and potential impact on learning outcomes. 

Semifinalists, to be announced May 1, join the Penn GSE Catapult virtual accelerator to grow their ventures through self-paced learning and mentorship from industry experts. Finalists will be announced August 20 and make their final pitches on September 11, 2025 at the HolonIQ Back to School Summit in New York City.

“I would not have looked at my edtech product with so much potential if not for this experience. I'm very grateful for that,” says Manasi Mehan, founder of Saturday Art Class, a 2024 Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition winner.

Last year’s winners were:

• SAY IT Labs, a venture that develops video games that combine artificial intelligence and speech therapy to help support children with speech disorders, which took home the $40,000 Michael & Lori Milken Family Foundation Grand Prize and the $5,000 Audience Choice Prize presented by Osage Venture Partners.

• Saturday Art Class, a startup that unleashes the creative potential of one of the world’s largest marginalized child populations by developing social-emotional skills through visual arts education, which won the $25,000 Cognativ Inc. Prize.

• Honest Game, the only automated system that empowers school staff, students and their families to unlock equity to college athletic opportunities like experts, which earned the $10,000 Magnitude Digital Prize.

The Milken family, several of whom are Penn graduates, embody the Ben Franklin spirit. Through successful educational entrepreneurship — from pre-K services through college education for working adults — as well as investments in educational enterprises, they have demonstrated a commitment to the leaders of tomorrow. In their four decades of philanthropic activities, the Milken family has made innovation in education — as exemplified by the Milken Educator Awards and National Institute for Excellence in Teaching — a cornerstone of their work.

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 top-ranked School is notably entrepreneurial, launching innovative degree programs for practicing professionals, unique partnerships with local educators, and the first-ever business plan competition devoted exclusively to educational products and programs. For further information about Penn GSE, please visit www.gse.upenn.edu.

Find more on educationcompetition.org or follow the conversation on LinkedIn and X and by using #MilkenPennGSE.

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