Industry News

AT&T Opens Applications for Second Ed Tech Accelerator

• By Sri Ravipati
• 01/17/17

Multinational telecommunications conglomerate AT&T has opened up applications for its second annual ed tech accelerator. The program is designed for startups offering mobile technology, applications and other services that support students’ educational and career success.

The 2017 AT&T Aspire Accelerator is a six-month program that is open to for-profit and nonprofit organizations, part of the company’s national initiative to drive innovation in education. AT&T will provide a $100,000 financial investment, with an additional $25,000 to cover program costs. Throughout the program, companies will gain access to AT&T’s expert services and mentorship. AT&T said the accelerator supports innovations “that use technology to help students succeed, strengthen schools and communities, or prepare learners for employment,” according to the program’s website.

“AT&T has been in the education space for over a hundred years and they’ve been connecting schools specifically for that long,” said Sandro Olivieri, an entrepreneur in residence at the accelerator, in a video statement. “By investing in these startups we are able to focus on impact.”

“We believe that education is the most important investment we can make and tech is our business,” said Nicole Anderson, assistant vice president of school innovation for AT&T, in a video statement. “When you marry up education with technology, you can really start to make amazing change.”

The accelerator is customized and tailored to each organization. Additionally, the program allows participants to stay where they are based.

Last year’s class included companies like Bitsbox and Cogent, which offer coding projects and activities that get students thinking like computer engineers and scientists. CommonLit, a digital platform that offers free curriculum tools, and TalkingPoints, a multilingual communications platform for parents, teachers and students, were also part of last year’s cohort. Couragion, an app that exposes students to STEM careers, and The Graide Network, a platform that connects teachers with virtual teaching assistants on demand, won as well.

To hear from some of these companies, watch video coverage of last year’s accelerator below. Further information on how to apply is available on the AT&T site.