Six startups have been selected into early-stage education incubator 4.0 Schools’ 12th Launch Program cohort, which is the first the organization is hosting in New York City.
Launch is a three-month incubator for early stage education entrepreneurs with promising ideas for the future of school.
“Over the next three months, six teams of entrepreneurs will hustle to build and iterate on their ventures to meet the needs of their users,” reveals 4.0 Schools.
The organization received over 150 applications from more than 30 states with ideas ranging from providing study abroad for low income high school students to supporting teachers with the tools to track student emotional growth.
Meet the six teams from the latest cohort as described by 4.0 Schools’ COO Katie Beck:
- Teslab, led by Aditya Kumarakrishnan, aims to not only bring 3D printers, laser cutters, and other tools to schools, but to put them on wheels, in a laptop-cart sized makerspace built for the classroom with easy-to-use software that can be used by teachers across multiple classrooms. Future of School Hypothesis: Technology once only available in state-of-the-art labs will come to classrooms and will inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists through hands on learning.
- Emote entrepreneurs Julian and Lei will be testing whether schools and teachers want to monitor their students’ emotions across the school day and over time, and how they will take action based on this information. Future of School Hypothesis: Teachers, parents, and students collaboratively sharing information about emotion will make learning more responsive and personalized to a student’s needs and preferences.
- Through the NY on Tech program, students learn computer programming, are exposed to both technical and non-technical professions in technology, connect with a network of diverse mentors, and are provided with other professional experiences that put them on a pathway to a career in technology. Future of School Hypothesis: Schools must develop not only students’ academic capacity, but the social capital and networks needed to thrive in future careers.
- Unifi Scholars entrepreneurs David and Georges aim to put students in the driver’s seat of their financial future and teach them how to navigate these choices — beginning with how to frame their college decision as a return on investment and understanding the resources to finance their education. Future of School Hypothesis: Finance how-to and self-awareness is essential to student’s success in college and beyond.
- Startup duo Bryan and Amy are launching PS21, a mobile platform for college students to get answers from a diverse set of professionals, so they can really understand what work would be like in their shoes. Future of School Hypothesis: Every student should be aware of their strengths and interests and how those align with future career pathway options.
- Thrival, led by Emma Hiza, will afford high school juniors the opportunity to live and study abroad for 5 months, as part of a year long, credit-bearing program grounded in personalized, project-based learning and immersive apprenticeships. Future of School Hypothesis: Students will benefit academically and socially from immersive experiences in countries and cultures different than their own.