presented by Walton Family Foundation

Launch Startup Competition

The Launch Startup Competition celebrates emerging innovations in learning with a fast-paced pitch competition featuring early-stage startups during SXSW EDU.

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ABOUT

 

The Launch Startup Competition, presented by Walton Family Foundation, showcases emerging innovations and breakthrough technologies making an impact on the future of teaching and learning. The competition provides a platform for early-stage startups seeking feedback, investment, strategic partnerships, and exposure.

Watch selected finalists compete live before a panel of industry experts in the Launch Startup Competition on Tuesday, March 10. Following the live competition, join us for an evening reception and winner announcement at the Launch Spotlight presented by Walton Family Foundation.

Finalists and semifinalists will have access to coaching provided by StartEd.

Application Process

Early-stage education startups are encouraged to complete the online application process to be considered as a finalist for the Launch Startup Competition.

Tuesday, June 24 | Application Opens Sunday, September 7 | Early Entry Deadline Sunday, November 2 | Final Entry Deadline

Eligibility Requirements

  • Launch is open to early-stage startup companies in the education market.
  • Companies must be established with a management team and public-facing website, able to convey a sustainable business model and able to demonstrate user traction, engagement, and adoption metrics.
  • Companies that have raised over $8 million in funds from combined funding sources at the time of application are ineligible.
  • Each applicant is only eligible to present in one of the SXSW startup events (SXSW Pitch or SXSW EDU Launch). If you apply and are selected as a finalist for both, you will need to choose in which competition you’d like to present.
  • Past SXSW EDU Launch Startup Competition finalists and semifinalists are not eligible to apply.
Opportunities for Selected Participants

Finalists

  • Receive 2 complimentary credentials to SXSW EDU 2026.
  • Gain access to the SXSW EDU Bootcamp for startups (subject to capacity) and other exclusive workshops and opportunities for startups at SXSW EDU
  • Pitch live to an audience of educators, investors, entrepreneurs, and innovators on the Next Stage in the SXSW EDU Expo
  • Have access to coaching and mentorship sessions with savvy entrepreneurs selected by SXSW EDU to help participants refine their business concept and perfect their pitch
  • Have the opportunity to win one out of three awards
  • Participate in our Launch Spotlight, a cocktail-style reception where teams can connect one-on-one with attendees, demo products and receive valuable, real-time feedback
  • Receive the opportunity to participate in the SXSW Pitch Showcase

Semifinalists

  • Receive 2 complimentary credentials to SXSW EDU 2026.
  • Gain access to the SXSW EDU Bootcamp for startups (subject to capacity) and other exclusive workshops and opportunities for startups at SXSW EDU
  • Have access to coaching and mentorship sessions with savvy entrepreneurs selected by SXSW EDU to help participants refine their business concept
  • Participate in our Launch Spotlight, a cocktail-style reception where teams can connect one-on-one with attendees, demo products and receive valuable, real-time feedback
Awards

Launch Award:

This award is given to the Launch Startup Competition’s grand prize winner. The recipient of this award impressed the judges as the top startup with its overall creativity, innovation, ease of use, potential to scale, strength and unique perspective of the team, and potential to improve learning outcomes.

Impact Award:

The recipient of this award has the most potential to impact student learning based on the science of learning, according to the competition judges. This startup has shown a commitment to using research-based interventions to substantially improve student learning and outcomes.

Community Choice Award:

The recipient of this award has received the most votes from the audience during SXSW EDU. This startup has not only captured the attention of the diverse SXSW EDU community, which is comprised of perspectives beyond the startup industry across the education space, but also centers equity, accessibility, and supporting historically marginalized learners.

Frequently Asked Questions

For frequently asked questions and answers, check out the Launch Startup Competition FAQ.

History

Learn more about the history of the Launch Startup Competition by browsing a full list of past startup finalists and winners.

JUDGES

Tina Austin

Professor

UCLA

Kavitta Ghai

CEO & Co-Founder

Nectir

Kevin Johnstun

Program Officer for the Education Program

Walton Family Foundation

Shayla Cornick

Deputy Director, EdTech R&D

Digital Promise

EMCEE

Adeel Khan

Founder & CEO

MagicSchool AI

FINALISTS

 

Apprentos New York, New York

America’s future talent isn’t coming from college; it’s coming from apprenticeships. Apprentos is the Operating System making that possible. We replaced a pre-internet bureaucracy with a modern stack: employers launch programs in minutes, governments track live ROI, and talent gets mobile-first career guidance. In our pilot, we slash administrative costs from $400K to $1.3K per apprentice. We aren't just building workforce tech. We are rewriting the code for the American Dream.

Learnology Brush Prairie, Washington

Learnology is the creator of PAL (Personal Assistant for Learning), an interactive resource for educators and caregivers that maximizes their productive participation in the cognitive development of early learners. We believe that kids are best supported by meaningful interactions with other people about subject matter. Our technology bolsters caretakers' confidence to teach, provides educators the tools to understand each child's needs, and gives both a common language for cooperation.

Opal for Schools New York, New York

Opal for Schools is the first Bell-to-Bed phone policy for schools. Instead of forcing kids to use pouches or lock boxes, Opal teaches kids the skill of digital self-regulation by only blocking distracting apps, but letting them keep their phones and have access to apps that are critical to their life and learning. All while giving administrations real-time data into the effectiveness of the policy.

Rézme Los Angeles, California

Rézme helps employers and colleges recruit hidden talent, including veterans, justice-impacted individuals, and opportunity youth. We integrate skills-based screening, partner referrals, government incentive capture, and fair-chance hiring compliance directly into HR systems. Candidates receive legal-education to understand their employment rights while employers gain a compliant recruiting process that reduces risk, increases candidate yield, and automates government incentives for higher ROI.

ShareTheBoard Kraków, Poland

ShareTheBoard is a software solution that radically improves the accessibility of board-based classrooms. It effectively gives analog surfaces digital capabilities: everything written by hand is zoomable and unobstructed, captured in real time, and even auto-transcribed. Using schools’ existing hardware, ShareTheBoard provides an affordable and easily implementable solution to guarantee equitable board access for students with learning differences, visual impairment, or mobility issues.

Storytime AI Baltimore, Maryland

Storytime AI provides personalized, differentiated reading materials that engage every learner, building both reading skills and AI understanding in a safe, age-appropriate environment designed specifically for K-12 classrooms. Our personalized literacy platform offers a robust repository of educator-sourced, Science of Reading-aligned reading materials and time-saving educator tools that increase student engagement, fuel AI curiosity, and drive meaningful literacy outcomes.

Youth for STEM Equity Columbus, Ohio

Youth for STEM Equity is redefining experience-based education via STEMscapes: immersive, pop-up STEM escape rooms that transform passive classrooms into problem-solving environments. Students collaborate under constraints to tackle real world puzzles that promote content retention, spark career curiosity, and boost engagement. We support busy educators from design to deployment, while providing CPE-accredited professional development, making personalized learning both scalable and sustainable.

SEMIFINALISTS

 

AISA Solutions, Inc. Cleveland, Ohio

At AISA Solutions, we build digital solutions for Deaf and Hard of Hearing accessibility. Our product, AISA School, is an AI-powered platform that makes learning sign language accessible and fun through computer vision, real-time feedback, and short, gamified lessons.

Kidzovo Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Kidzovo is a video based interactive learning app for kids that combines videos from content creators with an AI learning companion that co-views & engages them with interactive activities within videos just like a parent or a teacher would.

Nuubi Miami, Florida

Nuubi is a scalable, LMS-integrated Q&A platform that keeps students unstuck by blending instant AI responses with peer collaboration and gamified soft-skill badges for leadership, communication, and teamwork. Founded by professor and data scientist Kathryn Wifvat, Ph.D., Nuubi transforms invisible help-seeking into visible, measurable support, delivering answers quickly, boosting voluntary engagement, and providing analytics that prove retention impact.

rYOUminate Seattle, Washington

rYOUminate is a life skills education company making adulthood more equitable. We empower 18 to 30-year-olds with the life skills they were never formally taught. Through peer-led workshops, reflection-based curriculum, and practical tools, we cover essential topics including financial empowerment, career advancement, and healthy relationships. Our programs are co-created with the communities we serve, blending research with introspection to deliver measurable growth toward graduation rates, job placement success, and social-emotional well-being for young adults nationwide.

sideby Madison, Wisconson & Truckee, California

sideby is an AI-native, web-based platform where educators connect in short, guided one to one conversations along adaptive learning pathways. We use AI to match peers strategically, guide discussion prompts, surface insights, and evolve personalized learning journeys and badges over time. Instead of sit-and-get PD, educators engage in continuous, contextual, and relational learning that scales—built by and with educators who know what real growth takes.

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