In the past weeks, we held the 4th and 5th editions of the edCAMP – our original events accompanying this year’s eduLAB. This time, we decided to switch some things around. Unlike the previous one-day editions held in a venue, this year we decided to meet with the participants for 8 consecutive days in a hybrid formula. A total of 16 teams presented their ideas at the final Startup Pitch Day, and 6 of them garnered particular interest of the Jury.
The first 2 days were devoted to online meetings – lectures on a wide spectrum of topics, covering all the aspects of the development of the project, creation and operation of start-ups. They covered business models, finance, marketing, legal aspects and the art of pitching – after all, a well-prepared pitch is the first step and a chance to get the investors ready to back your project.
The next five days constituted a series of online mentoring meetings – the time for individual consultations with our experts, refining ideas and preparing pitch decks. The goal was to present business ideas, focusing on innovative technological solutions for the educational sector. The charisma and ambition of the founders played a key role in this part.
The last day – the Startup Pitch Day – was a day of rehearsals, speaking in front of a committee. This is what decides the fate of the teams participating in edCAMP. The teams and ideas with the most potential got an invitation to the pre-acceleration phase – only a single step away from the possibility of making the idea come true.
What are the benefits of the edCAMP for the teams?
A week of edCAMP meetings is all about a solid dose of knowledge. The range of topics is wide and touches on all the most relevant areas related to the development of innovative projects and business development. This is the time which, if used properly, will help to broaden one’s knowledge, acquire new competencies as well as assess the readiness of the idea and the team for further growth.
EdCAMP winners are invited to take part in the pre-acceleration phase. The award received during the finals is a positive evaluation of the business potential of the presented solution and a recommendation for the acceleration committee. This of course is tied to a funding in the amount of over 1 million PLN, a series of training courses, mentoring, access to technological infrastructure and competences necessary to create a solution as well as a guarantee of the first client.
edCAMP is also a great place for networking – as we ensure the right atmosphere to foster new relationships.
edCAMP Warsaw
The Warsaw edition of edCAMP took place in early September at the CIC – Cambridge Innovation Center. We had dozens of participants, with 10 ambitious teams showcasing their solutions in the finals. The three most interesting concepts were:
– Nerdbord – an interactive kanban board with gamification elements designed to practice programming skills in a work-like environment.
– eTrapez “Adjusting the Result” – An interactive app for students to solve integrals, derivatives, and other mathematical questions, step by step.
– fUture – a mobile app that develops critical, design and causative thinking patterns, allowing the users to teach in-app classes, analysing case studies and using content database or creating their own classes, encouraging students to consider unusual problems in creative ways.
edCAMP Gliwice
The next edition took place in Gliwice, at Euvic head office. This place is particularly close to our hearts, since eduLAB is part of the Euvic Group and forms one of its business pillars dedicated to innovation. Here, during Startup Pitch Day, 6 teams presented their projects. We distinguished:
– Maturalni – an innovative platform for online education, featuring knowledge tests and gamification elements.
– Projekt Aktywizacji Poprawnych Wzorców Ruchowych – a training programme based on artificial Intelligence.
– Tutorspace – a platform to support the well-being of youth and the work of tutors, making sharing knowledge available at one’s fingertips.
6 teams are now one step closer to getting accelerated.
The winners of the final Startup Pitch Days are now preparing for our internal Mentor Council and a pitch to the Investment Committee, which will decide whether or not the team will join the eduLAB 2.0 accelerator. They are facing a serious challenge – to check and complete the project assumptions according to the Startup Pitch Day jury’s guidelines, to boost their strengths, compensate for their weaknesses, to work out the details… And the biggest challenge – the defence of the project. A positive outcome means joining forces with the eduLAB based on an investment agreement, as well as the start of the hard work on the development of the project. The best contestants have an extremely exciting and busy time ahead of them.
We are going to find out soon who will be joining us this time around.
