May saw the launch of the second edition of our accelerator within the eduLAB 2.0 – Future of the Education programme. This time around, we are going to focus on identifying the challenges faced by the education sector and finding answers in the start-up circles – among our software developers, innovators and technology enthusiasts. To that end, we are evaluating the projects. The best ideas will have an opportunity to take advantage of our accelerator, while their developers will receive full support in building their own business. The project envisages the creation of at least 7 start-ups that will receive support in the amount of nearly 10 million PLN for development. Out of the total amount, 7,5 million were provided by the National Funds for Research and Development, while 1.5 million will be sponsored by the Euvic Group.
EduLAB 2.0 – Future of the Education is the second edition of the programme focused on the needs and challenges faced by the contemporary education and science communities. In the first edition, we provided technological support to research centres and universities. This year’s edition focuses on the needs of the education sector – primary and secondary schools, special education facilities, kindergartens and nurseries. We accept and review challenge submissions on an ongoing basis, and our team is happy to offer consultations regarding this area. In total, we are envisaging five rounds of call for ideas this year.
“We would like to have our contribution to the digital transformation of Polish education, starting with the use of the infrastructure of the institutions, through the creation of dedicated software and the use of cutting-edge technologies in teaching and managing the institutions, all the way to developing new methods of communication and entire online platforms. In line with the principles of the e-Pioneer programme, we support people who have ideas and potential to develop the best IT solutions and launch them on the market. We believe that within the next year, we will receive at least 50 ideas for solutions for Polish schools and kindergartens,” says Łukasz Czernecki, CEO of eduLAB.
At least seven of the submitted ideas will be implemented in a pre-commercial procurement model – with the participation of the institution, who will bear no cost. This will enable the development of tailor-made solutions that can be scaled up to the entire education sector and to other industries, thanks to the dual use model.
From the idea to commercialisation
We invest in edTech projects that digitalise the world of education in the broadest sense of the term at a preseed stage. Working in line with our bespoke methodology allows us to identify current challenges faced by the education sector and select the relevant ideas, which can be transformed into fully-fledged and technologically advanced solutions improving the learning process and the functioning of educational institutions.
“Drawing from the pool of submitted ideas, we select those that most accurately address the selected education challenge as reported and published in the Database. The first step is always to evaluate the business and technological potential of the submitted ideas. The best 50 ideas go on to the pre-acceleration phase, where they will compete for a positive evaluation from the investment committee and the opportunity for further development. To get more than 1 million for start-up development, one needs to be really well prepared, with a decent idea and proper determination to work on its development. The evaluation criteria and requirements are really stringent,” says Sławomir Połukord, eduLAB 2.0 project manager.
The selected projects and their teams receive full support from the business accelerator, which encompasses all areas – technology and business – at every stage of product development. Then comes the key moment for every team – the investor pitch, which is the main fight for additional funding for the solution.
The second acceleration phase covers the development and implementation of MVPs – Minimum Viable Products – the finished product at the early stages of development. The acceleration process ends with testing in public institutions and a plan to support further development and commercialisation of the solution. The final stage includes attracting investors, preparing documentation and growing the market share. At each subsequent stage, start-ups are provided with substantive, operational and financial support, all to ensure a successful end to the acceleration process – the creation of a new company.
We want to repeat the success of the first edition by developing technological solutions based on the challenges faced by public entities and participants in the education sector, contributing to the digital transformation of this sector. At the same time, we want to boost entrepreneurship and development of innovation on the Polish market.
We are waiting for you!
