LANSING, Mich. — Five Michiganders have been chosen to advance as finalists in the Michigan EdTech Innovation Pitch Contest. Each of the finalists will advance to a pitch presentation on June 29, where first, second and third-place winners will be chosen. Finalists will share $22,000 in business startup grants and receive additional legal and creative startup assistance to implement their ideas.
“As this contest has entered its second year, I’m heartened and inspired by the submission ideas we continue to see from Michiganders with a desire to say, ‘I wish there was an app for that’ in an educational setting,” said Jamey Fitzpatrick, President and CEO at Michigan Virtual. “This contest is an opportunity for Michigan educators to directly impact classrooms by turning their dreams into reality. I wish our five finalists all the best in the next round of this contest.”
Michigan educators and innovators must have submitted a written pitch by May 14 for finalists to be selected on May 26. The Michigan EdTech Innovation Pitch Contest finalists and proposals are:
- YouLearn, an AI-powered education platform offering customized content and smart tutoring, led by Advait Paliwal, a student at Michigan State University and a graduate of Troy High School.
- eKinomy, a role-play game designed to bring international trade and economics to life for elementary and middle school students, led by Sharon Jessica and Zhixin Li, graduate students in the Marsal School of Education at the University of Michigan.
- Spelling Safari, a spelling curriculum reinvention & software solution providing elementary students with fun and adaptive learning, led by Jonathan Marceau, a teacher at Monfort Elementary in the Utica Community School district.
- Spanish S.W.A.G., an on-demand language learning program designed to make language acquisition fun, interactive, and accessible to all, led by Jessica Feliz, an educator who has served students in Battle Creek, Detroit, and Berkley.
- BiPSE, a classroom and behavior management app that helps teachers, parents, and students better monitor and manage behavioral support programs, led by Lori Kuntz and Megan Hines from Roosevelt Elementary School in Lakeshore Public Schools (Stevensville, Michigan) and Tammy Claes, an Occupational Therapist with Berrien RESA in Berrien Springs, Michigan.
The Michigan EdTech Innovation Pitch Contest is the result of a partnership between Michigan Virtual, MSU Research Foundation, Michigan State’s Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Michigan SBDC. The first-place winner will receive $10,000 in business startup grant funding, plus branding and logo design support, and legal consultation. The second-place winner will receive $6,000 in business startup grant funding, plus logo design support and legal consultation. The third-place winner will receive $4,000 in business startup grant funding, plus logo design support and legal consultation. The fourth and fifth-place finalists will each receive $1,000.
Branding and legal support are being donated by Michigan Creative and Foster Swift. All monetary prizes will be made available in the form of grants from Michigan Virtual to the winners.
To learn more about the contest, visit michiganvirtual.org/pitch.
