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IFE Launch invites entrepreneurs with educational innovations to boost their operations with mentoring, training, and an investment of $ 15,000 per startup.
IFE Launch is the only program in Latin America that seeks to connect and accompany early-stage educational ventures with solutions focused on Higher Education and Lifelong Learning. This initiative of the Institute for the Future of Education (IFE) of Tecnologico de Monterrey aims to generate, transfer, and disseminate practical knowledge through experimental, interdisciplinary, open, and world-class educational innovations.
The call to participate in this accelerator program is open to any interested EdTech startup until July 3, 2022. The project has a six-month duration when six educational ventures will be selected for mentor accompaniment. In addition, the students of this accelerator will receive an equity-free investment of $15,000 per startup. The advances are delivered through IFE Launch training units: product and marketing, impact measurement, and investment.
After their participation, startups focused on educational issues will receive recognition, visibility, and a portfolio of contacts to maintain for operation growth. The startups will receive full training through the learning modules, assigned personal mentors, and consultations with experts in product development, investment, and impact. They will have access to students and professors of Tecnologico de Monterrey who validate their results during the process.
The closing of the accelerator program will take place in January 2023 at the International Congress of Educational Innovation (CIIE) in Monterrey, one of the most significant events in educational innovation in the Spanish-speaking world. In this first edition of the IFE Launch, startups will present their work and progress at the event before investors and people interested in educational technology.
How to apply?
Initiatives wishing to participate must comply with the following criteria:
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Educational ventures focused on higher education and lifelong learning must complete a registration form and submit a video and demo of their products.
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The program is in Spanish, so the workshops, lectures, and mentoring are primarily in this language. While anyone can apply, at least one team member must speak Spanish to support the initiative to land in the Latin American market.
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The modality is online, except for the Demo Day that will take place at the CIIE.
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It is essential to have a functional prototype of your product. The aim is to support validated growth in the program’s customers or users. Thus, the EdTech startups must have a prototype in the areas of higher education and lifelong learning. Example: an existing course platform, even though it may need polishing of design details.
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At least one team member must be accountable and 100% committed.
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To receive the investment, the initiative should have appropriate legal representation or generate a partner agreement.
Starting the program
At the end of the call in July, the applications of the educational enterprises will be reviewed for compliance with the IFE Launch requisites. Subsequently, a committee of investors and people from the Institute for the Future of Education (IFE) will select 20 initiatives, from which the six participating startups will be chosen.
In August, each venture will receive the accompaniment of a mentor. The experts will establish the areas of opportunity in which they can contribute to improvement. The program model allows flexibility for hand-in-hand follow-up and evidence progress.
If you have an initiative that conforms to the guidelines above, you can apply through the questionnaire until Sunday, July 3, 2022, and access more information on the IFE Launch webpage. For clarifications, frequently asked questions, and contact information, go to the following document. Join the accelerator program dedicated to impulsing startups focused on improving education!
Translation by Daniel Wetta
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This article from Observatory of the Institute for the Future of Education may be shared under the terms of the license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 
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