EdTech Catalyst

Advancing EdTech Innovation

Empowering bold ideas in education through mentorship, funding, and community.

Conquer EdTech Accelerator Pitch Showcase

Join us at Michigan Virtual’s new Innovation Design Studio for the final showcase of the 2025 Conquer EdTech Accelerator, presented with the MSU Research Foundations and the Future of Learning Council.

Hear five teams present their final pitches as they share innovative solutions to real challenges in teaching and learning. Connect with others shaping the future of education and offer your feedback on their ideas.

Date: Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Location: Michigan Virtual Innovation Design Studio, Lansing, MI
Audience: Friends of Michigan Virtual, the MSU Research Foundations, and the Future of Learning Council

What is EdTech Catalyst?

EdTech Catalyst is Michigan Virtual’s umbrella initiative to support Michigan-based education innovation. Whether you’re just starting out with an idea or scaling a tested solution, we provide learning experiences, funding opportunities, and connections to help you grow.

Get involved

Pitch 101 Sessions

Live Zoom sessions that walk through the pitch process and key concepts. We highly recommend attending one before applying to the Bootcamp or Pitch Contest.

Innovation Bootcamp

Free virtual workshops designed to shape your EdTech idea into a compelling pitch. SCHECH credits are available for Michigan educators who attend.

Finalists compete for cash, legal, and marketing support to grow their idea. Open to Bootcamp participants and early-stage innovators.

Conquer Accelerator

Advanced 10-week startup program for select finalists. Includes mentorship, seed funding, and business development support.

Past Winners

Meet the innovators who’ve gone through the Catalyst journey—see their ideas, growth, and impact in education.

Community

Subscribe for updates on pitch events, EdTech opportunities, and insights from our AI Lab and beyond.

2025 Conquer EdTech Accelerator

We are proud to power the Conquer EdTech Accelerator, a premier 10-week intensive program designed to support early-stage education technology startups. Selected teams receive up to $20,000 in milestone-based funding from Red Cedar Ventures and hands-on guidance to help grow their companies. Read the press release to explore the vision behind the accelerator and how it’s designed to fuel innovation in the EdTech space. Details for 2026 will be released soon.

Pitch 101 Sessions

Pitch 101 is a live Zoom session designed to help new innovators and entrepreneurs prepare for the EdTech Innovation Bootcamp and Pitch Contest. Each session begins with a brief overview of both programs before diving into key pitch concepts like crafting a strong value proposition, understanding market size and potential, analyzing the competitive landscape, and preparing a compelling elevator pitch video for your application. If you’re planning to apply to either the bootcamp or the pitch contest, we strongly encourage you to attend one of these sessions. They are identical, so you only need to attend the one that best fits your schedule. These sessions are sponsored by the MEA Center for Leadership and Learning.

May 14, 2025

8:00 - 9:00 PM

May 21, 2025

4:00 - 5:00 PM

We recommend using our pre-pitch supports for guidance, reviewing the official rules, and watching past pitch finals for inspiration.

Edtech Innovation Bootcamp

The next Bootcamp will run the week of June 22, 2026—check back soon for the application!

Bootcamp schedule

Do you have a business idea that will improve teaching or learning through the use of technology? Then join us for our 2025 EdTech Innovation Bootcamp. We’ll help you explore the idea, develop a business model, and identify your next steps for making your idea a reality!

There is no cost to attend and Michigan Educators can earn 20 SCECH credits for completing the full Bootcamp. Space is limited.

Day 1: June 17

Getting started with the basics – Pitch Deck and Business Model Canvas, Customer Discovery and Product Development

Day 2: June 18

Value Proposition, Knowing Your Competition, Legal 101 for Startups

Day 2: June 18

Market Potential, Message and Customer Insights, All Things Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Day 1: June 17

Getting started with the basics - Pitch Deck and Business Model Canvas, Customer Discovery and Product Development

Day 2: June 18

Value Proposition, Knowing Your Competition, Legal 101 for Startups

Day 2: June 18

Market Potential, Message and Customer Insights, All Things Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Some bootcamp topics will include:

• Entity formation and startup legal fundamentals
• Developing a business model
• Finance 101 for startups
• Education market fundamentals
• Entrepreneurial and startup support landscape
• Innovation & entrepreneurship in schools and classrooms
• Customer discovery and product-market fit

EdTech Pitch Contest

Pitch Contest returns July 23, 2026. Applications open May 1. Start developing your idea now and use the Innovation Bootcamp to shape it into something ready to share.

In 2025, the first-place prize went to Martha Ann (Annie) Hebel from Sparktivity, earning $10,000 in startup grant funding, plus marketing and legal support. Sparktivity is a creativity app designed for K–12 classrooms that helps students strengthen divergent thinking and provides teachers with tools to assess and track creative development.

2026 pitch contest & bootcamp timeline

• May 1 — Applications for the bootcamp and pitch contest open!
• June 12 — Applications close (11:59 p.m.). Bootcamp acceptances will be made on a rolling basis.
• June 22 - 25 — EdTech Innovation Bootcamp (Monday-Thursday morning sessions)
• July 23 — Final Pitch Contest

Resources to strengthen your pitch

Whether you’re refining your idea, crafting your elevator pitch, or tackling the submission requirements, we’ve pulled together guides, tips, and resources to help you put your best foot forward.

2026 prizes

1st place

$10,000

 + Startup legal consultation

2nd place

$6,000

+ Startup legal consultation

3rd place

$4,000

+ Startup legal consultation

The 4th and 5th place finalist will each receive $1,000.

Celebrating our past winners

Read the 2025 press release.

• 1st Place: Martha Ann (Annie) Hebel, from Sparktivity in Forest Hills, Michigan. Sparktivity is a creativity app for K–12 classrooms that helps students strengthen divergent thinking and gives teachers tools to assess and track creative development.
• 2nd Place: Mohamed Hagras, from RASTA at Eastern Michigan University. RASTA (Real Time AI Shooter Threat Alert) is a gunshot detection and response system that identifies gunfire in under one second, eliminates false alarms, and notifies first responders.
• 3rd Place: Rishabh Parekh, from FirstWord in Farmington Hills, Michigan. FirstWord is an AI-powered communication coach that improves fluency, confidence, and delivery for non-native speakers and early-career professionals using real-time voice analysis and AI feedback.

Read the 2024 press release.

• 1st Place: Valerie Rackley, from MindWired Labs in Lapeer, Michigan. MindWired Labs provides affordable hands-on STEM education kits that let learners build and program fun projects like alarm sensors and vending machines, developing knowledge of embedded systems and IoT technologies along the way.
• 2nd Place: Devon Riter, from CommunityConnect in Ann Arbor, Michigan. CommunityConnect is an online platform that helps K-12 teachers find and connect with community partners to design more authentic and engaging class projects.
• 3rd Place: Jacob Marchywka, from NoteClear in Taylor, Michigan. NoteClear is an AI-powered tool that helps students get more value from their classroom notes.

Read the 2023 press release.

• 1st Place: Jonathan Marceau, a teacher at Monfort Elementary in the Utica Community School district, with Spelling Safari, a spelling curriculum reinvention and software solution providing elementary students with fun and adaptive learning.
• 2nd Place: Jessica Feliz, an educator who has served students in Battle Creek, Detroit, and Berkley, with Spanish S.W.A.G., an on-demand language learning program designed to make language acquisition fun, interactive, and accessible to all
• 3rd Place: Advait Paliwal and David Yu, students at Michigan State University, with YouLearn, an adaptive learning model that allows educators to upload curriculum for students to work with AI tutors.

Read the 2022 press release.

• 1st Place: Robert Richards, a science teacher in Stockbridge, with QB-Sat, a satellite-launch STEM kit and curriculum focused on engineering and space exploration.
• 2nd Place: Garret Potter, an educator and graduate student from Ann Arbor, with Everstory, an audio/visual encyclopedia exploration environment for early learners.
• 3rd Place: Angela Jenkins and Julie Hamrick, teachers in Livonia, with Selective, an online learning tool that integrates social emotional learning with academic practice.

Read the 2025 press release.

• 1st Place: Martha Ann (Annie) Hebel, from Sparktivity in Forest Hills, Michigan. Sparktivity is a creativity app for K–12 classrooms that helps students strengthen divergent thinking and gives teachers tools to assess and track creative development.
• 2nd Place: Mohamed Hagras, from RASTA at Eastern Michigan University. RASTA (Real Time AI Shooter Threat Alert) is a gunshot detection and response system that identifies gunfire in under one second, eliminates false alarms, and notifies first responders.
• 3rd Place: Rishabh Parekh, from FirstWord in Farmington Hills, Michigan. FirstWord is an AI-powered communication coach that improves fluency, confidence, and delivery for non-native speakers and early-career professionals using real-time voice analysis and AI feedback.

Read the 2024 press release.

• 1st Place: Valerie Rackley, from MindWired Labs in Lapeer, Michigan. MindWired Labs provides affordable hands-on STEM education kits that let learners build and program fun projects like alarm sensors and vending machines, developing knowledge of embedded systems and IoT technologies along the way.
• 2nd Place: Devon Riter, from CommunityConnect in Ann Arbor, Michigan. CommunityConnect is an online platform that helps K-12 teachers find and connect with community partners to design more authentic and engaging class projects.
• 3rd Place: Jacob Marchywka, from NoteClear in Taylor, Michigan. NoteClear is an AI-powered tool that helps students get more value from their classroom notes.

Read the 2023 press release.

• 1st Place: Jonathan Marceau, a teacher at Monfort Elementary in the Utica Community School district, with Spelling Safari, a spelling curriculum reinvention and software solution providing elementary students with fun and adaptive learning.
• 2nd Place: Jessica Feliz, an educator who has served students in Battle Creek, Detroit, and Berkley, with Spanish S.W.A.G., an on-demand language learning program designed to make language acquisition fun, interactive, and accessible to all
• 3rd Place: Advait Paliwal and David Yu, students at Michigan State University, with YouLearn, an adaptive learning model that allows educators to upload curriculum for students to work with AI tutors.

Read the 2022 press release.

• 1st Place: Robert Richards, a science teacher in Stockbridge, with QB-Sat, a satellite-launch STEM kit and curriculum focused on engineering and space exploration.
• 2nd Place: Garret Potter, an educator and graduate student from Ann Arbor, with Everstory, an audio/visual encyclopedia exploration environment for early learners.
• 3rd Place: Angela Jenkins and Julie Hamrick, teachers in Livonia, with Selective, an online learning tool that integrates social emotional learning with academic practice.

Our partners

Our sponsors

Eligibility Guidelines

The pitch contest and Bootcamp are open to any adult (18+) resident of Michigan with clear ties to our state’s education ecosystem. These may include but are not limited to:

• Teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, counselors, or Pre-K-12 school personnel
• Parents of school-aged children (Pre-K-12)
• Students of any major attending a college or university in Michigan
• Staff from teacher prep programs at colleges and universities in Michigan
• Staff from organizations that serve or support Michigan’s Pre-K-12 education ecosystem.
• Staff from organizations that serve or support Michigan’s Pre-K-12 education ecosystem.

Teams are eligible so long as one member is a resident of Michigan with a clear tie to Michigan’s education ecosystem. No one may submit to the pitch contest as part of multiple teams, and no one may submit more than one idea.

For the pitch contest specifically, ideas and concepts pitched must be pre-startup, start-up, or early stage of development. Entities must be unformed or less than two years old. Entities must have less than $20,000 in prior outside investment.

Employees of organizing partners may submit a pitch and participate in the bootcamp but will not be eligible for prizes.

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