USC Accelerator Seeks Ed Tech Innovators

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 10/16/18

Could Southern California become the Silicon Valley of education technology? That's the hope of a new initiative at the University of Southern California that brings together its Rossier School of Education and its Center for Engineering in Education to launch an incubator focused on improving the quality and equity of education. Ventures could cover the entire spectrum of learning, from pre-K through adult ed.

The new USC Rossier EdVentures will tackle multiple goals:

  • Serving as an accelerator for early-stage companies;
  • Investing funds to deploy capital in these companies;
  • Running a specialized business plan competition during the university's "Demo Day";
  • Setting up communities of practice for innovation in education;
  • Offering relevant blended courses;
  • Producing workshops and speakers and a learning innovation festival; and
  • Pursuing global partnerships to promote USC's innovation efforts.

Backing the initiative is a number of organizations focused on the same segment: the Michelson 20MM Foundation, Bisk Ventures and Blackstone LaunchPad USC.

Currently, the "Accelerator," specifically, is seeking applicants from around the world to be considered for participation in a four-month program that launches this in early November. Of particular interest are projects being run by underrepresented entrepreneurs. Those companies picked up for the program will get workspace on the Los Angeles campus and access to managing directors and mentors, both onsite and virtual. The entrepreneurs will benefit from interaction with faculty, students, alumni and community and regional organizations. They'll also automatically be included in the Feb. 8, 2019 business plan competition.

To learn more and to apply, visit the EdVentures website.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • open laptop in a college classroom with holographic AI icons like a brain and data charts rising from the screen

    4 Ways Universities Are Using Google AI Tools for Learning and Administration

    In a recent blog post, Google shared an array of education customer stories, showcasing ways institutions are using AI tools like Gemini and NotebookLM to transform both learning and administrative tasks.

  • illustration of a human head with a glowing neural network in the brain, connected to tech icons on a cool blue-gray background

    Meta Launches Stand-Alone AI App

    Meta Platforms has introduced a stand-alone artificial intelligence app built on its proprietary Llama 4 model, intensifying the competitive race in generative AI alongside OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and xAI.

  • three main icons—a cloud, a user profile, and a padlock—connected by circuit lines on a blue abstract background

    Report: Identity Has Become a Critical Security Perimeter for Cloud Services

    A new threat landscape report points to new cloud vulnerabilities. According to the 2025 Global Threat Landscape Report from Fortinet, while misconfigured cloud storage buckets were once a prime vector for cybersecurity exploits, other cloud missteps are gaining focus.

  • Stylized illustration showing cybersecurity elements like shields, padlocks, and secure cloud icons on a neutral, minimalist digital background

    Microsoft Announces Security Advancements

    Microsoft has announced major security advancements across its product portfolio and practices. The work is part of its Secure Future Initiative (SFI), a multiyear cybersecurity transformation the company calls the largest engineering project in company history.