New Accelerator at Arizona State U Accepts First Startup
Arizona State University (ASU), a venture capital firm and an investment consultancy are
partnering on a
new initiative that will help get education technology to the market
faster by
allowing new ventures to be tested by students and faculty.
The initiative, the ASU
Draper GSV Accelerator, will source, fund, pilot and
credential new products
created by higher-education technology companies.
Partners in the initiative
are:
Companies
that are accepted into the accelerator will receive training and
mentoring
through Draper University, an entrepreneurial boot camp in Silicon
Valley, and
the ASU, Draper and GSV network of experts. Companies that successfully
complete the program will receive a certification of
market-preparedness,
signaling to colleges and universities that their products are ready to
use.
Good
candidates for the ASU Draper GSV Accelerator are companies whose
product is
nearing commercialization, but any venture that has received seed
funding or
beyond is qualified to apply. The program will offer demo events,
featured
space at the annual ASU GSV Summit and, potentially, workspace in ASU's
SkySong
innovation center in Scottsdale, AZ. There is no geographic
restriction, and relocation
is not required.
The first company accepted
into the project is CampusLogic, a firm based in
Gilbert, AZ, that has
developed a personalized, cloud-based tool to simplify the financial
aid
process.
Four more companies are
expected to be accepted by August 1.
About the Author
Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.