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Attention all education innovators, AT&T Aspire Accelerator is taking applications
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Got a solution to an education challenge we face? If you have an innovative education venture, AT&T wants to know about it…and just maybe they will help you  make that idea become a reality! With investment money, expenses, mentoring and access to top ed-tech leaders.
AT&T Aspire Accelerator, one of the company’s philanthropic programs, is accepting applications through January 27 for the program which begins in April 2018.
A former Aspire recipient was CommonLit.org. They wanted all students to be able to read good, important and fun books FOR FREE! And to learn to analyze, paraphrase, and infer.  They applied for the Aspire grant with only about 100 individual PDF reading lessons that teachers could download and use with their students, especially with their struggling readers. The program also proposed tools that recreated simple but detailed reports that helped teachers track their student’s progress.
Long story short…
CommionLit.org now has more than 2.8 million registered users, both teachers and students, and over 1.000 lessons in poetry, fiction and non-fiction are available.
 Got an idea? Still time to get that application in.
 AT&T knows that the best  ideas don’t always come from traditional tech centers, but from all sorts of towns and cities across the country. Both nonprofit and for-profit edtech entrepreneurs and innovators are encouraged to apply.
The organizations chosen to take part in the unique program will receive $125,000 and access to services and mentoring both from AT&T and from leaders in the local and national tech industry.
Again…THERE IS STILL TIME! Applications are being accepted through January 27 and the program will begin in April 2018.
The minimum qualifications for applicants are:
- Working on a product or service that uses technology to support students’ educational and/or career success
- Has a minimum viable product and some proof of product-market fit
- Has a least one technical founder or team member who will participate in the Aspire Accelerator
 
The AT&T Aspire Accelerator helps students have a brighter future.
The Aspire Accelerator’s goal is to support unique innovations that can help every student achieve a bright, successful future. This program has impacted millions of students and raised over 11 million in funding.
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Some cool stats….
Since 2015 the participants have included 58% women-led companies and 37% minority-led companies, and over half the participants come from non-traditional tech hotbeds.
Applicants can learn more and submit their application at att.com/aspireaccelerator
 Do you know any Birmingham education innovators? Share the news!
