For the second time in five months, a Waterloo Region company has won a major pitching event at the Google headquarters in Silicon Valley.

Edtech startup Knowledgehook on Wednesday received Google’s Game Changer Award at the tech giant’s annual Demo Day. When Google held its Demo Day for female-led startups in December, the winner was another Canadian outfit, Bridgit of Kitchener.

Knowledgehook was one of two Canadian entries – the other was Halifax-based PACTA – among the 11 startups pitching at the annual event in Mountain View, Calif.

Waterloo-based Knowledgehook has developed software that analyzes the academic performance of math students in real-time games to recommend to educators alternative teaching practices. Knowledgehook, which has been working with the Accelerator Centre and Communitech’s Rev accelerator, was founded in 2014 by Ratnam, Francis, Lambo Jayapalan, and Arthur Lui.

“We’re thrilled and grateful to have shared the stage with so many talented and passionate entrepreneurs,” Ratnam said in a statement. “The support we’ve received today will be pivotal to our mission of helping students all over the world build their math skills.”

A popular exam prep tool among the 5,000 teachers in Canada and the U.S. who use it, Knowledgehook software unpacks students’ misunderstanding and suggests how teachers can address it.

Since September 2015, 12 Ontario school boards have been reviewing predictive insights the software generates for each student to help teachers adapt their lessons for optimal learning.

 “We’re optimistic that the accuracy and timeliness of Knowledgehook’s insights will advance school boards in their efforts to improve students’ academic performance,” said Ratnam.

A graduate of the Propel ICT and FounderFuel accelerators, PACTA has developed software that helps organizations, especially large corporations, manage their vast portfolios of contracts. It tells the organization when an action is needed in each contract, and how external events may impact the company’s contracts.

PACTA was named one of Canada’s Top 25 Up and Coming ICT companies by Branham Group.

To be selected to participate in Google’s annual Demo Day, startups must be legally incorporated headquartered in the U.S., Canada or Mexico and be actively raising a Series A round of between $1 million and $4 million.