Halifax-based edtech venture Shoelace Learning has been named one of the Top 30 Startups globally in the inaugural Global EdTech Prize and will now enter the finals.

In a post on LinkedIn, CEO Julia Rivard Dexter said Shoelace is the only Canadian company being considered for the prize in the Startup category of the competition, which recognizes the most innovative, impactful tools reshaping education for students, teachers, and communities.

Shoelace delivers science-backed literacy instruction through the use of games that are proven to accelerate reading gains in just eight weeks, Rivard Dexter said.

In an interview with Entrevestor early last year, Rivard Dexter said that, like many similar companies, Shoelace expanded rapidly during pandemic lockdowns, as educators turned to digital solutions. Following the pandemic, the company has focused on educating teachers about the research underpinning its products.

As of early 2024, she said that children in more than 160 countries were playing Shoelace’s Dreamscape reading game, with 85 percent of the company’s business coming from the U.S.

“In the States, traditionally, teachers have had more agency to innovate and try new things,” said Rivard Dexter. “And so, it was easier for us to go to the U.S. market.

“Now that we have an established product with legitimacy, we’re looking at building relationships with the Canadian school districts to really move the needle for Canadian kids.”

Last autumn, Shoelace assessed the efficacy of its games through a pilot project in Michigan. Taking place over eight weeks with 300 students, the study found that 42 percent of the students experienced three months of growth in their reading skills in just eight weeks. Some 99 percent of the students activated the games and 52 percent of them continued to use the game throughout the eight-week program. Shoelace added that the industry average for students continuing to use such educational games is 5.2 percent.  

Youth literacy in Canada has declined in step with a global downturn, according to a study of 12 member nations from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, released by the international group late in 2023. Canada posted its worst results since the OECD started tracking reading scores in 2000, though the country’s students still scored better than the OECD average. About four-fifths of Canadian 15-year-olds have achieved the minimum level of reading proficiency necessary to synthesize a text of moderate difficulty.

Of the new, global recognition, Rivard Dexter said: “To be recognized on the world stage is an incredible honour and a testament to our commitment to teachers and students, everywhere.”

Finalists will be announced July 31. The winners in three categories -- Majors, Startups, and Non-Profits -- will be announced at the World Schools Summit in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 16.