Just a month after it raised an oversubscribed seed round that had originally been targeted at $4 million, Halifax’s Shoelace Learning is one of 20 edtech startups globally to have reached the finals of the prestigious GSV Cup.
To make it to the top 20, Shoelace beat out more than 900 other applicants, putting the company in the running for a $1 million prize pool.
The GSV Cup is organized by Global Silicon Valley, a merchant bank, startup support organization and investment firm. The group’s venture capital arm, GSV Ventures, is female-led and specializes in the education sector.
“We set out to build a fun technology that would help kids learn how to read,” said Shoelace CEO Julia Rivard Dexter in a statement. “Along the way we saw an important need to innovate how future generations of learners develop broadened thinking to change the world.
“Step by step, we’ve seen the impact of Shoelace on millions of learners and their teachers. To be recognized for our innovation and selected to present on the most respected stage for digital learning, is a dream come true.”
More than 5 million children in Grades 2 through 8, across 160 countries, play Shoelace’s Dreamscape reading game. The company’s eventual goal is to develop a platform that will be the standard for different educational games. The company aims to have 10 million educators and children using its platform by the end of next year.