Halifax-based edtech startup Shoelace is one of 22 companies and the only Atlantic Canadian business accepted into this year’s cohort of startup support non-profit C100’s prestigious fellowship program.

C100 specializes in leveraging the Canadian technology sector diaspora to help nurture the country’s startups. The Fellows program will kick off in September with 48Hrs, which is C100’s name for its two-day training and networking trips to Silicon Valley. Then, founders will spend the next year being mentored and participating in collaborative events.

“Opportunities to elevate our game by working alongside other high performing teams have always been a core part of the Shoelace success,” wrote Shoelace CEO Julia Rivard Dexter on LinkedIn. “We're ready to once again work with the best to reach even higher heights.”

In February, Shoelace raised an oversubscribed seed round that had originally been targeted at $4 million, led by Halifax-based Sandpiper Ventures, with BDC Capital's Thrive Venture Fund joining later.

More than 5 million children in the second through eighth grades, across 160 countries, now play Shoelace’s Dreamscape reading game. The company’s eventual goal is to launch a roster of different educational games that collectively become the industry standard, with a shorter-term target of having 10 million educators and children using its platform by the end of next year.

“By curating an exceptional network of top-tier global investors and experienced leaders and operators from the world's top technology companies, our goal is to make it an advantage for the world's most ambitious founders to build their businesses in Canada,” said C100 Chief Executive Ray Newal in a statement.