Will Compete for $1 Million in Prizes in World’s Largest Pitch Competition For EdTech Startups
Washington Depot, Conn, USA (Jan 19, 2022) — Slooh, creator of The Online Telescope has been selected to The Elite 200, the acclaimed list of semifinalists in The GSV Cup — the world’s largest pitch competition for EdTech startups run by female-led, multi-stage venture capital firm GSV Ventures. Companies selected to The Elite 200 represent the top pre-seed and seed-stage startups in digital learning across the “Pre-K to Gray” space. Slooh will now compete for up to $1M in cash and prizes in San Diego this April at the ASU+GSV Summit, the annual education technology event hosted by Arizona State University and GSV Ventures.
Slooh was selected from a global applicant pool of 750+ companies, the largest application pool for the GSV Cup yet. More than 175 judges from leading venture capital firms and strategic partners in digital learning like Accel, General Atlantic, Reach Capital, and Owl Ventures, among others, used rigorous criteria to determine the 200 most promising companies.
“Most schools have microscopes, yet do not have access to telescopes. We are changing that,” said CEO Michael Paolucci. “The Online Telescope for Teachers is a cost-effective and scalable solution that eliminates the geographic, financial, and technological barriers associated with space exploration in schools. Now, teachers across the world can help their students study space and view space phenomena in real-time just like professional astronomers, via computer interface to online telescopes.”
“We’re at a critical and exciting time for the future of society,” said Deborah Quazzo, managing partner of GSV Ventures. “The pandemic has made it increasingly clear that Ed is on The Edge — on the edge of innovation, transformation, globalization. We’ve always imagined a new era in which ALL people have equal access to the future, and this year’s Elite 200 companies are emblematic of that vision. We’re proud to name the 200 semifinalists in the GSV Cup competition and look forward to having them pitch live at the ASU+GSV Summit.”
The Elite 200 companies serve learners from Pre-K to Gray, with companies well-distributed across the following categories: Early Childhood, K-12, Higher Education, Adult Consumer Learning, and Adult Enterprise Learning. The 2022 Elite 200 continue to break barriers, comprised of an increasingly diverse and global group:
58% of companies have female founders
51% of companies have founders that identify as people of color
44% of companies are based outside the United States
The GSV Cup is powered by Google Cloud, HubSpot for Startups, HolonIQ, and GSV Ventures.
See Slooh and the rest of the companies selected to the GSV Cup Elite 200 at https://www.asugsvsummit.com/gsv-cup-elite-200
ABOUT SLOOH
Slooh, the creator of The Online Telescope, is the only company in the world to develop a scalable solution to astronomy education. Slooh is dedicated to making real-world, real-time space exploration accessible for every student, by providing access to telescopes in the classroom just like you do microscopes.
Founded in 2001 by Michael Paolucci, Slooh has received global attention for its live-streamed astronomy events and turn-key virtual classroom which has been named Educators’ Pick Best of STEM (2021) and is currently a selected finalist for the coveted BETT Awards (2022).
Backed by an NSF Grant to enhance scientific and technological understanding of astronomy in the K-12 classroom, the college astronomy laboratory, and in the hands of internet gamers around the globe, Slooh adds value to the partnerships between academia, industry, and the public by building a future where the highest-quality astronomy education is accessible to students across the globe.
ABOUT GSV VENTURES
GSV Ventures is a female-led, multi-stage venture capital firm focused on the $7+ trillion education sector. The fund is currently investing out of GSV Ventures Fund III and backs innovative entrepreneurs around the world in the "Pre-K to Gray" Arc of Learning. GSV manages over $675 million in global EdTech investments. Portfolio holdings include Andela, Class Technologies, ClassDojo, Coursera, Course Hero, Degreed, Guild, MasterClass, Outlier, Photomath, Quizizz, Lead School, Brightchamps, and ClassPlus, among others.
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