London’s UCL Edtech Labs chooses Toronto

University College London’s (UCL) edtech accelerator programme called Edtech Labs has launched into the Americas with its first cohort of start-ups inducted, and ready to begin the 12-week experience. In partnership with Knowledgehook, a leading fast growth Canada-based edtech, the programme will shine a spotlight on ambitious founders who see the importance of applying UCL’s robust research methods in building their products to reach tangible educational impact in a world of gamified and technology first edtechs. Innovative edtechs companies will join from across the continent, representing Canada, The United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, and more in the first group.

“We’re excited to bring our programme to the Americas via Toronto which is abuzz with edtech fever. This expansion embraces the many opportunities that become available through international collaborations and cooperation with innovators and developers around the world,” says Houtan Froushan, programme director and founder of UCL Edtech Labs. “It is estimated over the next 30 years, we will see a further two billion learners, so developing businesses and designing products with the learner at the heart is fundamental if we are to fulfil our joint purpose of improving education for everybody, everywhere.”

The workshops will be led by experts who have trained hundreds of founders, while the teams will experience first-hand what a successful start-up culture looks like, being hosted at the Knowledgehook offices and with access to insights from their team members.

“This new joint initiative will also help build and develop the flow of edtech investments to alternative markets. Last year we saw a 3X rise in venture funding in our sector compared to pre-pandemic levels, adding 17 new edtech unicorns for a total of 38 globally. With Toronto’s ecosystem of talent in research and engineering and our access to financial markets, attracting several tech giants to the city already, it has become the ideal environment for early-stage companies. This combination of academia and Big Tech has fostered innovative global collaborations, further justifying the need for this partnership as we marry cutting-edge sustainable and equitable research-proven technology solutions with patient capital.”