Deadline: 11 March 2025
The Siakam EdTech Engine is a 12-week virtual accelerator program designed to help early-stage EdTech startups scale their impact. Co-founded by PS43 Foundation and powered by DMZ, the program offers mentorship, resources, real-world testing, and funding opportunities.
Program Benefits
- A virtual 12-week accelerator from April to July 2025:
- Startups will be required to commit 1-2 hours on average per week throughout the duration of the program
- Access to expert mentorship and goal-setting support from DMZ:
- Bi-weekly 1:1 sessions with dedicated Program Leads, offering strategic guidance and progress tracking
- Bi-weekly 1:1 mentorship sessions with Experts-in-Residences to help founders achieve their business objectives
- Monthly workshops led by EdTech industry leaders
- Monthly peer-2-peer meetings to connect, leverage, and grow your network
- Perks and benefits valued at $20,000 in business savings, including services like AWS and Google Cloud for Startups
- Access to PS43 Foundation and DMZ’s network:
- Through PS43’s network, startups will get direct connections to school boards, educators, and students to test their product in real classroom environments, collect valuable feedback, and refine their solution to meet the needs of end-users effectively
- Startups will get direct exposure to leaders in Pascal Siakam’s PS43 Foundation network
- Startups gain perks of joining DMZ’s global founder community, including access to exclusive events at DMZ’s HQ, potential investor connections, and more.
- A Demo Day with $50,000 in grant prizes:
- Demo Day marks the conclusion of the program in mid-July; exact date to be announced soon. The Demo Day event will take place at Google’s Toronto HQ.
- Startups will present their solutions to a panel of judges, including program founder and NBA champion Pascal Siakam, competing for grants of $30,000, $15,000, and $5,000.
Eligibility Criteria
- They’re looking for startups that:
- Offer a tech-enabled solution addressing a challenge in education.
- Have a validated MVP with early market feedback.
- Are led by at least one full-time founder and an in-house technical lead.
- Are based in North America with plans for global scalability.
- Operate with a collaborative and coachable team.
- Startups supporting underserved communities or offering bilingual solutions in English and French will receive priority consideration.
For more information, visit Toronto Metropolitan University.
