Association Burkinabè de Fundraising

The Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan competition is now open for entries to celebrate purpose-driven businesses that tackle persistent and emerging issues in education.

The Milken-Penn GSE 2023 EBPC unveils new incentives and more value for competitors than in previous years:

Dedicated project and pitch development advisor. Through the Catalyst @ Penn GSE virtual accelerator, Catapult, finalists will receive a free, personalised business development assessment and be matched with a dedicated strategic advisor to progress their business and perfect their pitch ahead of the final competition.

Live and in-person finals. For the first time since 2019, the finalists will present their pitch live and in person, giving them greater exposure to potential investors and customers at the final in October.

Promotional opportunities. Finalists will have multiple opportunities for in-person and virtual promotion, including participation in the Finalist Showcase in association with the ISTE World Conference in Philadelphia in June, and digital promotion through Catalyst's multimedia programming.

Areas of intervention

Since 2010, areas of interest include:

• Urban education
• Linking research to practice
• Teaching and learning
• Technology from Kindergarten to Grade 12
• Special education students and students at risk
• Open and collaborative solutions: the education ecosystem
• Online and distance learning in higher education
• Global/borderless education solutions
• Early childhood education
• Workforce learning

Information on funding

Companies that have generated up to 1,500,000 $ of income over the last 12 months are now eligible.

Eligibility criteria

• The EBPC is open to applicants from around the world who are committed to breaking down systemic barriers in education through innovation and promoting equitable opportunities for all learners and communities.
• They welcome education businesses with innovative solutions to educational inequalities from around the world, particularly businesses founded by and serving people from marginalised and historically under-represented communities. They encourage applicants to work in every imaginable educational context, from early years to corporate and adult education. They also welcome both not-for-profit and for-profit submissions.
• Any person is eligible to participate in the Contest by submitting an Entry (defined below), with the exception of the following persons who are not eligible:
  • Anyone under the age of 18;
  • All competition judges;
  • Any person who has previously been named a finalist or winner of a prize in this competition. (However, if a previous finalist or winner wishes to participate in a new educational entrepreneurship business plan that, in the sole opinion and determination of the University, is not related to the previous winning business plan, the previous winning candidate may do so, subject to compliance with all other eligibility criteria);
  • Any person for whom it would be illegal to participate in this Competition in their legal jurisdiction of residence;
  • Any professor, lecturer, administrator, staff or other employee of the Penn Graduate School of Education. (Note: Professors, lecturers, administrators, staff, employees and students of the University of Pennsylvania and its schools, centres and institutes, other than the Graduate School of Education, may participate in the competition, provided they have first disclosed their product or service, technology, intellectual property to the University's Penn Center for Innovation or its successor ("Penn PCI"), using the disclosure form required by Penn PCI, so that Penn PCI may determine whether the University has an ownership interest in such product or service, technology, concept or intellectual property under its intellectual property and employment policies.

For more information, please visitMilken-Penn GSE EBPC.