Edtech Israel has crowned the winner of its ‘most innovative and disruptive’ title as part of an international startup competition.
Twelve companies pitched in the semi-finals of the competition, after being narrowed down from more than 50 entrants.
Video-based STEM tutorial company Proprep walked away with the title of most innovative and disruptive startup, winning thousands of dollars in prizes.
Dr Yaki Dayan, founder of Edtech Israel and creator of the Israel Education Summit, said: “The judges and I were impressed by the wide range of disruptive and visionary companies from all around the world who are pushing boundaries in how we approach education and lifelong learning.
“If the world embraces this kind of innovation, we will finally have a global education ecosystem that is suited for the challenges of the 21st century.”
The competition was part of the fourth annual Israel Education Summit in Tel Aviv, which saw 1,000 delegates from around the world to hear 50 international speakers representing 12 different countries.
If the world embraces this kind of innovation, we will finally have a global education ecosystem that is suited for the challenges of the 21st century.
– Dr Yaki Dayan, Edtech Israel / Israel Education Summit
Two tracks made up the competition, the Career Track for startups focused on HR tech, corporate learning, vocational training, closing the skills gap, lifelong learning or career readiness, and the Education Track, for startups aiming to disrupt education in K-12 schools, universities, and early-years education.
Proprep aims to improve student success in STEM through video tutorials and study guides customised to universities’ syllabus, and according to the specific needs of the student.
Finalists included AloTok in second place, which is a social network for seniors, Musico in third place, a game-based digital practice platform for music teachers and students, and Net2Work, the runner-up, an interactive platform to connect young people with companies offering work experience, internships, and apprenticeships.
All winners received more than $7,000 in Amazon Web Service (AWS) credits. AWS is a gold sponsor of the Israel Education Summit. Winners will also receive a one-month free trial on Passport from GSVlabs, a resource for growing startups.
The competition was judged by investors from around the world, including representatives from Rethink Education, USA; Emerge Education, UK; University of Pennsylvania, USA; Mena Hub, UK, and OurCrowd, Israel.
More information about the summit can be found at https://www.edtechsummit.org.il/