Singapore accelerator EduSpaze providing up to S$500,000 for early-stage edtech startups

SEED capital firm Spaze Ventures has launched EduSpaze, which it said is Singapore's first educational technology (edtech) accelerator supported by Enterprise Singapore.

The Singapore-headquartered accelerator will provide up to S$500,000 to help early-stage edtech startups to go to market.

Unlike accelerators with a fixed programme for participating startups, it will customise the experience to address specific requirements of each startup.

EduSpaze will have an "educator in residence" instead of an "entrepreneur in residence", who will provide insights from the education sector.

It will measure the effectiveness of new edtech products with regard to improved learning outcomes and other positive impact metrics.

The programme will also address conventional accelerator topics such as business development and perfecting a pitch to raise further funding.

The closing date for programme applications is Dec 20, 2019.

The programme is open to startups outside Singapore and up to 10 companies will be selected, with the programme commencing in February 2020.

As part of its efforts to foster innovation within the ecosystem, EduSpaze has also partnered and worked with organisations such as Republic Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic and Singapore University of Technology and Design.

"We want to be thoughtful about how EduSpaze operates as an edtech accelerator at a local and regional level. Drawing on my background in the edtech space in Finland, I would like to leverage global best practices to help stimulate innovation in the space here in Singapore," said Niko Lindholm, programme director at EduSpaze and former director of the xEdu edtech accelerator in Helsinki, Finland.