Oakland, CA, USA (Jan 18, 2022) — AwakeTeams has been selected to The Elite 200, the acclaimed list of semifinalists in The GSV Cup—the world’s largest pitch competition for EdTech startups run by female-led, multi-stage venture capital firm GSV Ventures. Companies selected to The Elite 200 represent the top pre-seed and seed stage startups in digital learning across the “Pre-K to Gray” space. AwakeTeams will now compete for up to $1M in cash and prizes in San Diego this April at the ASU+GSV Summit, the annual education technology event hosted by Arizona State University and GSV Ventures.
AwakeTeams was selected from a global applicant pool of 750+ companies, the largest application pool for the GSV Cup yet. More than 175 judges from leading venture capital firms and strategic partners in digital learning like Accel, General Atlantic, Reach Capital, and Owl Ventures, among others, used rigorous criteria to determine the 200 most promising companies.
“GSV invests in companies that are ‘bending the arc of human potential’ and we are thrilled and honored to be selected as a semifinalist for the 2022 GSV Cup,” said Laura C. Wells, Founder & CEO of AwakeTeams. “AwakeTeams is a team development platform that uses a proprietary peer-feedback algorithm to drive employee engagement, belonging, retention, and profitability. Our mission is to enable people to show up fully at work, connect authentically with colleagues, and contribute their potential. I look forward to telling more of the world about the power of AwakeTeams at the ASU+GSV Summit, as well as connecting with peers, thought leaders, customers, and investors in this space.”
“We’re at a critical and exciting time for the future of society,” said Deborah Quazzo, managing partner of GSV Ventures. “The pandemic has made it increasingly clear that Ed is on The Edge — on the edge of innovation, transformation, globalization. We’ve always imagined a new era in which ALL people have equal access to the future, and this year’s Elite 200 companies are emblematic of that vision. We’re proud to name the 200 semifinalists in the GSV Cup competition and look forward to having them pitch live at the ASU+GSV Summit.”
The Elite 200 companies serve learners from Pre-K to Gray, with companies well-distributed across the following categories: Early Childhood, K-12, Higher Education, Adult Consumer Learning, and Adult Enterprise Learning. The 2022 Elite 200 continue to break barriers, comprised of an increasingly diverse and global group:
- 58% of companies have female founders
- 51% of companies have founders that identify as people of color
- 44% of companies are based outside the United States
The GSV Cup is powered by Google Cloud, HubSpot for Startups, HolonIQ, and GSV Ventures.
See AwakeTeams and the rest of the companies selected to the GSV Cup Elite 200 here.
ABOUT AwakeTeams
AwakeTeams is a team development platform that uses a proprietary peer-feedback algorithm to drive employee engagement, belonging, retention, and profitability. With peer accountability, feedback, and support, our model creates the conditions for sustainable behavior change and delivers bottom-line impact. By enabling people to show up fully at work, connect authentically with colleagues, and contribute their potential, AwakeTeams shifts the way businesses operate so the impact of business practices can be a net-positive for the world.
ABOUT GSV VENTURES
GSV Ventures is a female-led, multi-stage venture capital firm focused on the $7+ trillion education sector. The fund is currently investing out of GSV Ventures Fund III and backs innovative entrepreneurs around the world in the "Pre-K to Gray" Arc of Learning. GSV manages over $675 million in global EdTech investments. Portfolio holdings include Andela, Class Technologies, ClassDojo, Coursera, Course Hero, Degreed, Guild, MasterClass, Outlier, Photomath, Quizizz, Lead School, Brightchamps, and ClassPlus, among others.
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For Media Relations contact:
Laura C. Wells, press@awaketeams.com
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