WGU Labs, in collaboration with Western Governors University and its affiliate entities (“WGU”), is excited to announce the second annual WGU Labs Accelerator Competition focused on improving educational outcomes by catalyzing innovation with mission-aligned entrepreneurs.
Up to five finalists will receive paid hotel, air travel, and registration for the 2025 ASU+GSV
(April 6-9, 2025) conference for one representative of their company and the winner will receive:
Mission aligned, for-profit startups that are focused on postsecondary education and/or workforce education, address one or more competition topics (see below), meet all of the financial and organizational criteria, and are not considered ineligible organizations. See eligibility section below for further details
Applicants must include the following elements in their application which is intended to be as lightweight as possible with a maximum length of 1500 words, excluding pitch deck, financial projections, and video. Note: Application will open on December 5, 2024 at 8am MT:
Element
Description
Innovative solution
What problem are you focused on and describe how your solution addresses that problem? How is your solution novel and unique, particularly around the use of educational technology to address persistent challenges?
Educational impact
How effectively does the solution address an educational challenge or need? To what extent does the solution enhance student learning and/or achievement? How would you describe your value proposition to WGU, particularly for current students, former students, and/or alumni?
Leadership
Provide an overview of your company’s key leadership, including background and expertise. How are you uniquely positioned to address this problem?
Market opportunity
How do you define your target market(s) and who are your target customers? What type of market do you compete in (e.g. B2B, B2C, B2G). Who are your key competitors and what is your unique value proposition?
Financial model
Provide a narrative overview of the one-page financial model and a description of your proposed business model. Be sure to address topics including months of financial runway, primary customer type (e.g. B2C, B2B, B2G), strategy for recurring revenue, and key assumptions underlying your financials. You will also be asked to upload a one-page multi-year financial model of actual and forecasted revenue, costs, and net income along with key assumptions that reflect your proposed business model and support your financial forecast.
Supporting materials
Applications must include a current pitch deck (PDF format with a maximum of 10 slides). Applicants may also include a link to one promotional or demo video (maximum length of 2 minutes)
