Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition 2025 for Entrepreneurs Worldwide (up to $40,000)

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About Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition

The Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition (EBPC) is open to applicants worldwide advancing teaching and learning through innovation. Finalists get targeted venture development support from a strategic advisor, opportunities for in-person networking with investors and potential customers.

• School: The University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education

Benefits of Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition

Prizes

• $40,000: Michael & Lori Milken Family Foundation Grand Prize
• $25,000: Second place award
• $10,000: Third place award
• $5,000: Audience Choice prize

Finalists are required to participate in the EBPC Finals for the opportunity to win cash and prizes. This includes making a pitch and being present for conversations with judges at the live finals on September 10 in New York City at the Holon IQ Back to School Summit. A stipend is awarded to Finalists to defray the costs of travel and lodging in New York City.

Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition Requirements

They welcome education ventures with innovative solutions to educational inequity from around the world, especially those ventures founded by and serving individuals from marginalized and historically underrepresented communities. They encourage applicants working in every conceivable educational setting–from early childhood through corporate and adult training. They also welcome both nonprofit and for-profit submissions. Since 2010, areas of focus have included (but are not limited to):

• • Urban Education
  • Connecting Research to Practice
  • Teaching & Learning
  • Technology in Grades K through 12
  • Special Education & At-Risk Students
• • Open & Collaborative Solutions: The Education Ecosystem
  • Online & Distance Learning in Higher Education
  • Global/Borderless Education Solutions
  • Early Childhood Education
  • Workforce Learning

Announcement

•  Semifinalists will be announced May 1, 2025.
• Finalists will be announced August 20, 2025. Finalists will compete in-person at the EBPC Finals on September 10 in New York City at the Holon IQ Back to School Summit.
• Semi-finalists should expect to invest 2–6 hours per week, from May to August, working within our Catapult virtual accelerator. Catapult enables you to assess your venture’s strengths and weaknesses, connect with mentors, and prepare for the finals event in September. The Catapult experience is self-paced and fully flexible and will align with your busy schedule.

Application Date and Process

Ventures apply through Catapult, the Catalyst @ Penn GSE virtual accelerator. Registration and application are free, and you’ll enjoy access to over 4,000 articles, videos, and podcast episodes in the Catapult Content Hub.

Register and apply via Catapult

Application Process

• Prepare your materials

  Review the Application components section below, and get a head start assembling the elements of a successful application.

• Register for Catapult

  Take 5 minutes to complete our simple registration for a free Catapult account.

• Complete your application

  Once registered, you’ll fill out and submit your application through Catapult’s online platform.

Application components

EBPC applicants should describe an issue in education that their venture addresses, offer their venture’s solution, and discuss scaling possibilities to demonstrate the equitable outcomes their proposed innovation can bring to the field of education and additional settings. Important elements of business plan applications include (but are not limited to):

• Product or service

  Describe the innovative product(s) or service(s) that your venture offers, including the persistent or emerging issue(s) in education that your solution addresses. Feel free to include your venture’s vision and / or mission statement and any key partnering organizations connected to your venture.

• People

  Discuss your organization’s leadership team, including the backgrounds and expertise of all key personnel. Describe why your team is best suited to lead your venture and to address the specific needs of the communities you serve.

• Market

  Define your target market(s). Who are your target customers? Discuss any customer discovery that you have done and explain your marketing strategy to successfully reach customers in your target market(s).*

• Competition

  Who are your competitors? How do you differentiate? Discuss your competitive advantage. Discuss any barriers to entry or intellectual property you’ve built to sustain your long term competitive advantage?

• Finances

  Upload a financial model of actual and projected revenue earned and discuss the assumptions used to substantiate your financial model. Preferred file format: .pdf.*

• Equity

  Describe how your product or service addresses systemic barriers in education to support underserved communities and demonstrate your venture’s potential impact on equitable outcomes in teaching, learning, and/or education.

• Materials

  Submissions also include a digital slide deck presentation (PowerPoint or similar format; required; 15 slides maximum) and a 60-Second Video Pitch (optional, but highly recommended). Feel free to provide any other promotional or demo (screencast) video to showcase your product(s) or service(s). Maximum video length: 2 minutes.

Application Timeline:

• Jan 15: Application Opens
• Feb 19: Applications Due
• May 1: Semifinalists Announced
• Aug 20: Finalists Announced
• Sept 11: Live Competition

Application Deadline

19 February, 2025

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