Californian organisation, NewSchools Seed Fund, has been evaluating several NZ companies with a veiw to investment opportunities.
NewSchools works to improve education opportunities for children from low-income communities by investing in entrepreneurs who are developing education technology tools, applications and content.
According to Jennifer Carolan, head of the fund, NZ is an entrepreneurial hotspot for the education sector with a number of companies developing a diverse range of learning-focused products including games, apps, educational software and courseware.
Carolan will be speaking at the EdTech for Export 2014 (eTe) conference set to take place in Wellington in June.
“Teachers are rapidly adopting technology products but need more sophisticated technology tools and content. EdTech companies need funding, support and better channels into schools. I can’t wait to get to Wellington to meet the edtech community, learn from the entrepreneurs and understand how we can help,” she said.
eTe 2014 will run on June 19 and 20 and is organised by Grow Wellington and Education New Zealand. It aims to connect the education sector with tech businesses to ensure New Zealand enjoys growth in this sector.
Besides Carolan, eTe 2014 will feature international and New Zealand speakers including Adrian Sallis from Vital English, Maru Nihoniho from Metia Interactive, Dave Moskovitz from WebFund, Chris Meade from Designworks, and Noeline Anderson, director of digital publishing company Pixelhouse.