The Kauffman Labs for Enterprise Creation, an initiative of the Kauffman Foundation, is looking for entrepreneurs in the education market for its Kauffman Labs Education Ventures Program.
The hands-on program will give aspiring education entrepreneurs mentorship, training, and tools to help get their ideas to market. Applicants can be an individual entrepreneur or in a team of up to three people. They need to offer some educational product, service or resource, technology innovation or new learning model. (The program says it defines “education” very broadly.) Startups that apply can be at almost any stage – even if it’s just an idea or an early product iteration – as long as you’ve been incorporated less than 18 months.
The program doesn’t grant your startup funding, per se. But there is a $1,200 stipend provided to applicants who are selected as finalists for a one-week bootcamp, which will be held at the Kauffman Foundation in early November. 10 to 12 of those finalists will then be selected to participate in the four-month Education Ventures Program and will receive $31,500 in compensation.
The emphasis of the program is training and mentorship. And advisors include some notable names in education and education technology, including eduFire‘s Jon Bischke (eduFire), Grockit‘s Farbhood Nivi (Grockit), and Michelle Rhee, Chancellor of the DC Public Schools).
The application deadline is September 20, 2010. Selection, workshops, and training run from November 2010 through May 2011.
