Boulder startup Bitsbox selected for AT&T Aspire Accelerator
BOULDER — Bitsbox, an education-tech startup in Boulder, is one of six companies chosen from across the nation to participate in a six-month accelerator program based in San Francisco.
The 2016 AT&T Aspire Accelerator is in its second year and is part of AT&T’s $350 million commitment to help students succeed in school and beyond.
Bitsbox, the tradename for Codepops Inc., has developed a way to teach kids between the ages of six and 12 computer programming by allowing them to build apps through a website along with a monthly subscription box that contains a variety of programming projects. Bitsbox prints the projects in books, on trading cards and stickers, and sometimes whoopie cushions, and sends them via snail mail.
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Each participating organization in the Aspire Accelerator receives a $100,000 AT&T investment and an additional $25,000 to cover costs of the program. For-profit companies in return give AT&T up to a 5 percent equity stake in the company, and the nonprofits receive the cash as a contribution, according to the accelerator’s website. Participants receive guidance from AT&T, education and other tech mentors and access to expert services from AT&T and others.
Participants attend four in-person sessions including kickoff and demo day. They also meet with an accelerator entrepreneur in residence once a week.
The other five startups participating in the accelerator class of 2016 are:
Couragion, Denver — an engaging app that exposes students to STEM careers using videos, games and self-reflection quizzes.
Cogent Education, Athens, Ga. — interactive case-study software has students acting like scientists, learning science concepts and honing problem solving skills.
CommonLit, nonprofit, Washington, D.C. – a free digital platform that helps teachers find and plan engaging lessons and track student progress in reading.
TalkingPoints, nonprofit, San Francisco — multilingual texting platform that connects teachers, families and students via mobile technology
The Graide Network, Chicago — an online platform connecting teachers with on-demand teaching assistants to grade and provide thorough feedback on student work.
