WGU Labs Announces Finalists in Second Annual Accelerator Competition Supporting Innovation in Education and Workforce Readiness

Five finalist companies aim to shape tomorrow's learning landscape through inclusivity, accessibility, and AI innovation

/EIN News/ -- SALT LAKE CITY, March 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WGU Labs, the research, development, and investment arm of Western Governors University, today announced five finalists for its second annual WGU Labs Accelerator Pitch Competition. Selected from a wide-ranging field submissions, the finalists represent the competition’s mission to discover and support groundbreaking solutions that harness technology to reshape the educational landscape and bridge the gap between learning and workforce success.

The finalist companies include: 

• Axio AI: Axio is an AI-powered tool that enhances both the administrative and pedagogical aspects of education and training. It uses multi-agentic generative AI for automation and personalized learning, while its patented knowledge graph technology helps solve persistent challenges in educational technology.
• BestFit: BestFit supports education and training programs, nonprofits, health clinics, and social service agencies to connect clients with essential wraparound services through a digital platform. Using AI and machine learning, BestFit improves accessibility, streamlines service delivery, and supports at-risk learners to meet basic needs–ensuring they stay on track for postsecondary completion.
• Earn & Learn: Earn & Learn makes work-based learning more accessible by connecting students with job opportunities while helping employers get involved more easily. The platform tracks student participation, aligns opportunities with local workforce needs, and integrates smoothly with school systems–giving educators and workforce professionals the insights they need to close opportunity gaps and improve program success.
• Kollegio: Kollegio connects students, schools, and colleges through a higher education marketplace. Its AI-powered counseling app streamlines the college application process–helping with school discovery, essays, extracurricular planning, and financial aid. Colleges also gain access to detailed student profiles, allowing them to effectively identify and engage with prospective applicants.
• Pensieve: Pensieve provides AI-powered teaching assistants that streamline grading, tutoring, and classroom management, making learning more efficient and improving learning outcomes. By creating a data-driven feedback loop, Pensieve ensures that AI-driven grading helps personalize tutoring, while tutoring data refines grading accuracy.

This year’s competition sought to elevate solutions focused on three areas: bridging education and employment through work-based learning, creating personalized learning environments for skill development, and leveraging AI to reduce costs while enhancing career relevance.

Finalist companies have demonstrated a commitment to these areas through innovative solutions that enhance accessibility, efficiency, and career preparation in education.

“We are excited to recognize this year’s finalists, whose innovative solutions are addressing critical challenges in education and paving the way for a more accessible and effective learning experience,” said Jason Levin, executive director of WGU Labs.

The five finalists will attend the 2025 ASU+GSV Summit in April to pitch their solutions to a panel of judges, including senior leaders at WGU, alongside an audience of higher education leaders, experts, investors, and researchers. The winner will receive a $100,000 cash investment for equity from the WGU Labs Fund, $50,000 in services from the WGU Labs Accelerator, and a paid pilot with WGU for up to $50,000 to support their future growth, double the prizes awarded in last year’s competition. 

In 2024, WGU Labs invested in five EdTech companies for a total of $1.5 million in investment from the Accelerator at Labs.

About WGU Labs
WGU Labs is a real-world proving ground solving the biggest challenges in higher education through rigorous research, product development, and EdTech investment. We’re developing the models and methods to create opportunity, access, and engagement for a world of diverse learners, and fundamentally rethinking how quality education is delivered. Our approach leverages applied learning science, social psychology, and accelerative partnerships with like-minded organizations to grow innovative ideas into transformative solutions. For more information on our work, visit wgulabs.org and follow us on LinkedIn.

Natalie Berkey
                    WGU Labs
                    385-428-9425
                    natalie.berkey@wgu.edu