Emerging Awards @
EDTECH WEEK
Present your company, get practical feedback on your growth strategy, and meet investors and industry leaders through the GHP Emerging Competition.
OCTOBER 2026 | NYC
GHP EMERGINg Awards
Nine finalists representing 3 categories (PreK-12, Higher Ed, and Workforce Development) will present their companies at EdTech Week to a curated audience of investors, philanthropic funders, and prospective customers.
Each of the three category winners receives $200,000 in services from Good Harbor Partners, including strategic advising, introductions, increased visibility, and guidance. Winners will also be invited to a private cocktail reception with curated introductions to leading funders and supporters of emerging growth companies.
Selected finalists will receive will receive a complimentary full-conference ticket to EdTech Week 2026.
Applications are open through September 15.
Entry Categories
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Schools are trying to improve attendance and learning, support an overstretched workforce, and make sensible decisions about AI, often with limited time and tighter budgets. They do not need more technology for its own sake. This category recognizes companies that solve a clear problem for students, educators, or school systems and can show that their solution works in the realities of a school day.
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Colleges and universities are entering a more demanding period. The number of traditional-age students is expected to decline, families are questioning affordability and value, and AI is changing teaching, assessment, and campus operations. This category recognizes companies that help institutions serve students better, operate more effectively, and create a clearer connection between education and what comes next.
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Jobs are changing faster than most training systems can keep up. Employers need people who can work with new tools and move into changing roles, while workers need learning that leads to real opportunity, not simply another credential. This category recognizes companies that connect learning more directly to hiring, career mobility, workplace performance, and the skills employers actually need.
WHO IS GOOD HARBOR PARTNERS?
Good Harbor Partners is a boutique advisory firm serving innovators across education. We partner with innovative education companies to best prepare for and accomplish successful exits.
GHP Case studies
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TURNING M&A INTEREST TO INVESTMENT
“It can be very lonely and very difficult being a founder. Not just financially. Seeing your friends or your peers or others around you in roles and potentially startups having different outcomes.” – Samyr
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ABOVE & BEYOND THE BANKER PLAYBOOK
'“There is a level of trust and faith that Good Harbor and you build with the dialogue and the relationship and that when we’re supposed to be negotiating against each other, we wind up working together to find the suitable solution.” – Seong
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AKTIV’S SALE TO TOPHAT
“One of the most important connections ever made was GHP introducing me to Dr. Jamie Caras who became an investor and Aktiv’s Chairman of the Board. It was invaluable to have someone who really had been there and done it in STEM and who was so similar to me in his thinking. His founding story and experience was scarily similar to my own.” – Justin
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DEEP RELATIONSHIPS TRANSLATE TO FOUNDER FIT
“We met and just hit it right away. Mark first & foremost is an entrepreneur which I appreciate a lot . It’s a big differentiator, having someone with entrepreneurial experience who’s been an operator helping entrepreneurs. He’s not like your typical high-level consultant. One thing I love about Mark is he gets into the weeds.” - Jamie
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TRANSLATING VISION TO INVESTOR NARRATIVE
“We had a big vision of the change that was coming in higher ed… it was a lot for even sophisticated investors in the space to swallow. We kept getting pigeonholed as just another EdTech company trying to sell software to colleges.” – Josh
GHP EMERGING faQ
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The GHP Emerging Competition recognizes promising emerging companies working across education and workforce learning.
Nine finalists will present their companies at EdTech Week in New York City before a curated audience of investors, philanthropic funders, prospective customers, and industry leaders. One winner will be selected from each of the three categories.
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Finalists receive visibility at EdTech Week and the opportunity to present directly to people who fund, support, and buy from emerging companies.
Each of three category winners will receive $200,000 worth of services from Good Harbor Partners, including strategic advising, introductions, increased visibility, and guidance.
Winners will also be invited to a private cocktail reception, with curated introductions to leading funders and supporters of emerging growth companies.
Each finalist invited to present will receive one complimentary registration for EdTech Week 2026 on October 14–15.
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Growth‑stage (approximately $2–10M in annual revenue) for‑profit and nonprofit education companies using technology to address challenges in early childhood, PreK–12, higher education, workforce learning, or adult learning are encouraged to apply.
Companies may be based anywhere in the world, but should have the majority of their revenue coming from the U.S. market.
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The application takes approximately 15–30 minutes to complete.
Application deadline: September 15th at midnight ET
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Applications will be evaluated based on:
A strong team or solo founder with a clear commitment to education or workforce learning
A meaningful problem and a clear understanding of the market
Evidence that the company is solving a real need, such as users, revenue, partnerships, letters of intent, research, or efficacy data
A product or service with the potential to grow and create lasting value
A clear vision for how support from Good Harbor Partners could help the company reach its next stage
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Good Harbor Partners and EdTech Week will review the applications and select nine finalists across three categories.
The finalists will present live at EdTech Week in October. A panel of investors, operators, and industry leaders will select one winner from each category.
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Finalists will be notified by September 22nd and given instructions for confirming their participation and preparing their presentation.
The three category winners will be announced at EdTech Week in New York City.
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EdTech Week does not reimburse travel or accommodation.
Visit our travel and accommodation guide at www.edtechweek.com to access discounted accommodations.The top companies invited to present at EdTech Week receive one complimentary access to the EdTech Week on October 14-15, and discounted access to other team members.
Got Questions?