Dolphin Tank Pitches

A “Dolphin Tank” is a new session format of this year’s mEducation Alliance Symposium that will feature live pitches by U.S.-based edtech developers to a panel of global edtech experts with an audience watching.

The “Dolphin Tank” session, tentatively convened the afternoon of October 2nd, is designed for developers who are interested in globalizing the reach of their edtech products to new markets. Competitively selected, invited organizations will present their product(s) along with their ideas for what they would need to do to make them accessible for use in lower-resource settings around the globe. 

Selected presenters will describe the current version of their product, and present ideas for the new version of the product that could be used in low resource settings. This might include settings without reliable internet or offline entirely, or products which can be delivered on different “lower tech” types of computers, mobile phones, TV or radio or the newspaper. The “pitch” could also cover how new versions of their products could be created for use in different languages and for students and educators from different cultures.

The panel of experts (aka the “Dolphins”) will include 3-5 experts drawn from Ministries of Education, technology and education experts from developing countries, and from global organizations, such as the Global Partnership in Education and the World Bank. These experts will provide their feedback on the pitch and additional ideas for globalizing edtech products. 

While the “Dolphins” and audience may include potential funders (e.g., donors, philanthropy, investors), they will not provide actual funding during these sessions. We are calling this session a “Dolphin Tank” to reflect a more entertaining and collaborative environment than the higher intensity format and stakes of certain TV-shows which are named after dolphins’ natural competitors 😊. 

Meet our Pitchers

Pitchers:

  • Alchemie Solutions, Inc (Alchemie); Detroit Metro Area, Michigan, USA, Julia Winter, CEO, and founder
  • dfusion Inc, Fantasy Sports Math League; Score! Getting boys and girls excited about (and proficient with) data analytics, Scotts Valley, California, BA Laris
  • GaiaXus; US / Maryland; Dietrich Ruehlmann, Managing Partner
  • Mission.io; Provo, UT, Skyler Carr
  • Smart Girls HQ; Charlotte, NC, Abi Olukeye, Founder and CEO
  • Snowbright Studio; Cleveland, Ohio (USA), Grace Collins, Founder

Alchemie Solutions

Alchemie (Michigan) created KASI, is an inclusive assistive technology that employs computer vision and multi-sensory augmented reality to support blind and low vision learners in using hand-held physical manipulatives to practice chemistry.

Presenter: Julia Winter

dfusion

dfusion (California) created Fantasy Sports Math League, a web-based collaborative game for middle school students to learn math in a real-world context by tracking statistics of real professional sports players from football, soccer, and basketball.

Presenter: BA Laris.

GaiaXus

GaiaXus (Maryland) created an environmental education product with a wireless sensor that collects samples of scientific data for standards-aligned STEM topics and transmits data to an app for presenting findings.

Presenter: Dietrich Ruehlmann.

Mission.io

Mission.io (Utah) created a website to engage groups of students in simulated missions where they collaboratively create solutions to address real-world STEM-related problems.

Presenter: Skyler Carr.

Smart Girls HQ

Smart Girls HQ (North Carolina) created Dear Smart Girl for girls to engage in STEM career exploration by playing an online game and hand-held activity kits to apply learning.

Presenter: Abi Olukeye.

Snowbright Studios

Snowbright Studio (Ohio) created an online coding game to prepare students for success and careers in computer science.

Presenter: Grace Collins

Meet our "Dolphins"

Alex Twinomugisha, Senior Education Technology Specialist, World Bank

Alex Twinomugisha is a Senior Education Technology Specialist at the World Bank with over 20 years of experience in education and technology policy, program design, and deployment at various education levels. A core member of the World Bank’s global edtech team, he focuses on leveraging technology to address education challenges in developing countries. Prior to joining the World Bank, Alex held leadership roles at Intel Corporation and the Global e-Schools and Communities Initiative (GeSCI), advising governments across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. He has contributed to various projects on digital skills, adaptive learning, and AI in education, and holds a bachelor’s in electrical engineering and a master’s in education technology. Read more here.

Dr. Chomora Mikeka, Director of Science, Technology and Innovation, Ministry of Education, Malawi 

Dr. Chomora Mikeka is an Associate Professor of Physics (Wireless Communications) at Chancellor College, University of Malawi. He earned his PhD in Engineering from Yokohama National University, Japan, in 2012. As a leader in science and technology, he chairs key committees, including the African Standards Organization (ARSO) on Medical Devices and the SADC Regional Medical Devices Forum. Dr. Mikeka also serves on the Malawi Space Agency Taskforce and is the 1st Vice Chair for the African Union’s Specialized Technical Committee on Education, Science, and Technology. He co-chairs the AU-EU High-Level Policy Dialogue, advancing innovation across Africa and Europe.

John Kimotho, EdTech advisor and board member, mEducation Alliance

John Kimotho is an EdTech Consultant and former Head of the Educational Media Directorate at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD). He is a recognized leader in educational media across East Africa and Africa, having overseen the development of print and electronic curriculum materials and championed digital literacy in education. John is pursuing a PhD in Communication at Daystar University, where he has completed coursework and defended his research proposal. He holds a Master’s in Communications (Media Studies) and a Postgraduate Diploma in African Leadership in ICT. He has received awards for his contributions to media and public service innovation. He has also worked at Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, Educational Media – Canada, and the National Museums of Kenya.

Sameer Sampat, Ed Tech Scout, Prevail Fund

Sameer Sampat is an EdTech Scout at Prevail Fund, a philanthropic initiative focused on improving foundational learning in Africa and South Asia. He co-founded Global School Leaders and served as the first CEO of the India School Leadership Institute (ISLI). Sameer has also been the founding Executive Director at Pousaz Philanthropies and worked as a researcher and high school math teacher. Earlier in his career, he was a Project Manager and Research Analyst at the Education Innovation Laboratory at Harvard University, where he led interventions to address the racial achievement gap in the U.S. He has also worked with Teach For America, Akanksha, and Adharshila Shikshan Kendra. Sameer holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from UCLA and a Master’s in Economics and Education from Columbia University.

Sarah Elisabeth Wragg, Head of Education Innovation, Education Above All

At Education Above All Foundation, Sarah leads high-impact education initiatives across Africa and Asia, aimed at making quality education accessible to all. With over 15 years of experience in international development, emergency response, and education innovation, her work spans post-conflict, refugee, and development contexts in countries like Tanzania, Somalia, Rwanda, and Afghanistan. Sarah holds a Master’s in Science Education from King’s College London and is pursuing a doctorate at University College London, focusing on education scholarships as a complementary pathway to resettlement for refugees. She is passionate about ensuring equitable access to education for vulnerable populations.

Shauntel Garvey, Co-Founder/Partner, Reach Capital

Shauntel is a Co-Founder and General Partner at Reach Capital where she invests in solutions that elevate human potential and ignite purpose across learning, health, and work. Prior to Reach, Shauntel was a Partner at the NewSchools Seed Fund and invested in over 40 early stage edtech companies including Newsela, Class Dojo, Ellevation, and SchoolMint. Shauntel was previously a Senior Engineer at Procter and Gamble and received her BS in Chemical Engineering from MIT and her MBA and MA in Education from Stanford University.

Tom Berry, Global Leader, Technology Education, Amazon Web Services

Tom Berry is the Senior Manager for Global Learning at Amazon’s computer science initiative, Amazon Future Engineer. He leads a global product and research portfolio focused on expanding equitable access to computer science education for underrepresented and underserved students in primary and secondary schools. Before joining Amazon Future Engineer, Tom worked on product innovation initiatives within Amazon’s Home shopping category. He previously served as a U.S. Army officer, focusing on security and economic development overseas. His experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan shaped his interest in youth economic empowerment. Tom holds an M.A. in Global Affairs from Yale University and a B.S. in Art, Philosophy, and Literature from West Point.

The Mobiles for Education (mEducation) Alliance is a 501(c)3 non-profit focused on the evidence-driven and sustainable role of technology in education to advance quality educational outcomes. Initially formed in 2010, the mEducation Alliance is a unique, multi-stakeholder convening platform for government and donor policymakers, other investors, researchers, and practitioners to work together, particularly in lower-resource, developing country contexts. For more information about the Alliance, including about our signature activities, visit the organization web page. Read Full Disclosure and Policy Statement Here

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Jax Chaudhry

Jax Chaudhry leads Project Invent, a national nonprofit that empowers youth with future ready mindsets for individual success and global impact, through invention. Originally from the Southside of Chicago, Jax loves working with students, families and partners to ensure every student can attain success as they define it. For more than 10 years, she has worked with elementary schools, high schools, education nonprofits and led regional teams and operations to ensure student success.

Michael Leventhal

Kenneth Y T Lim operates at the intersection of neuroergonomics, the learning scienceMichael Leventhal is co-founder of RobotsMali, a pedagogical and AI4D laboratory and STEM education center in Bamako, Mali. RobotsMali has trained thousands of students from elementary school to high school in computer science, robotics, and artificial intelligence, coached national robotics teams that have won 32 medals in international competitions, and developed technologies using AI and robotics for the social and economic development of Mali. Before becoming an educator in Mali, Michael worked as a technologist in Silicon Valley.s, and cognitive psychology. In 2023, he and his team were identified by UNESCO to share their work on the affordances of Generative AI for meaningful teaching and learning, during UNESCO’s first annual flagship event Digital Learning Week, international forum on the implications of Generative AI for education, in the session on ‘Preparing students and teachers for responsible use of AI’.

Enouce Ndeche

Enouce Ndeche is the founder and Director of Vijana Amani Pamoja ,VAP a community scheme based in Nairobi Kenya that uses the power and the popularity of the game of soccer/football as a catalyst for social, educational and economic empowerment.Enouce holds a degree in sociology from Egerton university and he is also the 2020 individual award recipient “Diversity and Inclusion Eminent Leader Award Enouce is also a certified Sports Philanthropy and Executive, George Washington University and is a 2023 Gratitude Network fellow.

Kenneth Y T Lim

Kenneth Y T Lim operates at the intersection of neuroergonomics, the learning sciences, and cognitive psychology. In 2023, he and his team were identified by UNESCO to share their work on the affordances of Generative AI for meaningful teaching and learning, during UNESCO’s first annual flagship event Digital Learning Week, international forum on the implications of Generative AI for education, in the session on ‘Preparing students and teachers for responsible use of AI’.