Alpaca Triumphs in Learnovate and AWS EdTech Accelerator Programme

Alpaca has been declared the winner of the EdTech Accelerator Programme, a collaborative initiative by The Learnovate Centre at Trinity College Dublin and Amazon Web Services (AWS). 

The programme, which ran from December 5, 2023, to February 20, 2024, involved ten learning technology start-ups. Its objective was to equip these start-ups with mentoring from industry experts in both business and product development, alongside substantial AWS cloud computing credits. 

Participants were required to identify a specific learning problem and develop a digital solution to address it. The culmination of the programme was a ‘Demo Day’ held at the AWS offices in Dublin, where all participants presented their solutions. 

Alpaca, selected by a panel comprising Learnovate, AWS, and industry judges, will receive $100,000 USD in AWS credits. The company has developed games based on scientific evidence aimed at helping teachers and parents identify children who might face reading difficulties.

Learnovate Head of Business Development Linda Waters said:

"The global EdTech market continues to rapidly expand, and Irish start-ups are key players worldwide, providing learning solutions that are used in companies, schools, universities and at home. Big congratulations to Alpaca as the winner and to all the start-ups who were successfully accepted onto the accelerator to enjoy the benefits of expert business and technology mentoring during the programme.”

All participating companies were awarded $2,000 in AWS credits to utilise across various services including compute power, database storage, and content delivery. In addition to financial support, the programme provided eight full-day workshops at AWS Dublin offices, covering topics in learning, business, and technology, and offered free access to certified AWS training.

The EdTech Accelerator Programme is part of an ongoing collaboration between Learnovate, a global research hub focusing on the future of work and learning at Trinity College Dublin, and AWS. This partnership is supported by Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, with AWS as a Patron Member of Learnovate.

Stephen Bonney from AWS emphasised the accelerator's role in fostering innovation among Ireland's EdTech entrepreneurs, aiming to address identified educational problems: 

"Every EdTech founder starts out with a problem to solve – the EdTech Accelerator has been designed to help ten of the brightest in Ireland to develop their solutions. AWS has a history of innovation and bringing disruptive solutions to the market. If we can share our culture of innovation and help these founders solve the problems they identified, I really believe we can have an impact on the Irish EdTech community.”

Open to early-stage start-ups, the programme aimed to accelerate growth and scaling operations by offering business mentoring, technical advice on cloud scaling, and guidance on regulatory, data privacy, and cybersecurity issues. Additional expertise was provided on pilot studies, market entry strategies, public procurement, and investor readiness.

Judge Piero Tintori of Terminalfour and BetterExaminations commented on Alpaca’s potential impact, “Because ALPACA is based on extensive scientific evidence, the judges felt this tool will have a significant positive impact on principals, teachers, parents, and children throughout Ireland. 

“The tool helps schools assess children earlier and identify the support needed with fewer school resources. Teacher training includes no specific training in neurodiversity – that makes ALPACA a game changer. Identifying early literacy needs changes childrens’ lives.”

Joe Fernandez, founder of Alpaca, said, “We are grateful for the support of hundreds of primary schools who have trusted ALPACA to screen over 8,000 infants’ early literacy skills this school year. 

“It shows the power of early identification and timely intervention by teachers. Winning the EdTech Accelerator validates that the AI solutions we are building resonated with the EdTech experts on the judging panel.”