July 21, 2014
Chicago, Illinois - July 21, 2014: Pearson, the world’s
leading learning company, today announced a strategic partnership with 1871, Chicago’s entrepreneurial hub for digital
startups. 1871 is the largest startup hub in the U.S. with more than 250 member
companies at the present time.
Pearson has long-standing
relationships with many K-12 and higher education institutions in the area,
such as Chicago Public Schools and Chicago City Colleges, and this partnership
will enable the company to further collaborate with local education technology
startups.
“At 1871, we’re bringing
together Chicago’s brightest digital designers, engineers and entrepreneurs who
are shaping new technologies, disrupting old business models, and resetting the
boundaries of what’s possible,” said Howard A. Tullman, CEO of 1871. “We think
Pearson’s deep experience in the education industry and global reach will be
extremely valuable to the startups in our community. As a former college president
and as an education entrepreneur in my own right, I have worked with Pearson
for more than twenty years and look forward to continuing to grow and expand
our relationship. ”
“We’re committed to addressing some of the biggest challenges in
education and believe that partnering with the startup community is vital for
stimulating greater innovation in the industry and improving learning
outcomes,” said Diana Stepner, VP of Innovation Partnerships and Developer
Relations. “Two of the startups selected for our edtech accelerator Pearson
Catalyst for Education, announced last month, were recommended by
1871 and we look forward to working more closely with other startup talent in
the area as well.”
Pearson Catalyst participant Learnmetrics, which provides
real-time analytics for educators, will be one of the first digital startups to
be working in the newly expanded 1871 2.0 space, which is growing by 50 percent
at its Merchandise Mart location this year, thanks to a $2.5 million state
grant.
“We’re excited to be
partnering with Pearson as part of the 2014 Catalyst class,” said Julian Miller,
CEO of Learnmetrics. “Given that it’s a virtual program, we’re able to continue
working with the tech community in Chicago at 1871, while also connecting and
collaborating with our Pearson mentors and sponsors from across the globe. It’s
the best of both worlds.”
Pearson works with
individuals and organisations of every size to explore smart ideas and
technologies that can make education more effective and improve learning
outcomes. This means collaborating with developers, global startups in the
Catalyst and Edupreneurs accelerator programmes, and a growing community of
innovation partners, such as 1871, RocketSpace, 1776, LearnLaunch, MaRS and
Makerversity.
For more
information
Please contact:
Erin Farber / erin.farber@pearson.com /
+1 (917) 697-2027
Laura Clark / laura@1871.com /
+1 (330) 715-0687
About Pearson
Pearson is the world's
leading learning company, with 40,000 employees in more than 70 countries
working to help people of all ages to make measurable progress in their lives
through learning.
We provide learning
materials, technologies, assessments and services to teachers and students in
order to help people everywhere aim higher and fulfil their true potential. We
put the learner at the centre of everything we do.
About 1871
1871 is an entrepreneurial
hub for digital startups. Located in The Merchandise Mart, the soon-to-be
75,000-square-foot facility provides Chicago startups with programming, access
to mentors, educational resources, potential investors and a community of
like-minded entrepreneurs that help them on their path to building successful
businesses. 1871 is the flagship project of the CEC.
