UCL EdTech Labs

Graffinity, an innovative EdTech startup supported by the UCL Centre for Digital Innovation (CDI) powered by AWS , won a share of £1 million as part of the Department for Education's AI Tools for Education competition. Led by entrepreneur Matthew Pryor, Graffinity initially joined the Impact Accelerator programme with a vision to revolutionise how students engage with complex material. The company developed an AI-powered tool that uses machine learning to create searchable ‘mind maps’ –  visual diagrams designed to help learners who struggle with large volumes of text. This innovative approach enables better understanding and engagement with complex content, offering a more intuitive learning experience. In winning the funding, Graffinity will work with UCL experts to develop an AI-powered formative assessment tool that reduces teacher workload by providing personalised student feedback. Matthew said: “We're thrilled to have won this funding. This will enable us to take a huge step forward in our mission to help teachers and pupils with cutting-edge AI tools with the continued support of UCL. “By harnessing machine learning and integrating concept maps for assessment, our tool offers numerous benefits to educators. “This includes a highly visual interactive approach to learning, deeper insights into student thinking and support for critical thinking and personalised feedback.” UCL collaborators include the IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society and the UCL Knowledge Lab, along with the UCL Advanced Research Computing Centre and the Centre for Digital Innovation. https://lnkd.in/eWVtG4yy

It’s so important to support our ecosystem and the startups that are working so hard to scale their impact. From one capital city to another, these two conferences were a great way to start the year!

Try our mini creative thinking boost+assessment for free! This propotype is in English. If you’re already a member of www.uselessland.com, follow these steps . 🔸 Log in > Go to UThing page (https://lnkd.in/dznrb8Rk) > click/tap on the box in the top left corner 'Play&Boost' > Start to play! 🔸 . You might find the prototype a bit confusing, dm me if you get stuck. There is also a play group for this. We boost our skills together every Sunday at 19.00-19.15 (Bangkok time). DM me if you want to join the group 😊 . #creativity #creative #ideas #edtech

Empowering Society Through Data and AI - UCL Grand Challenges Data Empowered Societies (DES) Kick-Off Event 2025 “Interdisciplinary connections will enable us to build a story where society can feel reassured that it’s being empowered by data and AI. UCL's Grand Challenge of Data Empowered Societies hopes to build a more inclusive world.” UCL DES Pro-Vice Provosts, Professors James Hetherington and Allison Littlejohn open today's launch event by sharing their vision for DES, which aims to create a more inclusive world by aligning transformative technologies and data usage with societal values, vulnerabilities, and needs. Sam Balch James Paskins Max Gillingham Emily Jennings Siobhan Morris Zulekha Mayet Ethne James-Souch Martin Scott

Love to see success in the london startup space, especially when it's one of our alumni.

What a journey! We are grateful to have been a part of the UCL EdTech Labs accelerator and it's been a privilege to be in the room with the other edtech founders seeking to solve some big educational problems. The accelerator has continued to shape our mission and belief in Traverse and Groundflr trajectory in shaping how we do immersive learning, assessments and what the future of work will look like. Very grateful to Houtan Froushan and Graça Carvalho and UCL Centre for Digital Innovation (CDI) powered by AWS for their time and investment. Here are just a few pictures. More to come!

I'm excited to be in London this week for both UCL EdTech Labs and Bett UK. Who else is going to be in London this week?

BIG WEEK ALERT! 🚀 BETT Week is almost here, and it will be pure chaos (in the best way). Thousands of people. Endless connections. Big opportunities. For startup founders, it’s a goldmine—but also overwhelming. So, how do you navigate it all? Edtech innovation thrives when you balance three critical ingredients: 1️⃣ Money – Who’s funding the future of learning? 2️⃣ Technology – What’s cutting-edge today? 3️⃣ Impact – Are you solving real problems for learners and educators? Here’s the kicker: conference weeks like BETT are all about focus. Who’s the one person, team, or company you need to connect with to take your startup to the next level? This is the first in a series of quick-hit insights from our Edtech Battle Royale. Stay tuned for more, and if you’re at #BETT next week, let’s connect! 👋 The hashtags bit: Massive thank you for the insights from three massively important people from our network: Graça Carvalho Wayne Holmes David Lefevre and a special mention to Austin Earl for not only keeping the peace but bringing out the best from the panelists. And Venetia McNally & Solange Ortiz from IDEALondon for hosting.

2024 has been transformational for both Amazy.uk and me. 🔥 First of all, our community is thriving! Amazy.uk now supports 12,000+ active content creators who have collectively produced 160,000+ content pieces on the platform! Even better, we welcomed our first B2B clients — schools that are embracing Amazy to empower their educators! As we close the year, I’m filled with gratitude and pride for an extraordinary journey of growth, impact, and meaningful connections. Here’s what made 2024 unforgettable: UCL EdTech Labs acceleration program This is my number one highlight, and a very special hug goes to Houtan Froushan and the UCL EdTech Labs team. Your mentorship, community, energy, and drive accelerated everything that followed. I’ll never forget the email that read “We chose you because we believe Amazy.uk is a promising startup with huge potential.” You believed in us, and for that, I’m forever grateful. Amazy.uk is the Best EdTech Startup in Europe by EdTechX This recognition means the world to our team and the educators using our platform. My heart overflows with gratitude. A special thank you to Carolyn McIntyre, who encouraged me to attend the gala dinner, and to my favourite people from UCL EdTech Labs, who cheered me on stage with applause and a big hurrah: Dan Rosenberg, Dr Clare Daly, Andrea De Giorgio, and Karol Figueroa, who supported me wholeheartedly even though we had just met. Backed by visionary investors: JuneX Capital Partners - 6XCP Meeting Benjamin Vedrenne-Cloquet at the EdTechX gala dinner was a game-changer. His and Régis Micheli's belief in Amazy.uk has opened new opportunities for us. Thank you for being the visionary investors every startup dreams of! Amazy.uk Conference: a new tradition This year, we launched the Amazy.uk Conference, which brought together incredible educators and thought leaders. Connecting with inspiring individuals like Silvina Mascitti, Rachel Williams, Abigail Fulbrook, Laura Wilkes, and so many more made it truly special. ❤️🔥 In the spotlight This year, Amazy.uk was featured in 4i MAG, Deal Lite and TechCrunch, and I shared our journey on 3 podcasts. Thank you, Susan Lancaster Maghrabi and Elizabeth Miller, MBA, for inviting me to share the stories behind Amazy.uk. Special PR love goes to Julia Maslennikova and Maria MacDonald for their advice and support. What’s Next? 2025 promises even more excitement: ✨ Amazy AI Clones that redefine education ✨ More B2B collaborations with schools and institutions ✨ Empowering educators to thrive in the $0.5 trillion creator economy Stay tuned, this is just the beginning! 🚀

🎉Time for celebration and building! 🛠️ 🏆 The most exciting part about winning this funding to develop Graffinity through the Department for Education’s “AI Tools for Education” competition is all the great people we get to bring together. There are hundreds of years of experience and many different skill sets researching, building and evaluating this new tool from the IOE - UCL's Faculty of Education and Society, UCL Knowledge Lab and UCL Advanced Research Computing (ARC) and UCL Centre for Digital Innovation (CDI) powered by AWS . 🙌Enormous thanks to Graça Carvalho, the UCL Centre for Digital Innovation (CDI) powered by AWS Executive Director, and the talented team and the wider community she has built. She and Dr. Bruno Silva, CDI Field Chief Technology Officer, AWS, gave us a chance on their Impact Accelerator Programme. 🎓Likewise, thank you Professor Maria A. Kambouri and Professor Manolis Mavrikis at the IOE - UCL's Faculty of Education and Society and UCL Knowledge Lab for providing critical support - in all ways! 😂 You have encouraged us to aim higher, build better, be more useful - and to reach for this competition. And bridging the UX/UI and the pedagogical is our very talented product designer, Amrita Rajeev. ✨It is a very good feeling to be able to begin repaying some of the faith that has been shown in us along the way. 🎓The whole university eco-system of ideas, research and development has been a hugely inspiring place and it began at UCL, for us like many, with the irrepressible Houtan Froushan, and the UCL EdTech Labs. There is magic there and a growing international community of entrepreneurs and start-ups. And that ecosystem is thriving too at Future Worlds where Ben Clark, Alex Dunlop and Kate Proh have built an incredible start-up support network and gave us our first acceleration. They work unbelievably hard encouraging us all to think bigger and be better. Which brings us back to the future. Time for take off! 🚀 #EdTech #Learning #Teaching #EdApp #School #Education #InnovationInEducation #DigitalLearning #PedagogicalInnovation #AIinEducation #ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfEducation