NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The MIT Enterprise Forum of New York (MIT-EF NYC), with the generous support of Fiverr, today announced the kickoff of the world’s first “MIX and MATCH” campaign powered by Cynkup.com. This groundbreaking effort connects teams and individuals to build a mobile app for adult literacy — and compete for the $7 Million Barbara Bush Foundation Adult Literacy XPRIZE presented by Dollar General Literacy Foundation. The launch will take place at a gala kickoff event on the evening of November 18th at The Cooper Union in NYC.
“A parent’s literacy level is a significant predictor of their child’s future educational success, influencing generations to follow,” said Barbara Bush, founder of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. “I am inspired and hopeful that this Adult Literacy XPRIZE will bring about a radical breakthrough to end the cycle of low-literacy in America and my grandchildren will grow up in a country where education is abundant and accessible to all.”
“This is an incredible opportunity for entrepreneurs, software developers, literacy specialists and education leaders to engage in the world’s first ‘MIX and MATCH’ event to learn and engage in this competition”, said Cristina Dolan, Chair of the MIT-EF NYC and Founder of Dream it. Code it. Win it., the award winning student competition for problem solving with code.
“New York is one of the most linguistically diverse cities in the world,” Dolan continued. “But too many New Yorkers struggle to read English and don’t have access to adult literacy programs. The solution is here. In our increasingly mobile-centric world, we can design an app to empower adults to learn to read. And the Barbara Bush Foundation Adult Literacy XPRIZE is offering $7-million in prizes for teams who can create the solution.”
“Technology solves some of the most complex problems our world faces, and this push for greater literacy promises unimagined technology breakthroughs that benefit all of mankind,” said Micha Kaufman, CEO and co-founder of Fiverr. “Partnering with XPRIZE to develop 21st-century solutions to the problem of adult literacy unlocks doors. It allows many to pursue their passions in a way they previously never could. We’re looking forward to taking part in the journey.”
First Lady and Tech Luminaries Shed Light on Literacy
The MIX and MATCH event will showcase insights from top literacy thought-leaders – and a special live Skype appearance by former First Lady Barbara Bush. Leading entrepreneurs, including Peter Diamandis, Founder of The XPRIZE Foundation and Co-Founder of Singularity University, will detail how XPRIZE competitions inspire solutions for impossible problems.
The panel of accomplished EdTech visionaries and entrepreneurs includes:
- Stephanie Dua, CEO, Homer
- Paul Gollash, CEO Voxy
- Jonathan Harber, former CEO Pearson K12 Technology and Founder of SchoolNet
- Michael Preston, Executive Director, CSNYC
- Jake Schwartz, CEO, General Assembly
Location: The Cooper Union, The Great Hall
7 East 7th Street, NYC
Date: Wednesday, November 18th, 2015
Time: 5:30 pm
“The NYC tech ecosystem is growing more than three times faster than the US economy and the New York City Department of Education is the largest in the world. Yet more than 2 million adults in New York City, and 36 million nationwide, read at less than a 3rd-grade level,” said Dolan. “It’s time we all helped. There is no better place to build a team, build an app and test within this diverse community to solve the adult literacy problem and win!”
Throughout the event, attendees will be invited to participate in a unique “virtual match” to become part of the winning team.
For more information on the MIX and MATCH event, and to register, visit http://mitefnyc.org/eventbrite-events/?event=19102161078.
Media or Sponsor Contact: Colette Thompson
Email: Colette@mitefnyc.org
Phone:
718-222-3339
About MIT Enterprise Forum of New York City
MIT Enterprise Forum informs, connects, and coaches technology entrepreneurs—enabling them to rapidly transform their ideas into world-changing companies. We are a global network of local organizations, with over 25 global chapters, inspired by MIT, and open to the world. We are managed by MIT Technology Review, an independent global media company wholly owned by MIT. (www.mitefnyc.org)
About the Adult Literacy XPRIZE
The $7M Barbara Bush Foundation Adult Literacy XPRIZE presented by Dollar General Literacy Foundation challenges teams from all over the world to create mobile learning applications able to move low-literate adults to basic literacy in just one year. The solutions will overcome key barriers by improving access, increasing retention, and scaling to meet demand – anytime, anywhere – empowering the nearly 1 in 10 low-literate adults living in the U.S. with the skills they need to improve their lives. Learn more at http://adultliteracy.xprize.org/.
About the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
The Barbara Bush Foundation is the nation’s leading advocate for family literacy. The goals of the Foundation are simple: we want children to start school ready to excel and help parents improve their literacy skills. To learn more about the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy’s commitment to promote family literacy in homes across America, please visit www.helpthemread.org or join the conversation on Facebook or Twitter (@BarbaraBushFdn).
About Cynk
CYNK is a powerful live event networking tool that helps people shake the right hands. Attendees and exhibitors at conferences, trade shows, and events are matched up based on complementary interests, goals, and needs — so that everyone finds what they’re looking for faster and easier. CYNK requires no app download and works entirely over the two apps that everyone already has and uses every day --- email and the mobile web browser. (Cynkup.com)
About Dream it. Code it. Win it.
Dream it. Code it. Win it. celebrates and rewards college and high school students for creative problem solving with computer science to demonstrate the value of being a solutionist regardless of career. The celebration is organized through the MIT Alumni Association and the MIT Enterprise Forum and works with partners including Cooper Union and TradingScreen to host, organize and publicize the event. (dreamitcodeitwinit.org)
About Fiverr
Fiverr® is shaping the future of work, every day, by shifting the freelance economy online. Founded in 2010, with offices in offices in New York City, Chicago, Miami and Tel Aviv, Fiverr is the world’s most transacted marketplace for digital services. Our horizontal marketplace provides nearly any digital service in just one click, without haggling over the service deliverables or the price. Buyers can choose from the world’s largest catalog of pre-packaged services ranging from graphic design to music/video editing to marketing and copywriting. Fiverr sellers looking to make extra cash have delivered millions of high-quality Gigs from 100+ categories of services, and across 196 countries. Fiverr’s investors include Bessemer Venture Partners and Accel Partners. We invite you to visit us at fiverr.com, and join our conversation about the collaborative economy on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.