Accelerator
Accelerator
2022 Yass Prize Miami Accelerator Industry Experts
The 2022 Yass Prize Semifinalists are invited to an exclusive in-person accelerator in Miami, Florida to culminate their four week bootcamp experience. Semifinalists will engage with and learn from Yass Prize alumni, mentors, business leaders, and investors with the goal of honing their three minute pitch for the panel of judges at the end of the week. We are thrilled to introduce our 2022 Yass Prize Miami speakers.

Patricia Brantley
CEO of Friendship Schools
Yass Prize Fellow

Jeb Bush
Chairman, ExcelinEd

Renee Delos Santos
Marcom Lead, The Times Group

Mike Hoque
CEO, Hoque Global

Manny Diaz
Education Commissioner, State of Florida

Jamie Candee
CEO, Edmentum

Michael Moe
Founder and CEO, GSV

Michael Sorrell
President, Paul Quinn College

Jane Swift
Operating Partner, The Vistria Group

Christopher Simmonds
Principal, CARE Elementary

Sung-Ae Yang
Co-Founder, Rock by Rock

Fernando Zulueta
Founder and CEO, Academica

Taylor Shead
CEO of STEMuli
Yass Prize Fellow

Antonio Roca
Managing Director, Academica Virtual Education

Michael Carter
Founder and CEO, BizEquity

Debi Crimmins
Senior Vice President, Advocacy and External Affairs, Edmentum

Jason Mitchell
Leadership, Advocacy, and External Affairs, Edmentum

Sam Caucci
Founder & CEO, 1Huddle

Marty McClure
Director, Corporate Strategy, Edmentum

Jeffrey Imrich
Co-Founder, Rock by Rock

Jeanne Allen
Founder and CEO, The Center for Education Reform

Rob Blevins
Executive Director, Discovery Center of Springfield

Michael Musante
Executive Vice President, Center for Education Reform
We have a tremendously transformative model that could stand for a little disruption.
The Yass experience has given us “permission” to do exactly that.
We used the Yass Prize to launch a program called Skypod catalyst, which is essentially an accelerator to help other people start microschools.
We believe very much that microschools should be bottoms up, they come from the community. They're founded by educators who know their community really well. And they want to design a learning environment for the kids in that community.
When we follow the money, it’s ludicrous how this country is getting away with funding education.
The funding is not following children. We're trying to make better options for kids, for poor kids, middle class kids. Wealthy people have this choice, they opt out of their systems easily, why shouldn't all children have that choice?
Everyone knows that without great education, our nation suffers.
Great education is a vital link for students to become successful citizens.
If you're committed to wanting to be one of the change makers of the future in education, I believe that this is a place for you.
Not only because of the capital, but because of the knowledge that comes by communing with the diverse group of people as opposed to everybody that thinks the exact same way that you might think.
The Yass Prize has brought together such diverse leaders
from all different demographics, all different states, all different service provider types that you can learn from.
I'm a Yass Prize finalist from last year.
And through that, we were able to open up our second campus in the city of Wichita.
The Yass Award is about celebrating and rewarding those who make students the priority.”
Having the status of Yass Prize Semifinalist has opened doors that we’ve been knocking on for years,
including public recognition from our Governor and partnership conversations with other education innovators from around the country.
Being a part of the [Yass] family confirmed that what I'm doing is right,
going against the common core and focusing on what we know is important for kids really works, and having a network of people now that also agree was super huge.
The Yass Prize has significantly impacted the trajectory of our organization.
When we originally applied, we simply provided supplemental support services to homeschooling families. Now, we are growing into an education network that provides community, coaching, and curriculum nationwide.
There is absolutely zero downside to being a part of this network by submitting your application and what you will encounter is unlike any other grant.
It's actually mind blowing. I really see myself as an education entrepreneur, but this expanded me.