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
The Yass Prize is centered around ensuring that this [program] provides you a stepping stone...
We don’t want you to rinse, wash, repeat. We want you to build and sustain.
The foundation of any society is a good education.
We have a tremendously transformative model that could stand for a little disruption.
The Yass experience has given us “permission” to do exactly that.
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 brought together such diverse leaders
from all different demographics, all different states, all different service provider types that you can learn from.
The Yass Award is about celebrating and rewarding those who make students the priority.”
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.
Being a part of the [Yass] family confirmed that what I'm doing is right,
focusing on what we know is important for kids really works, and having a network of people now that also agree was super huge.
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?
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.
Being a part of this experience has amplified the access we can give to our students in a way that nothing has, and the access is just critical.
The Yass Prize is almost like Burning Man for education reform.
Everyone knows that without great education, our nation suffers.
Great education is a vital link for students to become successful citizens.