Charles Town, W. Va., May 16, 2016 — American Public University System (APUS) today announced that it presented a $20,000 Venture Path prize to Philadelphia-based Tassl as part of the 2016 Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition (EBPC).
Tassl is an alumni engagement solution that helps universities and their alumni groups engage with graduates in more meaningful ways outside of donations, in order to create a stronger culture and more meaningful relationships within their alumni network.
“I’m very pleased to congratulate co-founders James Maxwell and Melissa Schipke for their innovative technologies, which help universities better measure alumni engagement metrics and alumni to easily engage with their network and resources through a mobile app,” said Dr. Wallace E. Boston, APUS president & CEO.
The annual APUS award recognizes maturing, but still early-stage, start-up ventures offering products addressing higher education needs or concerns. This year’s competition recognized 11 winners overall from a total pool of 21 finalists, with a total of $140,000 in prize funding and eligibility to participate in the Education Design Studio Fund. The finalists presented their projects—showcasing the best and most promising new ventures in the field—to a select judging panel of industry leaders on the University of Pennsylvania campus on May 10.
Now in its seventh year, EBPC stimulates cutting-edge ideas--whether local or global, profit or non-profit, or preschool through adult learning—that serve the world’s educational needs. Launched in 2010 by the university’s Graduate School of Education in partnership with the Milken Family Foundation, EBPC is the nation’s first-ever funded education business plan competition.
