Seattle, WA, USA (Jan 8, 2026) — Colleague AI has been selected for the prestigious 2026 GSV Cup 50 out of 3,000 record-breaking nominations. The GSV Cup, presented by Amazon Web Services (AWS) and GSV Ventures and supported by Pearson, is an annual celebration of the world’s 50 most innovative digital learning and workforce skills startups—culminating each year at the ASU+GSV Summit, the preeminent global gathering for “PreK to Gray” education and skills leaders.
The GSV Cup 50 elevates early-stage companies that are poised to make an outsized impact on the global education and skills landscape. The top 50 startups were selected based on GSV’s “Five P’s” framework: People, Product, Potential, Predictability, and Purpose.
At Colleague AI, we are dedicated to enhancing K-12 education through our innovative, research-based AI platform. Developed in close collaboration with educators and learners, our specialized assistants are tailored to meet the real-world, next generations of learners’ needs.
Our mission is to create a dynamic learning environment where AI, serving as a 3rd agent in student learning, seamlessly interacts with human educators and students, fostering collaborative, engaging, and personalized learning for all learners. By leveraging cutting-edge research and the collective expertise of education professionals, we aim to significantly improve students’ learning outcomes across all backgrounds and circumstances.
“The GSV Cup 50 is designed to spotlight the brightest stars of tomorrow across the global EdTech community,” says Francis Rosenberg, VP at ASU+GSV Summit. “Not only is it an annual highlight of the Summit, but the Cup has become the premier launchpad for early-stage founders to scale their game-changing solutions.”
The 2026 GSV Cup 50 reflects the fusion of AI, education, and workforce development across a truly global cohort. The startups span five continents, with 60% built for global markets and headquartered across the United States, Iceland, Australia, Switzerland, India, Norway, and more. Across sectors, 37% of companies serve early childhood & K-12 education, 16% focus on higher education, 20% serve workforce and adult consumer learning, and 27% address multiple segments of the PreK to Gray continuum.
Two-thirds of companies are led by underrepresented founders, including 33% with women founders and 43% led by founders of color. Most (53%) of the cohort is actively raising capital, and among companies reporting revenue, ARR already ranges from pre-revenue to $10 million. Product-wise, the cohort is overwhelmingly AI-driven, with nearly 70% of companies building AI-powered or AI-native platforms across instruction; assessment; workforce pathways; and the infrastructure that connects learners, educators, and employers.
The GSV Cup 50 founders will take center stage on GSV Cup Demo Day, Tuesday, April 14, at the ASU+GSV Summit (April 12-15, 2026 in San Diego), presenting their companies to a global audience of leading investors, education leaders, and industry partners.
See Colleague AI and all of the companies selected to the GSV Cup 50 at https://www.asugsvsummit.com/gsv-cup.
About Colleague AI
Colleague AI is the only comprehensive AI platform for K–12 education—supporting instruction, learning, school operations, and administration—backed by $18M+ in federal research grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Education (DOE), and Institute of Education Sciences (IES).
About ASU+GSV Summit
The ASU+GSV Summit is the premier global convening for the entrepreneurs, investors, philanthropists, educators, workforce leaders, and policymakers transforming the $8 trillion education and skills sector and convening over 7,000 annually. The ASU+GSV Summit, launched in 2010 and now in its 17th year, is hosted by GSV Summit LLC and is the preeminent platform for connecting ideas, communities, and capital to unlock opportunity at scale. GSV Summit’s mission—that ALL people deserve equal access to the future—is grounded in the belief that scaled innovations across PreK to Gray learning are critical to achieving this goal. Learn more at asugsvsummit.com.
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