From Helsinki to Turin, a collaboration between Fondazione Sviluppo e Crescita CRT, xEdu, and OGR Torino is supporting 10 international startups.

The third edition of NextEdu, the international acceleration program dedicated to startups in the Education Technology sector, officially kicks off. The initiative is promoted by Fondazione Sviluppo e Crescita CRT – the impact-oriented entity of Fondazione CRT – and xEdu, Finland’s leading EdTech accelerator, in collaboration with OGR Torino, the innovation hub of Fondazione CRT.

Ten startups have been selected through an international call: innovation and lifelong learning are the common threads linking the seven Italian and three non-European companies, which over the next four months will be supported in developing transformative learning solutions with strong pedagogical impact, closely connected to the local ecosystem.

Among the selected ventures are three based in Turin – Experta, PRC Multimedia, and VirtuaMentis – alongside four from the rest of Italy (Boosted AI, MemorAIz, Minerva AI, and SecureQuest) and three international startups: Curans (Jordan), Newsreel (USA), and SimpleRead (Brazil).

Their projects span a wide range of sectors: from personalized language learning and gamified upskilling, to AI-driven creation of customized educational content, and postgraduate professional training.

The common goal is to build inclusive and effective learning environments, fostering growth potential and soft skills across formal education, informal learning, and upskilling/reskilling contexts.

The program focuses on key thematic areas such as experiential and adaptive learning technologies, AI for education, microlearning, blended learning, tools for neurodiverse and accessible learning, and corporate training.

NextEdu 2025 brings together mentors, investors, and entrepreneurs from around the world while strengthening its ties to the local innovation ecosystem. Through OGR Torino, the program connects with other acceleration initiatives and participates in major educational and innovation events, such as the Social Festival delle Comunità Educative and Torino Capitale dell’Innovazione, promoting active collaboration with local stakeholders.

The launch of the program includes a keynote session led by Prof. Pierluigi Sacco, Full Professor of Economic Policy, Senior Advisor at the OECD Center for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities, and Associate Researcher at metaLAB (at) Harvard, highlighting the social impact of EdTech enterprises.

The 2025 edition, hosted at OGR Tech from October 29, 2025, to February 11, 2026, will culminate in an international Demo Day, where startups will present the results of their acceleration journey to an audience of potential investors with a focus on Educational Technology.

The 10 selected startups and their missions:

• Boosted AI (Italy): An innovative LMS platform that automates most manual tasks for teachers while providing data analytics, performance insights, and personalized content suggestions tailored to each learner’s needs.

• Curans (Jordan): The first virtual patient simulator focused on the MENA region. It features evidence-based clinical cases, adaptive AI evaluation, and full compliance with accreditation standards, covering the entire clinical process from diagnosis to discharge.

• Experta Business Solutions (Italy): Creator of Xcamp – the Excel course that didn’t exist before, a free, modular, online learning project that helps professionals and students master Excel through 10 structured levels and a dynamic library of exercises.

• MemorAIz (Italy): Offers integrable learning modules—summaries, quizzes, flashcards, mind maps, audio guides, study plans—powered by AI, gamification, and pedagogy to enable faster, more effective learning across platforms.

• Minerva AI (Italy): Provides teachers with an easy-to-use platform that turns hours of manual work into minutes, allowing the creation of personalized learning activities, curriculum-aligned documents, and interactive exercises.

• Newsreel Media (USA): Reinvents news consumption through an interactive, multimedia app offering daily briefings and evolving story timelines designed for modern attention spans.

• PRC Multimedia (Italy): Develops Fam@Academy, a digital app for learning Italian, designed for both native speakers and foreign students. It includes listening, pronunciation, and vocabulary exercises, quizzes, and 1-to-1 or group challenges.

• SecureQuest (Italy): Creator of Cyber Nemesis, a VR-based cybersecurity training platform that turns awareness and resilience training into an immersive, gamified experience.

• SimpleRead (Brazil): Transforms traditional reading into a multisensory experience tailored for people with dyslexia, ADHD, or other learning needs, using synchronized audio narration and optimized text presentation.

• VirtuaMentis (Italy): Trains future psychologists through AI-guided, interactive simulations that replicate real patient interactions, creating a “flight simulator” experience for mental health education.