The LaunchPad event offers a unique platform for first-time entrepreneurs who have created a technology product intended to impact world language education.
When
Friday, May 30, 2025
11:30-12:45
Where
Theater @ Aztec Student Union
San Diego State University
Watch The Show!
Congratulations To Our Winner!
Congratulations to Jonathan Becker and his platform, Luduan, for winning first place at the 2025 LaunchPad!
And
Congratulations
to Victor Brunko and his platform, Voccent, for winning the People’s Choice award!
Judges
Jacques Chirazi
Director of Student Entrepreneurship in the Office of Innovation and Commercialization at the University of California, San Diego
Betty Rose Facer
Master Lecturer of French and Director of the Language Learning Center at Old Dominion University
Deanna Terzian
President and Chief Executive Officer of Tutorworks and a 2023 LaunchPad Finalist where she showcased the Mage Duel language learning video game
Joyce Wu
Associate Professor of Chinese and the Director of the Chinese Language Flagship program at the University of Rhode Island
Attia Youseif
Senior Lecturer and Director of Tutoring in the Arabic Flagship Program at Indiana University, and Associate Director of Curriculum and Assessment at the Middlebury Arabic School, Middlebury College
Emcees
Lisa Frumkes
Dr. Frumkes is an independent language educator working at the intersection of language, technology, and education since 1989 at companies like Rosetta Stone and Duolingo. She currently teaches English as a Second Language to adults around the world.
Randall Sadler
Dr. Randall Sadler is a Professor of Linguistics and Director of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign TESOL and ESL Programs, where he focuses on the role of virtual environments on language learning.
The Finalists
How it works
Three startup companies pitch their technology innovation to a live audience at CALICO, an international language technology conference. A panel of highly specialized judges provide feedback and select a winner based on the pedagogical merits of the product. The winner receives formal recognition in the form of an honorary plaque. Additionally, a People’s Choice award is determined by the audience and also receives an honorary plaque.
About the Location
Once again, LaunchPad will join forces with the premier meeting for world language education and technology! The competition will take place during the 2025 Conference of the Computer-Assisted Language Instruction Consortium (CALICO) May 27-31, 2025 hosted by San Diego State University, San Diego, USA. The LaunchPad event is free for all conference attendees. Register to attend CALICO so you won’t miss LaunchPad 2025!
Benefits
Exposure to thousands of language educators and several successful companies in the field through the Tech Center news and website.
The Tech Center will add your company to its network of 19 language programs at leading institutions of higher education and will invite your company to participate in select targeted Tech Center-sponsored events and projects.
Past participants will provide mentoring for the competition.
Inclusion in our network of innovators, which includes highly specialized professionals in the field of language learning technology.
Winners will be featured in promotional materials for the event.
LaunchPad Award
The LaunchPad Award is given to a single finalist and is determined by a group of judges appointed by the Tech Center. Judges typically include Flagship stakeholders (program directors, teachers, and students), leadership of established companies, and potential investors.
LaunchPad judging criteria:
- Flagship Fit: the product has potential to be used in the Flagship context. Learn about The Language Flagship here.
- Product Alignment: the product’s purpose is aligned with its affordances, features, and functions.
- User Experience: the product supports user engagement and the user experience through a well designed user interface.
- Innovation: the product utilizes innovative approaches and/or technology to address a need in technology-enhanced language learning and/or teaching.
- Pitch Quality: the product pitch is well structured, convincing, and utilizes visual media in effective ways.
Qualification Criteria
Companies must meet the following criteria:
- Must be a seed- or early-stage company (must not have raised over five million in funds from combined funding sources) with a main focus on the language education market.
- Have a language technology product designed (or adaptable) for use in higher education.
- Have a language technology product, process or service in use by customers or early beta (testing) customers at time of application.
People’s Choice Award
Voted live by the LaunchPad audience
The People’s Choice Award is determined at the end of the competition and is based on a simple majority of votes. Only one LaunchPad finalist receives this award. The awardee may or may not be the same recipient of the LaunchPad Award selected by the judges.
Competition Rules
Companies may present only one technology product, process or service and are responsible for protecting their own intellectual property (IP) rights.
Each company has an equal amount of time to present but may opt to forgo presentation time for feedback.
LaunchPad in the News
Learn More About LaunchPad and Our Previous Finalists
The LaunchPad Competition started in 2017 and was inspired by the the Japanese TV show Dragon’s Den, and its U.S. successor, Shark Tank. LaunchPad is designed to facilitate early dialogs between startup companies and world language professionals.
Read More
Contact Information
TECH CENTER
1890 East West Road
Moore Hall 256
Honolulu, HI 96822
(808) 956-5121
tech.center@hawaii.edu
