MentorPRO Wins Prestigious Global EdTech Competition, Sets New Standard in Scalable AI-Assistance for Mentors
Manahawkin, NJ , June 16, 2025— MentorPRO will receive $300,000 to further develop and evaluate its innovative AI-powered learner support tool. MentorPRO was selected from more than 1,000 submissions, including winners from institutions and organizations across eight countries and five continents.
Prizes were given in three tracks, targeting core opportunity areas for innovation in K-12, higher education, and educational datasets to advance the development of effective AI tools. MentorPRO received a prize in the Enhancing Post-Secondary Learning Track, which seeks to expand access to quality post-secondary learning and broaden connections to career success. Other winning tools include an AI-powered tool that helps teachers plan, deliver and reflect on instruction; and a tool that generates assessment items targeting specific misunderstandings and common errors exhibited by learners.
The award recognizes MentorPRO’s innovative response to scaling learner support. “Far too many learners leave college simply because the right support didn’t reach them at the right time,” said co-founder, UMass Boston professor and mentoring expert Jean Rhodes. “MentorPRO with MentorAI brings credible, accessible, and evidence-informed mentoring to scale through the thoughtful integration of human and machine intelligence.”
MentorPRO enables trained peer mentors to connect securely with learners, track goals and challenges, and offer support grounded in over 30 years of mentoring research. MentorAI, the platform’s newest feature, is an AI-powered mentor co-pilot trained on validated mentoring practices and real-time data from learners and institutions. By offering instant summaries, expert-informed suggestions, and curated campus resources, MentorAI reduces mentors’ cognitive load so they can focus on building stronger, more supportive relationships at scale. This human-in-the-loop approach helps build trust while avoiding the pitfalls of learner-facing chatbots, which can provide biased or inaccurate responses, contribute to loneliness, and may dissuade learners from seeking help and building social capital. The development and integration of MentorAI is also supported through a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
This prize enables the expansion of MentorAI across its network of partner institutions, including UMass Boston, Drew University, Miles College, West Point, Virginia Tech, University of Chicago, Xavier University, and others. As Hilary Link, President of Drew University observed, “MentorAI’s integration will help us scale our mentoring efforts and ensure that every student, regardless of background, benefits from high-quality, evidence-based guidance.” The funds will also enable a de-identified dataset that will enable researchers to study how AI can support and improve mentoring at scale.
“We’re not just building a product,” said co-founder Nancy McNamara. “We’re contributing to a growing body of learning science that helps us understand what drives learner success and the role of AI-guided human support.”
The Tools Competition, a global initiative advancing learning innovation, offers not only funding but also access to a network of leading thinkers in educational technology. Since launching in 2020, the Tools Competition has received more than 5,600 proposals and awarded over $20 million to 150 winners who have gone on to support nearly 50 million learners and educators worldwide. “We’re thrilled to collaborate with fellow finalists, researchers, and practitioners to push forward learning engineering and data-driven learner success strategies,” said Rhodes.
About MentorPRO
MentorPRO is a research-based digital mentoring platform that enables peer mentors to support learners through secure messaging, goal tracking, and structured coaching. Its AI extension, MentorAI, equips mentors with personalized, evidence-informed insights to support learners effectively and at scale. MentorPRO’s mission is to expand access to high-quality mentoring by combining human connection with trusted, data-driven tools.
Find more details on our winning proposal here. A full list of winners and their projects can be found here.
Tools Competition Background
The Tools Competition is the largest ed tech competition in the world. It spurs innovation in digital technology, big data, and learning science to meet the urgent needs of learners worldwide.
Tools Competition is a program of Renaissance Philanthropy, organized by The Learning Agency, and made possible through the generous support of the Walton Family Foundation, Griffin Catalyst, Axim Collaborative, Oak Foundation, Calbright College, and Walton Family Foundation
The competition is run in partnership with the University of Minnesota and the Digital Harbor Foundation.
