Teacher recognition and retention platform Alpaca received recognition of its own during the 2025 Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC) in January in Orlando, Florida. In the midst of other milestones, the Omaha-based EdTech startup received three awards: Pitchfest Overall Winner, Pitchfest Session Winner and Top EdTech Product Award.

Founded in 2022, Alpaca began with the goal of celebrating and supporting teachers through customizable care packages filled with gifts and supplies. The startup expanded last year with the launch of Alpaca Pulse, software that provides educators quick surveys that principals and other supervisors can use to check in with their staffs’ needs. 

Apaca Founder and CEO Karen Borchert, who originally earned a degree in secondary education to be a teacher herself, said she wanted to find a way to give educators positive work environments like what she and her team experienced when working for startups like Flywheel. In a post-pandemic world, Alpaca set its sights on tackling the issue of teacher retention. 

“Every once in a while we’re like a tiny bit of the black sheep at some of the conference floors because we’re one of the only education companies that isn’t focused on things for students,” said Borchert. 

“But it was really nice to be recognized for what makes us a little bit different in the market.”

According to the FETC, the annual event is one of the largest gatherings of educators, decision makers and EdTech companies. More than 450 solution providers showcased their products and services this year. The conference included a Pitchfest competition and the acknowledgment of District Administration Top EdTech Products Awards winners. Alpaca had success with both.

In an interview with SPN, FETC Conference Chair Jennifer Womble discussed the current trends and problems in education that EdTech companies are addressing. Areas of interest include cybersecurity to protect school data, engagement tools to keep students active in their classwork and artificial intelligence to give teachers instant feedback capabilities on graded assignments. 

By incorporating more AI and digital literacy programs into schools, Womble said the possibilities of improving efficiency and interest in the classroom open up. 

“We could actually personalize learning, which is something we’ve been talking about for a long time,” said Womble. “But if you’re one teacher in a classroom, that’s really hard to do.”

Out of the hundreds of companies that applied to participate in FETC Pitchfest 2025, and out of the 42 selected to compete, Womble said Alpaca’s “HR meets education” approach to supporting school staff set it apart from the competition. She continued that the victories at FETC mean branding and marketing opportunities for Alpaca to grow awareness and appeal to difficult-to-enter school districts. 

“These women are showing that if you can do it in Omaha, you can do it anywhere,” said Womble. “It really engages people in a new and different way to think about education — it’s not just chairs and rows anymore.”