Edtech accelerator initiatives play a crucial role in revolutionising the education system in Africa. They promote the creation and implementation of innovative technological solutions that are specifically designed to improve educational access, quality, and outcomes throughout the continent. These initiatives are essential for addressing the specific challenges faced by the African education sector. These challenges include limited access to educational resources, diverse educational backgrounds, and the need for educational solutions that can be scaled and sustained.
In May 2023, CcHUB announced its 2023 Nigerian cohort for the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship in Nigeria, following a rigorous selection process from the call for applications in February 2023.
Six months post-acceleration later, the 12 startups have successfully iterated and enhanced their innovative solutions to meet diverse educational needs in Nigeria. These startups, led by visionary founders, are not just adding numbers to their user base but are also transforming the way education is accessed and delivered. Let’s delve into their inspiring journey of success and innovation at the 2023 CcHUB and Mastercard Foundation Edtech Fellowship.
EduTAMS booth at the Edtech festival organised by re:learn by CcHUB
EduTAMS is a multi-tenant cloud-based school management system focusing on API-based connectivity and interoperability of learners’ data for large education systems. Since joining the acceleration programme, the startup has expanded operations to a new branch in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria, with a growing team hiring 11 new team members. Excitingly they also have new product features implemented; such as integrated lesson notes and assessments.
EduTAMS improves the efficiency and effectiveness of education systems, expands access to educational resources, creates job opportunities, and enhances the overall educational experience for students and teachers alike. They enable schools to streamline their operations and better manage student information. This is particularly important in large education systems where managing data manually can be time-consuming and error-prone. They currently serve over 1.5 million users, 322,829 of which were acquired during the program. Watch EduTAMS Demo Day Pitch – Mastercard Foundation Edtech Fellowship 2023 (youtube.com)
Co-founder of Gotocourse,Co-founder of 9ijakids and Co-founder of Kunda Kids at the kick off event.
9ijakids is an online platform creating exciting learning experiences to help children fall in love with learning using games. Since completing the Mastercard foundation EdTech fellowship, they have added new quizzes to enhance the learning experience, implemented a feedback system, and improved the gamification elements such as points, badges, and leaderboards to motivate students to engage more with the platform while also providing advanced analytics and reporting features that allow administrators to gain insight into user performance.
9ijakids is making learning more engaging and enjoyable for children. This is important because engaging children in learning from a young age can help foster a lifelong love for learning and improve educational outcomes. The addition of advanced analytics and reporting features allows administrators to gain insight into user performance ultimately leading to improved learning outcomes.
9ijakids increased their user base to 9,995, with 6,774 users acquired during the program. Watch 9ijakids Demo Day Pitch – Mastercard Foundation Edtech Fellowship 2023 (youtube.com)
Gradely pitch at the Demo Day event by the founder, Boye Oshinaga
Gradely is a solution that empowers parents and schools with a toolbox to provide personalised learning of the standard exam curriculum through interactive videos, an extensive practice test bank, and live tutoring. Since the inception of the program, Gradely has signed 43 schools, increased staff strength by hiring 8 new team members, and modified its pricing modalities by grouping subscriptions into packages.
Gradely’s success with 43 school sign ups demonstrates the value that schools and educators see in personalised learning tools. By providing schools with the tools they need to enhance their teaching methods, Gradely is helping to improve the quality of education in the community.
They’ve also included content for JS1–JS3, as well as a recommendation and reporting feature. Gradely serves 14,622 users, 5,151 of whom were acquired during the program. Watch Gradely Demo Day Pitch – Mastercard Foundation Edtech Fellowship 2023 (youtube.com)
Oluwastosin Olaseinde Founder of Money Africa at the kick off event
Money Africa is a platform that provides financial literacy education for adults and children through digital content, personalised advisory, and an online community.
Money Africa launched the Money Africa Kids App in August 2023 and recorded 1,500 sign-ups in December 2023. By introducing financial concepts in a fun and engaging way, Money Africa is shaping the next generation of financially savvy individuals. Watch MoneyAfrica Demo Day Pitch – Mastercard Foundation Edtech Fellowship 2023 (youtube.com)
Suraj Shah, Regional Centre Lead for Mastercard Foundation with Michael Odokara-Okigbo, and Shalom Odokara, Co-founders of Nkenne at the kickoff event
Nkenne is an African language learning app for Africans on the continent and in the diaspora, with a focus on the context of African culture, tonality, and building social communities.During the Mastercard Foundation acceleration programme, Nkenne expanded its platform with three new languages (Pidgin, Zulu, and Amharic), improved its community features, increased staff strength, and was recently named Apple App of the Day (in February 2024).
The addition of new languages and community features by NKENNE is not just a technical upgrade; it’s a testament to the app’s commitment to preserving and promoting African languages and cultures. In a world where linguistic diversity is increasingly threatened, apps like NKENNE play a crucial role in preserving these valuable aspects of African heritage. Nkenne now serves 91,658 users, 35,970 of which were gained during the acceleration program. Watch Nkenne Demo Day Pitch – Mastercard Foundation Edtech Fellowship 2023 (youtube.com)
Founder of DavtonLearn, Tobi Obasa at the kick off event
Traditional training methods often struggle to captivate modern learners, especially in a digital age where attention spans are shorter. Davtonlearn’s efforts to introduce fresh and interactive quiz formats cater to the preferences of today’s learners, making learning more enjoyable and effective.
Davton Learn is a SaaS learning management system for corporate organisations to onboard and train their staff in line with each company’s corporate objectives and workforce goals. Davlonlearn, through the Mastercard Foundation Edtech Fellowship, has optimised its offering by introducing other quiz formats in addition to the blank multiple-choice questions on the LMS Name, adding 1,649 new users to its current 2,675 user base. Watch DavtonLearn Demo Day Pitch – Mastercard Foundation Edtech Fellowship 2023 (youtube.com)
Qataloog founder Martin Fidelis pitching at the Demo Day event
Qataloog is an online curator of curriculum-relevant content for learners across various levels and disciplines in K–12, tertiary, and TVET education. Qataloog deployed its mobile app on Apple and Play Store during the Mastercard Foundation Edtech Fellowship and transitioned from a B2C company to a B2B company.
Qataloog’s transition to a Business-to-Business (B2B) model and the deployment of mobile apps signify a strategic move that not only benefits its users but also reflects its commitment to serving the greater community. This shift in approach is significant for several reasons, particularly in how it enhances accessibility, affordability, and scalability for users and the broader educational community.
They also expanded staff strength and implemented more pricing plans to provide users with multiple payment options. They currently serve 11,029 users, 7,187 of whom were acquired during the program. Watch Qataloog Demo Day Pitch – Mastercard Foundation Edtech Fellowship 2023 (youtube.com)
Wale Ogunjobi, founder of Sabi Teach, pitching at the Demo Day event
Sabi Teach is an online learning platform that seamlessly connects learners with qualified teachers for private sessions while also providing tutoring services for children with special needs. During the program, Sabi Teach formed a strategic partnership with Schoolinka (another Edtech startup in this cohort) to enhance online learning and professional development for teachers in Nigeria. They added 370 new users to their existing 680 user base.
By forging strategic partnerships, SabiTeach is expanding its reach and impact, potentially benefiting a larger number of learners and educators. These partnerships can lead to collaborations with schools, educational institutions, and other organisations, allowing SabiTeach to offer its services to a broader audience.
Sabi Teach also increased its staff strength and upgraded its product features to include:
- Group classes
- Group-class package
- Virtual classroom
- Learner-Teacher Community
Moreover, the upgrades to its product demonstrate SabiTeach’s commitment to providing a high-quality learning experience. This introduction of new features enhances the platform’s functionality and usability, making it more effective in helping learners achieve their educational goals. Watch SabiTeach Demo Day Pitch – Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship 2023 (youtube.com)
Oluwaseun Kayode, founder of Schoolinka pitching at the Demo Day event
Schoolinka is a digital platform that improves the pipeline of quality educators by upskilling teachers and accelerating top teaching talent to improve the standard of education in Africa. During the Mastercard Foundation Edtech Fellowship, Schoolinka launched its custom-built solution in January 2024 and formed a strategic partnership with Sabi Teach. They added 96 new users to their existing 263 user base. Schoolinka’s dedication to upskilling teachers and its partnership with SabiTeach are crucial for the wider community as they contribute to the improvement of education quality and accessibility. Watch Schoolinka Demo Day Pitch – Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship 2023 (youtube.com)
Co-founder of Gotocourse, Success Ojo with Folashade Adefisayo, former minister of education, Lagos State
Gotocourse is an edtech solution that provides a comprehensive virtual school platform for creators and students to connect and learn. They refined their platform with the following features:
- Live class (inclusion of whiteboards, annotations, emojis, and classroom backgrounds)
- Gamification
- Student’s class console (to include a to-do list, calendar, and announcements)
- G-Mind Artificial Intelligence (for creating course curriculum, course content, quizzes, assessments, and research leveraging artificial intelligence)
The platform’s comprehensive nature means that it can cater to a wide range of educational needs and preferences. This accessibility is crucial in ensuring that education remains inclusive and available to all.
During the 2023 Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship, they gained 8,623 new users, bringing their total user base to 39,463. Watch Gotocourse Demo Day Pitch – Mastercard Foundation Edtech Fellowship 2023 (youtube.com)
Louisa Olafuyi, Co-founder of Kunda Kids at the kick off event.
Kunda Kids is an edtech app that provides a collection of African-inspired stories and language learning content for children. Through the Mastercard Foundation Edtech Fellowship, Kunda Kids implemented localised payments in terms of currency and economic power, resulting in an uptick in Nigerian subscribers and expanding staff strength by hiring seven new team members.
Offering African-inspired stories and language learning content, in a currency local to the population Kunda Kids Ltd is promoting African culture and heritage, in a world where cultural diversity is increasingly important, preserving and celebrating African traditions, languages, and stories.
Events organised by CcHUB increased their visibility, book sales, and app installation, growing their user base from 4,003 to 7,424 users. Watch KundaKids Demo Day Pitch – Mastercard Foundation Edtech Fellowship 2023 (youtube.com)
Schoola Impact Video showing on the screen at the Demo Day event.
Schoola is a learning platform for K–12 schools that offers gamification and tools for fun, engaging, and interactive lesson preparation. Schoola launched the Curri-AI during the acceleration program. A platform designed to help teachers create lesson notes within the shortest period. Efficient lesson planning is essential for teachers to deliver high-quality education.
In regions where there is a shortage of qualified teachers, tools like Curri-AI can help alleviate the burden on existing teachers by making lesson planning more efficient, allowing them to reach more students with limited resources. Schoola has added 5,394 new users during the program, bringing their user base to 32,000.
Watch Schoola Demo Day Pitch – Mastercard Foundation Edtech Fellowship 2023 (youtube.com)
Conclusion
Cohort 1 fellows for the 2023 Mastercard Foundation Edtech Fellowship
These startups’ achievements show how technology can boost learning and strengthen the education system. Through their ongoing innovation and expansion, they are playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of learning in Africa and beyond.
EdTech solutions play a significant role in communities, improving education access and quality, supporting teachers, and driving economic growth and innovation. Nevertheless, in order to fully reap the advantages, it is essential to tackle obstacles like the improvement of infrastructure, promoting digital literacy, and ensuring that edtech is aligned with the specific educational objectives and cultural backgrounds of the community.
We are excited to achieve more milestones as we eagerly anticipate working with the startups in cohort II. Watch out for the announcement of cohort II startups.
THE MASTERCARD FOUNDATION EDTECH FELLOWSHIP
The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship is an entrepreneurship acceleration program designed to support promising, African EdTech ventures. Implemented in partnership with innovation hubs and EdTech accelerators across Africa, the Fellowship provides select EdTech companies with critical business and financial support, as well as insight into the science of learning, preparing them for scale, sustainability, and impact. The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship was launched in 2019 by the Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning and supported 12 African EdTech companies from seven countries in its first year, reaching over 800,000 learners. The goal of the Centre is to partner with 12 Tech Hubs to support over 400 EdTech companies and reach at least 1.8 million young people by 2025.
