South Africa Edtech Scaling with Mastercard

Edtech in South Africa has received a major boost after Injini announced the first cohort of fellows to participate in the accelerator program sponsored by Mastercard Foundation. Injini is a registered Non-Profit Company that exists for the sole purpose of improving educational outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa. Injini does this by supporting key stakeholders to increase the quality, access and relevance of education throughout the region. Injini's primary focus is on improving educational outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa by supporting Edtech startups that can make a positive impact in the region. As an Edtech accelerator, they provide funding, mentorship, and other resources to early-stage Edtech startups to help them scale and achieve their goals.

In this partnership, the twelve Edtech companies have received R1,000,00 - the equivalent of $55,000 - for the acceleration program. This accelerator program is part of the multi-million dollar program announced by Mastercard Foundation in partnership with African accelerators.

Edtech funding in South Africa has the potential to revolutionize the education landscape by providing access to technology-enabled learning tools and resources for students, especially in under-resourced schools and regions. The injection of funds into edtech startups will result in the development of innovative solutions tailored to meet the specific needs of South African learners.

Additionally, edtech funding can address the digital divide, allowing disadvantaged students to access learning materials and educational opportunities that would have been unavailable to them otherwise. This will ultimately lead to improved academic outcomes, increased access to higher education and better employment prospects, and overall socioeconomic development for the country.

First Cohort Fellows

The first cohort of this accelerator program has been settled as the following twelve startups for the program.

1. Zaio - The platform offers engaging educational content for digital skills such as coding, with the added benefit of on-demand live support, all at a significantly reduced cost compared to expectations.

2. Afrika Tikkun Bambanani - The startup’s goal is to ensure that South African children have access to high-quality education, achieved by standardizing the Early Childhood Development (ECD) curriculum. It works in collaboration with distinguished researchers and educators to provide specialized educational tools to equip children with the necessary skills.

3. Digify Africa - The chat-based learning platform provides interactive micro-learning via WhatsApp to low-income users in Africa. Learners can access lessons at their own pace, wherever and whenever they prefer.

4. Click Learning - This NGO assists underprivileged primary schools in South Africa to enhance their foundational literacy, numeracy, and digital skills by providing appropriate online programs.

5. Ambani Africa - By utilizing augmented reality, animation, and gamification, Ambani Africa has effectively created learner-centric products for language learning. Their free language app currently provides six African language options.

6. BuzzKidz, Buzz-in-a-Box (BIAB) - A solution in the EdTech space, aimed at assisting South African teachers in delivering creative arts education to their students. This platform is based on research supporting play-based learning, and includes a complete curriculum covering music, drama, and dance.

7. Code4Kids - Code4Kids is a program designed to assist teachers in instructing Grades 4 - 9 students on coding, robotics, and other ICT skills through pre-made, curriculum-aligned lessons. The platform offers various coding languages, including HTML, CSS, and Javascript, in a fun and user-friendly environment that is easy to learn.

8. FunDza Literacy Trust - FunDza is a platform that operates as a "library on a phone," enabling readers, writers, and course participants to connect through a mobile-friendly and data-light site. The platform is focused on publishing reading and writing materials that encourage a passion for reading among teens and young adults who have not identified as readers before.

9. Matric Live - The education app is equipped with interactive lessons, gamification of learning, and an exam simulation feature that enables users to practice exam-like questions.

10. Reflective Learning - This data-driven solution assists teachers in identifying learning gaps and provides personalized learning pathways to help students catch up on their backlogs, enabling them to progress and improve their academic performance.

11. Yenza - It provides advanced career technology that employs the latest in psychometrics, data science, and intelligent design to guide individuals on successful career pathways. The platform offers intuitive recommendations based on these technologies to help users achieve their career goals.

12. Resolute Education - The startup delivers robotics and coding programs designed for schools and tertiary institutions. These programs align with the CAPS curriculum, and offer SACE-accredited teacher training and support, cost-effective robotics kits, as well as an LMS for both educators and learners.

At the end of the accelerator program, these startups shall have greatly benefited from the funding and mentorship that shall be offered by experts in different areas. Their businesses will scale and help solve education challenges and gaps in South Africa.