iHub, Mastercard ink Sh183 million deal to expand 12 startups

As part of the benefits of the fellowship, the start-ups will continue to continue to receive additional advisory support from iHub for the next 12 months.

Suraj Shah, the lead at the Regional Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning in ICT at Mastercard Foundation, said the fellowship is part of a broader goal of the Mastercard Foundation to support the growth of an impactful African EdTech ecosystem.

He said this will catalyze innovation and advance promising practices in the use of technology in learning and teaching to benefit African learners, education, and EdTech innovators across the continent.

"At MasterCard Foundation we believe that everyone has a chance to learn and prosper," said Mr Shah.

"We believe we can improve access to relevant and quality education by using technology as an enabler. And in that vein, we want to foster locally developed Edtech solutions that can enable learners to not only access education but improve their skills using this technology."

He added that learning outcomes for learners who used the platforms had improved in some instances by as much as a third.

"In this fellowship alone here in Kenya in six months we have seen the 12 Edtech companies come together to reach 32,000 new learners," he said. "This is just the tip of the iceberg...We will support them for the next two to three years on how they can grow bigger."

During the forum, Nairobi County Director of E-learning, Digital Economy and Startups Elizabeth Ndung'u Gitonga said the county will facilitate innovation in the country by opening up incubation hubs across the country.

Overall, the process has been intentional to ensure that the cohort offers a range of solutions covering digital content, learning management platforms, STEM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) education support, workforce and skill development, tutoring and testing, curriculum-based online learning content, and providing support for teachers in lesson delivery and assessment.