The MENA-based EdTech giant Abwaab has announced the strategic acquisition of Apex Education, a premier startup specializing in elite college admissions consulting. This move marks a significant evolution for Abwaab, transitioning the platform from a supplemental learning tool into a comprehensive “end-to-end” educational partner that guides students from K-12 tutoring all the way to the gates of the world’s most prestigious universities.
Apex Education was founded in 2019 by a team of Ivy League and Oxbridge alumni, Leila Hassan (Oxford), Hussein Elkheshen (UChicago), and Mohamed Ebied (Harvard). Their mission was to demystify the complex admissions processes of high-tier global institutions.
The acquisition brings a proven track record of success into the Abwaab ecosystem. Apex has successfully placed students in world-renowned universities, including:
- United States: Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, UChicago, UCLA, and UC Berkeley.
- United Kingdom: Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London, and UCL.
- Europe: EPFL (Switzerland).
By integrating Apex’s specialized advisory services, Abwaab is effectively closing the loop on the student journey. The acquisition complements Abwaab’s existing strengths in tutoring and test preparation by adding a “high-end” advisory layer.
Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO of Abwaab, noted that the move is central to the company’s long-term vision of unlocking human potential:
Apex has built deep trust with families through a proven track record of placing students into the world’s most competitive universities… helping them reach their full potential.
To maintain the quality and personalized nature of the service, Leila Hassan will remain at the helm, leading Apex Education’s admissions division within the Abwaab structure.
The partnership aims to solve a common scaling challenge:
- Before: Apex offered high-touch, personalized service to a select group of students.
- After: Leveraging Abwaab’s massive regional infrastructure and technology, Apex can now scale its impact to a broader demographic across the MENA region without sacrificing the quality of its guidance.
The next phase of this acquisition will see a deep technical and operational integration. Abwaab plans to merge Apex’s expertise with its recently launched products for international curricula (such as IGCSE, IB, and SAT prep).
This will create a unified platform where a student can:
- Receive academic support for their current school subjects.
- Prepare for standardized entrance exams (SAT/ACT/IELTS).
- Work with expert consultants to craft winning applications for global universities.
This holistic approach positions Abwaab as a formidable competitor in the global EdTech space, moving beyond simple content delivery toward high-value career and educational outcomes.
