Egypt-based edtech startup, iSchool, has successfully raised $4.5 million in a funding round led by VentureWave Capital, an Irish VC. Other contributors include OneStop Capital UK, Webit Investment Network, and Oraseya Capital, the Venture Capital arm of the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority
iSchool’s platform offers live gamified classes led by top coding instructors, targeting students aged 6 to 18. Covering a curriculum spanning AI, VR, app development, game development, and web development, iSchool instills foundational concepts from early childhood. This unique approach, combined with international accreditation, has fueled iSchool’s rapid growth.
Founded in 2018 by Muhammad Gawish, Ebrahim Youssef, Mustafa Abdelmon’em and Osama Ghareb, iSchool initially aimed to address the lack of technology education curricula or programs for 100 million students in the MENA region. The founders, drawing from their own struggles in tech education, sought to enhance students’ access to key resources. The company’s commitment to operational excellence has resulted in an impressive 72% customer retention month over month.
With its new funding, iSchool Holdings is expanding its footprint in Ireland, positioning itself for global scale. The capital will support iSchool’s rapid expansion into six additional countries in the MENA region, facilitate technological scaling for the ‘Online Coding Platform,’ and pave the way for extending its gamified online classroom app service throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.
Muhammad Gawish, co-founder and CEO of iSchool, expressed the company’s mission: “Our mission is to empower today’s generations to become tomorrow’s technology leaders, beginning in the Middle East and Africa and spreading to the rest of the world. Using dynamic technology and a deep understanding of the end-to-end live class process, we are growing a simple idea into a product that we believe can improve the lives of millions of people.”
Kieran McLoughlin, Managing Partner of VentureWave Capital, commented on iSchool’s potential impact: “VentureWave Capital is thrilled to lead this funding round for iSchool and to back such an innovative company that is making a significant impact on education in the Middle East and Africa.”
This investment aligns perfectly with our mission to achieve social progress by supporting transformative entrepreneurs. We are delighted to play our part in iSchool’s ambitious plans to bring their unique educational model to new markets and empower the next generation of technology leaders.”
