Algerian edtech startup LabLabee has successfully secured $3.4 million in a seed funding round aimed at propelling the adoption of 5G, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence (AI) within the telecommunications sector and various industries.
The investment round was spearheaded by Reach Capital, with contributions from Classera, and saw participation from existing backers Brighteye Ventures and e& capital. Additionally, prominent business angels such as Cedric Sellin, a tech investor and advisor, and Mohammed Husamaddin, VP of business development at Naseej, were part of the investors in this round.
With this fresh capital, LabLabee sets its sights on establishing a dominant presence in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) region and on making strategic inroads into the US market. The company plans to leverage partnerships with major cloud service providers like AWS, Azure, and GCP to facilitate this expansion. Furthermore, LabLabee intends to enhance its educational offerings by introducing new hands-on training labs that will cover technologies from VMware, Redhat, and Windriver.
LabLabee is committed to enriching the learning experience by integrating immersive features such as a sandbox learning environment, which allows users to learn, practice, and test their skills all on a single platform. The startup also aims to broaden its course catalogue with topics relevant to the fourth industrial revolution (industry 4.0), telecommunications security, telecom AI, and edge computing.
To support its growing user base and expansion plans, LabLabee is looking to bolster its international team by recruiting professionals in engineering, sales, and customer support.
Founded in 2021 by Samir Tahraoui and Mahfoud Sidi Ali Mebarek, LabLabee specializes in providing practical, hands-on learning experiences focused on the latest network technologies, with an emphasis on the telecommunications sector, cloud technology, enterprise solutions, industry 4.0, and networking.
LabLabee collaborates with a diverse range of partners, including telecom operators, vendors, industrial firms, software companies, system integrators, and educational institutions. The company assists these entities in incorporating practical exercises into their training programs, thereby reducing costs and enhancing skill development.
A recent survey highlighted the primary challenge for telecom operators adopting cloud-native solutions: a shortage of internal expertise. LabLabee addresses this gap by offering accessible, on-demand labs in cutting-edge technologies such as 5G, IMS, OpenStack, GitOps, CI/CD, Docker, and Kubernetes, equipping learners with the necessary skills to excel in their respective fields.
Esteban Sosnik, General Partner and Co-Founder at Reach Capital, praised LabLabee’s inception, which stemmed from Samir Tahraoui’s personal frustrations within the telecom industry, drawn from his dual roles as an engineer and a trainer.
“He, Mahfoud, and the team bring the ideal blend of deep technical experience and industry knowledge to help workers upskill, reskill, and thrive in this critical sector. We could not be more excited to back LabLabee,” Sosnik remarked.
Tahraoui elaborated on the challenges faced by professionals in the industry, such as keeping pace with evolving technologies and maintaining a broad skill set. He emphasized LabLabee’s advantage, stating, “LabLabee’s benefit is to make learning easier, faster and field-ready.”
