The Estonian Business Angels Network EstBAN has led a €200,000 funding round in Mentornaut, an online tuition platform. The program will debut in Kenya with the goal of increasing access to tailored education.
Mentornaut has a number of investors, including Superangel, United Angels VC, and a number of EdTech advocates, including Bolt co-founder Martin Villig, IT visionary Linnar Viik, and Clanbeat co-founder Kadri Tuisk.
Mentornaut is working on an online learning network that will connect K-12 kids with a large number of accredited private tutors in their local education systems to assist students bridge knowledge gaps and achieve their full potential in school.
“Superangel invests in forward-thinking entrepreneurs who are working to make the world a better place.” Mentornaut’s vision of local educational standards becoming empowered is inspiring.
“Personalised education for African children is still largely unaddressed, but it is critical to the development of better economies and societies,” said Veljo Otsason, a co – founder at Superangel and also an early investor with tech startups such as Bolt, Veriff, Starship, and Monese.
When the Coronavirus epidemic forced 1.5 billion children throughout the world to learn remotely, Markus Meresma and Gregor Mändma co-founded the company with Gregor Mändma in 2020.
Parents are becoming more amenable to private tutoring to help their children overcome learning gaps as distance and remote learning become more widespread around the world. By 2026, the market is estimated to be worth $202 billion.
Mentornaut has seen 2,500 private courses booked on its website since its launch in Estonia last year. Mentornaut distinguishes out by delivering a full service – from bookings to payments – and is praised by its many users.
“Thanks to our vast range of private teachers, we’ve seen a lot of positive feedback from our clients who have rediscovered the fun in learning,” Meresma added.
In the first few hours after the company opened in Kenya, tutor onboarding resulted in more than 120 sign-up requests. The average pupil-to-teacher ratio in African elementary schools is 42:1, necessitating the need of private additional tuition.
Mentornaut takes a proactive approach to expanding its tutoring pool, bringing on students, schoolteachers, and experienced private tutors to broaden the pool and make individualized learning more accessible to more individuals.
The fresh funds will be utilized to improve the platform’s automation in order to speed tailored education for parents, children, and private tutors throughout Africa and Eastern Europe.
The company’s long-term goal is to develop an adaptive learning system that will help shape the establishment of individualized learning paths and assist studies in schools.
