Nigerian Edtech startup, Teesas, has raised $1.6 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Haresh Aswani, Tolaram Group’s Africa managing director, with the participation of Olivegreen Advisory Partners, an Africa-focused venture studio, and other angel investors.
The company will deploy the fund to expand its operations into new markets and also launch a marketplace that will connect learners with tutors for private lessons.
The startup which was launched barely two months ago by Osayi Izedonmwen provides a platform where educators and learners engage seamlessly and efficiently, to facilitate a fun and effective learning experience via the deployment of technology and the adoption of local culture and dialects.
Izedonmwen while speaking with TechCrunch said, “We started beta testing around August this year, and fully launched the android version in November. Already Teesas has over 150,000 downloads at the Google Play store, where we are now growing by at least 20% every week.”
Teesas has well-developed content in concordance with Nigeria’s national curriculum and is delivered to learners in both live and recorded formats, through a subscription program that starts at $6 a month. In addition to regular school work, the startup also offers local language classes.
The founder said, “Live classes deal with concepts where learners have challenges. The learners sit with teachers in small remote classes of 10 or 15 for a personalized engagement, and to get more rigor into the teaching process.”
Teesas hopes to develop full-curriculum modules for learners aged up to 12 years.
“We foresee a future where kids don’t have to attend in-person classes because they can cover entire curriculums on an app, and be ready enough for their secondary school entrance exams,” he said.
Teesas is also set to introduce life-skill classes in the first half of next year to prepare learners for self-discovery. This is in addition to anti-bullying lessons, inspired by the reports of an increasing spate of bullying in Nigeria, with some incidents leading to death.
Also, the startup plans to launch a tutor marketplace and enter new markets in Francophone, East, and Southern Africa.
“Teesas is going to have the biggest impact on the future of education in Africa. And I really want to be certain that I’m putting my best effort in leading that transformation – that’s why I’m focusing on it fully,” he said.
Haresh Aswani while commenting said, “We believe in the mission Izedonmwen and the Teesas team has set forth on, and we are confident that they are best suited to crack the challenge of using technology to enhance access to quality education across Africa.”
