The Nairobi-based innovation hub, iHub, has unveiled the 12 startups chosen for the second cohort of the Kenyan chapter of the Mastercard Foundation Ed-Tech Fellowship Programme. This initiative provides the selected startups with funding opportunities and various forms of support to aid their growth.
In February of the previous year, Co-Creation Hub (CcHub) – the parent company of iHub – entered into a partnership with the Mastercard Foundation to kick off a $15 million educational technology accelerator program in Kenya and Nigeria. Meanwhile, Injini is spearheading a comparable initiative in South Africa.
Following the selection of twelve startups for the inaugural Kenyan program, the second iterations in Nigeria and South Africa are already in progress. iHub has now disclosed the next group of 12 ed-tech companies that will participate in the Mastercard Foundation Ed-Tech Fellowship.
The new cohort includes Dals Learning, which offers a digital platform with interactive and approved educational content; Fundis, a service that helps artisans compile their work, receive assessments, upskill, and gain certification for job opportunities; Soma Siri Afrika, which delivers an educational product that merges psychology, AI, and analytics to enhance learning experiences; and Uptyke, which provides a broad array of digital educational content for K-12 learners.
Other participants are eKitabu, which develops early-grade reading materials in Kenyan Sign Language; Kuze.ai, an AI-driven platform offering personalized learning experiences; Ultratude Tech, a school management system; SomaChat, a digital learning platform equipped with AI-powered educational tools; and NABU, which offers mother-tongue and curriculum-aligned digital learning resources.
Rounding out the group are Esoma Solutions, an online platform that supplies digital learning materials to support foundational literacy and numeracy; Kurasa, which provides innovative tools to enhance K-12 education; and Recess, which aims to transform school management by offering personalized educational content and improving communication between educators and parents.
Nissi Madu, the managing partner at iHub Kenya, expressed optimism about the potential of these startups to transform the ed-tech landscape in the region. Reflecting on the success of the first cohort in 2023, Madu is eager to see how the second cohort will contribute to improved educational outcomes for learners in Kenya.
