NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 25 – Twelve early-stage Kenyan education technology (EdTech) startups will each receive up to USD 100,000 (Sh13 million) in equity-free funding under the fourth cohort of the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship, as efforts intensify to help young innovators scale inclusive learning solutions. iHUB, which is implementing the Fellowship in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, said the programme is designed to address the persistent funding, technical capacity and market access gaps that continue to constrain the growth of early-stage EdTech startups, preventing many promising innovations from scaling beyond the pilot stage. The selected startups were drawn from four thematic areas that address barriers to equitable education for learners living with disabilities, refugees, displaced and underserved communities, and girls and young women.
Unlike previous cohorts that focused on growth-stage companies over an eight-month acceleration period, the latest cohort targets early-stage ventures through an 18-month programme aimed at helping founders build sustainable businesses. Beyond funding, the startups will receive tailored technical assistance in product development, business strategy, communications and evidence generation through a dedicated pilot framework. They will also gain access to iHUB’s network of ecosystem partners, media readiness support and stakeholder engagement opportunities to help refine, validate and scale their solutions through strategic partnerships and investment.
Since its launch in Kenya in 2023, the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship has supported 36 EdTech companies, which have collectively reached more than 700,000 learners, empowered over 11,000 educators, partnered with more than 2,100 schools nationwide and expanded access to learning for more than 6,000 learners with hearing and visual disabilities. Wariko Waita, Director of the Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) at the Mastercard Foundation, said the Fellowship seeks to ensure educational technology creates opportunities for learners who have traditionally been excluded from technology-enabled education. “At its best, EdTech does not just digitize education; it redistributes opportunity.” “The Fellowship sits at the intersection of three powerful forces education system transformation, inclusive technology-enabled solutions and …
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