For years, Kenya’s education
technology startups largely targeted urban private schools with reliable
internet access, digital devices and parents willing to pay for online
learning.
That trend is beginning to shift
as a growing number of early-stage firms develop products for learners with
disabilities, refugee communities and rural schools’ segments long overlooked
by mainstream education technology providers.
The shift was evident after
innovation hub iHUB selected 12 startups for the fourth cohort of the
Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship, with this year’s intake deliberately
focusing on businesses building solutions for underserved learners.
Unlike previous cohorts that
mainly backed growth-stage companies, the latest program is targeting
early-stage ventures and extending support from eight months to 18 months,
reflecting the longer time needed to test products and build sustainable
business models in underserved markets.
The selected startups are
developing assistive technologies, offline and multilingual learning platforms,
artificial intelligence-powered education tools, and vocational training
solutions aimed at expanding access to education.
“The
Fellowship sits at the intersection of three powerful forces – education system
transformation, inclusive technology-enabled solutions and sustainability of
Africa’s EdTech entrepreneurship,” said Mastercard
Foundation director of the centre for innovative teaching and learning Wariko
Waita,
Each startup will receive up to $100,000 (about Sh13 million) in equity-free funding
alongside technical support covering product development, business strategy and
pilot testing.
iHUB Managing Partner Nissi Madu
said the programme is prioritising founders addressing barriers faced by
learners who have historically been excluded from technology-enabled education,
while helping them build businesses capable of scaling.
Since launching in Kenya in 2023,
the fellowship has supported 36 education technology companies that have
collectively reached more than 700,000 learners, worked with over 2,100 schools
and expanded access to learning for more than 6,000 learners with hearing and
visual disabilities.
The growing emphasis on inclusive
education signals a broader shift in Kenya’s EdTech sector, where startups are
increasingly viewing underserved communities not only as a social impact
opportunity but also as an untapped commercial market.
