Latest news with #KundaKids
Business Insider
29-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Co-creation HUB reaffirms its commitment to promoting quality education through technology-driven education solutions in Africa
This year's cohort reflects a growing commitment to gender diversity and inclusion within Africa's innovation ecosystem. With 50% of the startups led by women, the Fellowship continues to challenge the gender gap in technology and entrepreneurship. In a powerful display of what inclusive innovation looks like, the third cohort of the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship announced today by CcHUB features an equal split of male and female founders, each driving solutions to improve the future of learning in Nigeria and across Africa. The versatility of the selected solutions highlights how African EdTech startups are rising to close critical education gaps, ranging from AI-powered learning platforms and digital financial literacy tools to virtual science labs that reach rural classrooms, even without internet access. These innovations, many led by women, exemplify the Fellowship's vision for scalable, inclusive, and future-forward learning across the continent. 'As we welcome our third cohort, we are especially excited by the innovative, high-impact solutions these startups are bringing to the table. This year, the process was more competitive than ever, as we were intentional about identifying ventures that address critical gaps in Africa's education ecosystem. Our goal is to equip young people with the skills they need to thrive and lead in a rapidly changing world. These startups represent bold steps toward shaping the future of learning and driving long-term prosperity across the continent.' - Nissi Madu, Managing Partner at CcHUB. Building on the success of its first and second cohorts, the fellowship has collectively reached 676,145 learners in Nigeria. Notably, 84% of the beneficiaries are children and youth, reflecting the program's core objective of expanding access to quality education for young people. Encouragingly, the initiative has also achieved 53% female representation among learners, underscoring its commitment to gender inclusion in education. 'The CcHUB and Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship collaboration has been a cornerstone in our journey, providing us with the resources and insights necessary to deepen our understanding of our consumers. It has allowed us to tailor our app more effectively to meet the needs and preferences of our audience, making our content more accessible and engaging for children and families globally. They've helped us improve our digital offering and equipped us with a deeper understanding of how to create impactful, educational content while maintaining the highest standards of user safety and privacy." - Louisa Olafuyi – Co-founder, Kunda Kids , Cohort 1 startup. Frank Williams, CEO of Lingawa, shared how transformative the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship has been for the company: 'With support from the Fellowship, we've reached several major milestones. We closed our $1.1M pre-seed round, rebranded to Lingawa, and set the foundation for our strongest sales yet. The program also helped us strengthen our team with key hires and connected us to a vibrant network of ambitious, impact-driven founders. It has played a big role in our journey, and we're excited to see how the new Cohort 3 will continue shaping the future of education in Nigeria.' Following an extensive screening and selection process, CcHUB the 12 successful applicants to the 2025 Cohort 3 are: AI Teacha, an educational platform that enhances learning by equipping teachers with AI-powered tools to deliver personalized lessons, save time, increase engagement, and improve student outcomes. Blue and Sand, STEM Lab provides virtual science labs that empower secondary schools across Nigeria including those in rural areas without internet access. Featuring a student-friendly interface, real-world lab simulations, and intuitive teacher tools, the platform enhances retention, improves academic performance, and promotes equitable learning nationwide. Cloudnotte, an all-in-one educational platform that enables flexible learning for students and seamless connectivity for educators—anytime, anywhere, across all education levels. Flexisaf (Distinction), an AI-powered learning platform developed by FlexiSAF that enables schools and universities to track student performance, uncover learning gaps, and make data-driven decisions through predictive insights and personalised interventions. HiPrep Online a virtual after-school platform for K–12 students, delivering personalised, bite-sized learning sessions led by expert tutors. It helps students build consistent study routines and improve academic performance in core subjects like math, English, and science. I-Train Africa, an impact-driven edtech organization that empowers African youth, women, and professionals with in-demand digital and workplace skills. By offering remote-first programs, it bridges the gap between formal education and the global workforce, boosting employability and career advancement. Kryptr, an AI-powered platform addressing Africa's workforce gap by training and connecting job-ready youth to employment opportunities. Focused on individuals aged 18–35 and MSMEs, Kryptr offers role-specific training, AI-driven talent matching, and work-integrated learning. Mavis Computel, tackles educational inequity in underserved Nigerian communities with its innovative "Talking Books", an interactive, audio-visual learning tool designed to improve literacy and numeracy by delivering content in students' local languages. Smart Steward Academy, a digital edtech platform that empowers young people—particularly women—with essential skills in financial literacy, financial planning, and entrepreneurship through structured courses, interactive modules, and practical training. Tespire, offers a mobile and web application that empowers primary and secondary school owners in semi-urban Africa to increase school income and leverage data-driven insights for personalized learning. The platform includes free tablets with internet access, making digital education more accessible. Sproutly Inc., offers seamless payment processing for K–12 schools, universities, colleges, and edtech platforms—combining efficient invoicing, streamlined accounting, and accessible credit solutions tailored to the needs of both schools and families. VarsityScape, offers an end-to-end solution that enables experts and institutions to launch online academies in under 60 minutes. Through expert-led courses, the platform equips learners—especially African youth—with the skills and mindset needed for independence and future opportunities. Rodwell Mangisi, the Acting Director at the Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning, emphasised the need to ' accelerate solutions that serve even those out-of-school young people who are constantly left out of the education ecosystem', adding that 'it is when we design with the end user in mind that the business case for the solution is more scalable, sustainable and impactful. ' Over the next 6 months, CcHUB will support the 2025 cohort in their efforts to not only scale their solutions but also build capacity and stronger networks and partnerships while also remodeling their innovations for better impact on the future of learning in Africa. In addition to advisory and mentoring sessions with a pool of subject matter experts, the Fellows will also receive up to $100,000 in non-equity grants and continued advisory support for an additional 12 months upon completion of the accelerator program. The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship seeks to support EdTech companies across Africa that are addressing learning challenges across K-12, tertiary education, and vocational training. The expectation is that these solutions will be part of the urgent and critical response in addressing many of Africa's long-standing challenges that have affected enrolment, quality and availability of effective educational options for the continent's young population. About CcHUB Co-creation HUB (CcHUB) is committed to advancing Africa's economic prosperity by accelerating the application of social capital and technology. Founded in 2010 as Nigeria's first innovation centre, CcHUB has evolved into the largest technology innovation centre in Africa, with a physical presence in Lagos, Kigali, Nairobi, and Windhoek. Its transformative programs have reached over 40 countries, including South Africa, Morocco, Tanzania, Zambia, Senegal, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. For more information on Co-creation HUB, kindly visit About the Mastercard Foundation The Mastercard Foundation is a registered Canadian charity and one of the largest foundations in the world. It works with visionary organizations to advance education and financial inclusion to enable young people in Africa and Indigenous youth in Canada to access dignified and fulfilling work. Established in 2006 through the generosity of Mastercard when it became a public company, the Foundation is an independent organization separate from the company, with offices in Toronto, Kigali, Accra, Nairobi, Kampala, Lagos, Dakar, and Addis Ababa. Its policies, operations, and program decisions are determined by the Foundation's Board of Directors and leadership. The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship is an entrepreneurship acceleration program designed to support promising, African EdTech ventures. Implemented in partnership with innovation hubs and EdTech accelerators across Africa, the Fellowship provides select EdTech companies with critical business and financial support, as well as insight into the science of learning, preparing them for scale, sustainability, and impact. The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship was launched in 2019 by the Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning with the goal to partner with 12 Tech Hubs to support over 250 EdTech companies and reach at least 1.8 million young people by the end of 2025.
Entrepreneur
29-05-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Build Your Own
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur United Kingdom, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Louisa Olafuyi didn't set out to be an entrepreneur. But as the co-founder and COO of Kunda Kids, a London-based children's media company creating educational storybooks, animations, and an app that celebrate African culture, history, and languages, she's become one of the most vital voices in reshaping how children see themselves in the stories they read and watch. "I never set out to be an entrepreneur, but looking back, I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit: curious, restless, and a bit rebellious," she reflects. It was during lockdown - a period marked by isolation, the birth of her son, and the backdrop of global racial reckoning - that something shifted. "I became a new mother, desperate to raise my son on stories that celebrated his culture and that of others." In the absence of those stories, she and her husband - co-founder Dele Olafuyi - started writing their own. The first print run sold 10,000 copies within weeks. "That sparked a curiosity about representation beyond books, including edtech, animations, and live-action." From that spark came Kunda Kids, a London-based children's media company with an ambitious mission: "To tell stories that centre African heritage and culture in a way that's modern, joyful, and globally accessible." Olafuyi puts it plainly: "It's about more than representation. We wanted to build a mirror and a map, a way for children to see themselves and the world more clearly." But vision alone doesn't build a company - especially not in a landscape where, as Olafuyi points out, "early-stage capital for Black-led businesses in the UK is shockingly limited (0.02%)." Access, she says, or rather "the lack of it," was one of the biggest early challenges. "We were bootstrapping belief in a landscape that wasn't built with us in mind. That made every step heavier but also sharper." Children's media, she adds, is "a tightly-knit, traditional world," and they had no legacy connections or insider playbook. But that outsider status became a source of strength. "Instead of seeing that as a barrier, we treated it as an opportunity. We weren't bound by 'how it's always been done,' and that freed us to build something truly original." They didn't mimic traditional models of publishing or animation. "We reimagined them in a way that felt modern, digital-first, and globally inclusive." When they couldn't find a seat at the table, Olafuyi says, "we built our own and designed it for more people to sit at, not fewer." Economic pressures in the UK haven't made things easier - but for Olafuyi, constraints have driven clarity. "It's a climate that demands sharpness, focus, and deep intentionality," she says. "Are we solving a real need? Are we building something sustainable, something that will matter not just now but in ten years?" Despite the challenges, London has left an indelible mark on Kunda Kids' creative DNA. "The city is a true melting pot, and it's been beautiful to reflect that diversity through characters and narratives that feel both local and universal." One of their titles, Afam and the New Yam Festival, captures that spirit: rooted in Igbo traditions, but exploring broader themes of identity and belonging. "That resonance matters," she adds. But Olafuyi is clear that while the UK was the launchpad, the goal was never local impact alone. "The UK will always be home for us… But as we grow, so does our mission: to reach children everywhere and ensure that every child, no matter where they are in the world, can see themselves in the stories they love." To stay ahead of trends, Olafuyi leans on her 15-year background in brand innovation and culturally driven content, including time at Unilever and Cambridge University Press. "What all those roles had in common was one thing: the ability to listen." Listening, she believes, is her superpower. "This week alone, I've kept 15-minute slots open every other day just for feedback calls with viewers of our show." Her inspiration comes from a mosaic of sources - "child development, fashion, music, street culture, emotional well-being research" - but her role is to connect the dots. "To create content that's not only relevant but also resonant." At the heart of it all is culture - not just what's made, but how it's made. "Culture is what you tolerate, reward, and repeat," she says. With a team spanning continents, alignment without uniformity is key. "I care about fostering entrepreneurial spirit across the team, but it also requires trust, autonomy, and freedom to try new things." And for those thinking about starting their own venture? "Start small, but think big. The temptation is to launch big and fast, but what matters most is building something real, something useful." She continues, "You don't need to disrupt, just deliver. Know your why, because the journey will test it repeatedly. Surround yourself with people who challenge you, not just cheer for you." "And finally," she says with a nod to the journey she's taken, "don't wait for perfect. Start before you're ready, and learn in motion." It's advice rooted in experience, resilience, and a refusal to wait for permission. For Olafuyi and Kunda Kids, the story is only just beginning - but already, the table they've built is one where more children can finally see themselves reflected. And celebrated.
