To bring more schools online, $575k raised by Nigerian ed-tech startup Edves
Edves, a Nigerian ed-tech firm, has received a seed investment round of US $575,000 to help it enhance its platform and bring more schools online.
Edves, which was founded in 2016, is an academic gateway that automates school and college procedures from admission through transcript creation.
The platform lightens the strain on teachers and administrators by allowing them to use AI algorithms to track attendance and plan classroom courses. Edves is now operating in almost 800 schools across Nigeria, Ghana, and Zimbabwe, with plans to expand.
The business was in the midst of raising a seed round of US $500,000, which it has now finished at an oversubscribed final number of US $575,000. Beta.Ventures led the round, which also included Launch Africa Ventures, Chinook Capital, and Future Africa. Edves plans to utilise the funds to enhance its products and launch new ones to meet new customer demands in Nigeria and other African countries.
Ovo Emorhokpor, general partner at Beta.Ventures, stated that his firm’s mission is to assist great African companies and entrepreneurs that add real value to Nigeria and other African communities.
“We have witnessed Edves firsthand and seen how they deliver on their promise to digitise the learning process in and out of the classroom in Africa. We are thrilled to be part of their journey as they scale their offerings and expand into new markets,” he said.
Zachariah George, the managing partner at Launch Africa Ventures, said with nearly 60 percent of Africa’s population of 1.4 billion being under the age of 25, digital teaching and learning is a “must-have and not a nice-to-have”.
“Schools all over the continent need easy-to-use, secure learner management software that encompasses all school needs by addressing specific challenges with capturing data, paperwork, and improving every area of school operation. With its proprietary technology, presence in three countries, and nearly 800 institutions already onboard in Nigeria alone, we feel very confident in the Edves team’s ability to tackle this huge opportunity head-on,” he added.
