YaSchools, a Saudi Arabian startup specializing in educational management solutions that connect schools, teachers, and students, has recently raised $600,000 (2.203 million dirhams) in a seed round led by a group of angel investors. With this investment round, the company plans to expand into the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey (MENAT) region, starting with Jordan.
Founded in 2021 by Egyptian entrepreneurs Mohamed Zohair, Ahmed Mahdy, and Yasser Nasr-Aldin, YaSchools offer the region’s first-of-its-kind platform to manage the educational ecosystem, acting as the facilitator between all stakeholders—such as schools, teachers, and students—involved in the educational process. The platform utilizes big data, artificial intelligence, and financial technologies that can assist in processing tasks in an autonomous and fast-paced manner. The startup aims to improve the education experience through a stack of innovative services, on top of which is the facilitation of microlending solutions that provide parents with payment plans to cover all educational expenses.
Speaking on the fundraising, Co-founder & CEO of YaSchools, Mohamed Zohair, said:
The seed round closure confirms the investors’ confidence in the platform and the influential role it plays in bridging the gap within the education system. As a regulator of the education ecosystem, YaSchools became the parent’s compass along the educational journey and the schools’ “business partner” by automating all the administrative work such as admission, registration, and tuition fee collection.
Zohair added:
Our goal is to make the education journey a hassle-free experience and lessen the financial burden on the parents; therefore, we plan to add more services and products to our system.
The firm claims to to have registered 1,750 schools and served 2,500 teachers and more than 92,000 parents. Its ever-expanding clientele puts it on the road to becoming one of the fastest-growing startups in the educational sector. Since the launch of its micro-lending services in early 2023, YaSchools has received financing requests worth more than $40 million. It is worth noting that the MENAT target market size of the company is around 56 million students at 270,000 schools generating $110 billion.
Adding about the investment, Co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer & Head of Investment, YaSchools, Yasser Nasr-Aldin, said:
The fresh funding will be used to shore up the company’s existing and future expansion plans. Currently, the company is gearing up to launch in Jordan. The decision is based on an actionable plan that has been finalized and will be activated within a few weeks. The company’s expansion plan includes the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey (MENAT) region. We work to expedite that by providing a package of localized services that meet the needs of parents in each country who may need help finding the best educational solutions for their children.
YaSchools also provides an Islamic-compliant line of credit that allows users to pay educational expenses in instalments of up to 12 months in cooperation with many notable financial entities such as Tasheel Finance, Alinma Bank, Al Yusr Financing and Leasing Company Finance, Wataniya Finance, Al Amthal Finance, and Tabby, the leading provider of buy now, pay later (BNPL) solutions.
Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia announced a $50.4 billion investment in the education sector as part of its Vision 2030 strategy, with the government introducing reforms to fund a knowledge-based economy.
