iHUB, a Nairobi-based innovation hub and tech community centre, is partnering with the Mastercard Foundation to open applications for the third cohort of the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship in Kenya. This follows the success of the second entrepreneurship acceleration programme.
The EdTech Fellowship is transforming education in Kenyan and African communities by fostering the development and accessibility of educational technologies. Designed to provide growth-stage companies with business development support, financial support, and the latest insights into the science of learning to help them scale their products to drive inclusive access to education, the 2024 cohort of the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship in Kenya collectively reached 63,571 new learners, 91 per cent of whom are young people. This aligns with the EdTech Fellowship’s goal of providing young people with access to quality educational resources.
Following this success, iHUB has opened applications for its third cohort of the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship for 2025. High-potential EdTech ventures across Kenya are encouraged to apply for this opportunity to revolutionize the education landscape.
Nissi Madu, Managing Partner of Co-creation, HUB/iHUB, said:
Over the past six months, these start-ups have dedicated themselves to refining their solutions with a clear focus on enhancing learning experiences and driving improved learning outcomes. Through active engagement with key stakeholders—from government officials and educators to students, young people, parents, and schools—they’ve gathered invaluable feedback to fine-tune their offerings. We are thrilled to see them present their upgraded solutions during Demo Day and are confident in the transformative impact these innovations will have in the months and years ahead. We are excited to see how various stakeholders will collaborate with these companies to scale these impactful solutions, ultimately reaching millions of learners across Kenya.
The new call for applications comes alongside a milestone Demo Day event in Nairobi on November 28. The founding entrepreneurs highlighted their innovative solutions, remarkable progress in developing innovative educational technologies, and growing impact on the country’s learning outcomes. The event also fostered connections between potential investors, partners, and ecosystem stakeholders.
iHUB serves as a nexus point for technologists, entrepreneurs, investors, and tech companies in East Africa. It provides a platform for networking, collaboration, and the development of innovative solutions to local and global challenges.
Speaking about the Fellowship, Rodwell Mangisi, Acting Director of the Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning, said:
The testimonies by the Fellows are the reason why we are intentional about supporting the development of demand-driven EdTech innovations that close the gap in access and quality to education and provide relevant learning for the most underserved. So far, 140 EdTech companies have been accelerated since the Fellowship kicked off in 2020. Through our ongoing partnership with iHUB, we hope the next iteration will prioritize relevance, access to education, and sustainability for a more significant impact. While technology makes life easier for us all, it makes everything possible for those without access and opens pathways for them to learn and prosper.
Participants of the Fellowship receive:
- Exposure to a vibrant network of investors.
- Coaching and mentoring by successful founders and experts.
- Expert advisory across learning science, product development, marketing, sales, and talent management.
- Access to a community of practice to test out products.
- Network opportunities with other founders building innovative solutions in EdTech.
- Access to up to a USD100,000 non-equity grant.
Interested applicants for the third cohort can apply online before the application deadline of January 30 2025.
The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship is an entrepreneurship acceleration program 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 and insight into the science of learning, preparing them for scale, sustainability, and impact. The Fellowship was launched in 2019 by the Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning to partner with 12 Tech Hubs to support over 250 EdTech companies and reach at least 1.8 million young people by 2025.
