uLesson — the Nigerian startup ed-tech platform established by the famous Nigerian e-commerce company Konga founder Sim Shagaya, has secured its first round of funds. The Series A funding was reported to amount to $7.5 million, whereby uLesson intend to use the funds to accomplish its services expansion across Africa.
The ed-tech platform is designed for personal use, pre-installed with relevant content suitable for students in the kindergarten level — a curriculum compatible with any smart gadgets, be it a PC or mobile devices. uLesson’s contents are accessible via streaming or downloading and storing the contents for easy access to study.
In 2019, the founder of Konga.com, Sim Shagaya, established the ed-tech platform, which bolstered his status as a serial entrepreneur with diverse top-notched businesses.
Since uLesson was launched in March 2020, the ed-tech services have been responsive in Africa’s major countries aside from Nigeria, including Gambia, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, over time, specifically for the kindergarten level.
uLesson Android app is equipped with content suitable for kids — their team of tutors have created over 5,000 animated videos for kids. Their contents also include over 30,000 tests and quizzes, which is ideal for senior and junior students.
The startup ed-tech platform has built quite a reputable international standard whereby they have the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) pre-installed in its e-education platform.
uLesson has the British curriculum reserved for the global market, whereas the funds they recently acquired are budgeted for processing its expansion to other untapped regions in Africa.
However, the Series A funding ($7.5 million) also involved the initial seed they realized in the forth-quarter of 2019 — It is worth over $3.1 million — uLesson intends to expand from Africa’s eastern and southern regions. Their budget also covers the recruitment of fresh talent to improve the infrastructural development of its ed-tech platform.
Besides their existing investors such as Founder Collective and TLcom Capital, uLesson has enough credit to admit new investors — investors like LocalGlobe and Owl Ventures. In contrast, Owl Ventures, Tory Patterson, is officially a member of uLesson’s board.
Owl Venture was the investor that led uLesson $7.5 million funding, whereas they are renowned as the world’s largest venture capital company that focuses its assets strictly on education-based platforms. Other high profiled ed-tech media have also accessed Owls funding, including Whitehat Jr, Byjus, and Quizlet.
Patterson said “The company has quickly grown into the premier platform supporting students in Africa and we are excited to support their global expansion, as they seek to empower students around the world.”
The founder of uLesson highlighted its ed-tech platform’s concept — the contents are designed for its targeted market just as they set to attain further expansion.
Shagaya said “Africa is not one place. Different needs, cultures and curricula mean that uLesson has to carefully and deliberately think about how to design products and distribution channels to serve such a vast market.”
uLesson has experienced developmental growth since they started services in 2020. They have recorded over a million mobile app downloads within Africa’s sphere, positively impacting kids’ lives.
