Injini Mastercard Foundation supports 12 startups in South Africa

The Injini Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship in South Africa has selected twelve startups and provided access to funding and other forms of support as it commences the second edition of its ed-tech accelerator program.

After extensive application and interview processes, twelve ventures have been chosen for the second edition of the programme. They will have the chance to work with professionals from all walks of life, receive individualised assistance from Injini’s education innovation researchers, collaborate with experts in various fields, and network with influential members of the ecosystem and subject-matter experts.

The application was opened on February 13, 2024, and the program will begin this month and last for six months.

All that entails

In addition to receiving venture capital funding over ZAR1 million (US$52,000), they will have access to a variety of courses and office hours offered by Carnegie Mellon University’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute faculty.

Books Village is an online reading tutoring platform; E-Cubed is a free, digital, chat-based entrepreneurial learning, connecting, and innovation platform for educators, students, parents, and government officials; EcoLabs Africa is a startup that optimises information and communication technology infrastructure in rural and township schools by recycling old computers; and Fintr is a startup that uses games to teach kids about money.

The group is rounded out by RoboSTEAM, an organisation that focuses on teaching coding and robotics to elementary school students; SOCO_ED, an ed-tech solution that can be used in any field; Ubuntu Education, an organisation that helps African educators by providing them with tools, connections, and opportunities for professional development; and Vambo AI, an organisation that helps students and teachers by incorporating multilingual capabilities into their lessons.

According to Krista Davidson, executive director of Injini, the organisation is excited to continue working with the Mastercard Foundation to support these Fellows as they grow their businesses, make a bigger splash, and bring about significant educational reform in South Africa and the surrounding region. This comes at a time when the education sector is facing many problems.

About Injini Mastercard Foundation and its aim

Injini, a subsidiary of the UVU Africa Group, is a registered nonprofit organisation with a mission to improve educational outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa. The company was founded in 2017 with this objective in mind. With the help of its Injini Think Tank and other initiatives, the only ed-tech specialised accelerator in Africa is working to improve education across the continent regarding accessibility, quality, and relevance.

Injini was reported to have launched the EdTech Fellowship for South African startups in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. Through the initiative, eligible startups can access market access, individualised market research, coaching, mentorship, intensive skill development, product quality evaluation, and direct grant funding.

Also chosen are Global Teachers Institute (GTI), which offers work-integrated learning placements to future teachers through partnerships with schools, governments, and universities; Grow ECD, a software platform for early childhood development (ECD) management; Mindjoy, a platform for educational software; and Finding Thabo, a game that encourages players to engage various brain regions and lay the groundwork for a lifetime of learning.