Co-creation Hub (CcHUB), in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, has concluded the 2025 EdTech Fellowship Programme with a Demo Day that brought together innovators, policymakers, investors, and ecosystem partners committed to advancing digital learning in Nigeria.
The event provided a platform for the twelve participating startups to showcase their products, highlight progress, and explore opportunities for scaling through partnerships and investment.
The 2025 cohort—AI Teacha, BlueSands Academy, Cloudnotte, Tespire, Kryptr, Smart Stewards, hiPrep, Varsityscape, Mavis Computel, FlexiSAF, I-Train Africa, and Sproutly—collectively reached more than 21,000 new learners. Children and youth accounted for 90 per cent of this number, with girls and young women making up 55 per cent.
The startups also engaged 7,000 educators and supported over 500 schools across Nigeria, including institutions in rural and semi-urban areas. They further established partnerships with government agencies, private organisations, and international bodies promoting learning equity.
A major feature of the third cohort was the high level of collaboration among the startups, shifting from isolated efforts to shared innovation. This collaboration was reinforced during Founders Connect, a gathering hosted by CcHUB for all 36 startups across the three fellowship cohorts.
The session promoted peer learning, co-creation, and community building, setting the foundation for a structured alumni network.
These partnerships translated into practical outcomes. Varsityscape and I-Train Africa integrated their platforms to improve content creation and delivery, while Kryptr partnered with FlexiSAF during the 2025 Quizzathon 3.0, leveraging FlexiSAF’s Distinction user base to expand scholarships and student engagement nationwide.
Managing Partner at CcHUB, Nissi Madu, described the Demo Day as a reflection of intentional innovation and the growing capability of African founders to design inclusive, scalable education solutions.
She said the programme reinforces the role of technology in improving learning outcomes and expressed optimism that the startups would reach millions more learners in the coming years.
Some of the supported solutions focus on improving classroom experiences with digital and AI-powered tools. Mavis Computel’s founder, Chiemezie Ucheaga, said the fellowship strengthened the company’s structure and reaffirmed its mission to support learners in underserved communities.
The company’s flagship product, the Mavis Talking Book, is designed for children in hard-to-reach areas, including internally displaced persons’ camps, combining printed storybooks with a digital pen that reads aloud in local languages.
Cloudnotte founder, Mary Matthew, said the programme enhanced the startup’s capacity to scale and reinforced the importance of African-designed solutions for improving digital learning access across the continent.
Now in its third year, the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship implemented by CcHUB has supported 36 African startups working to expand access to digital learning tools.
The partners say they remain committed to strengthening the continent’s EdTech ecosystem through evidence-based innovation, deeper collaborations, and increased integration of artificial intelligence in education.
