GESF 2018
We are among the 30 finalists, that will pitch for the Next Billion Edtech prize at the Global Skills Education Forum. The 30 start-ups have been selected to pitch in Dubai from the 22-24 March 2019. The award searches for the most innovative EdTech companies across the world, targeting teaching and learning in the developing world, refugee, displacement and socially disadvantaged contexts.
This was announced in a press statement by Vikas Pota, who is the chairman of the Varkey Foundation and Group CEO of Tmrw Digital, which runs the Next Billion Prize. He said African entrepreneurs are leading the pack in innovating for education and it’s time the world took notice.
Among the activities lined up, at the three-day Global Skills, Education Forum is pitching, networking and EdTech focused discussions. This is an opportunity to learn how to create and deliver a winning pitch and tell the most compelling impact story. Deep dive into the current state of the EdTech market to find out what EdTech investors are looking for, and what EdTech products education ministers and their educators are buying.
12 Edtech startups will pitch again and 6 semi-finalists will take the stage for the chance to win 3 prizes of USD$25,000. Of the 30 startups,10 are African Edtech startups, and three are Kenyan. M-Shule and e-Limu are our Kenyan counterparts competing for the prize. Rudolph Ampofo, our Ghana Country Director will be representing us at the GESF this year. We were represented at GESF2018 by our Co-founder and former CEO, Kago Kagichiri.
The Next Billion Prize, which was founded in 2018 by Indian billionaire Sunny Varkey’s Varkey Foundation, was named to remind the world of the billion young people – a number growing every day – that are being denied an education that allows them to make the most of their talents.
According to Forbes, Varkey, who never went beyond high school himself, took over the management of his parents’ Our Own English School, in 1980 at age 23. Sunny Varkey controls GEMS Education, the world’s largest operator of K-12 schools.