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M-Shule Analyst Report - ETEC 522 - A1

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Created on October 14, 2020

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M-Shule

Kenya's 'mobile school'

VENTURE ANALYST REPORT

Jessica Daicos | October 2020

Index

4. Forecast

3. M-Shule

1. Rationale

Actions and recommendations

Why invest in African EdTech?

Venture profile

At a Glance

2020

Criteria for success

New opportunities in a changing world

Facts and figures

Challenges to consider

Ask

Product Demo

Big Idea

Investment requirement

AI meets SMS

For a successful venture

Assessment

Team

2. Market

Leadership

Does it meet criteria for success?

Africa // Kenya

Opportunity Space

Conclusions

Recommendations for investment

& Competitive edge

01

RATIONALE

Why digital learning technologies for developing countries?What challenges exist?

60%

of children and adolescents are not achieving a minimum level of proficiency in reading and math

- UN Sustainable development goals

90%

of African learners are already in learning poverty.

With the pandemic closing schools, it may take students more than

2 years

to catch up for each term missed.

"... digital technologies, used well, are already helping to overcome some of the specific, serious challenges of health and education delivery in the developing world."

- Pathways Commission Report (2019)

+14.5%

From 2020-2025, Africa's e-learning market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 14.5%. By 2025, it is projected to be worth over US$ 2 billion.

Criteria for Success

According to the 2019 Pathways Commission Report, technology can help improve education systems if the following conditions are met:

FOR ALL

was it designed to benefit everyone?

Can adaptive learning software provide customisation for students in the most marginalised communities?

ECONOMIC

is it an appropriate and cost-effective solution?

Is digital connection affordable?

RESOURCES

does the technology have the appropriate support?

Are the infrastructure (internet, electricity, digital/data standards) and human capacity (digital skills, social acceptance, institutions) in place?

SYSTEMS

do the underlying systems support learning?

Who are the stakeholders and decision-makers? How does the government fund and support education? What cultural attitudes must be acknowledged?

CASE STUDY: One laptop per child

big idea:

How can the lucrative African e-learning market be accessed so as to improve education outcomes while generating profit?

and then:

How can we predict the investment's success by supporting a venture that respects the local markets, cultures and stakeholders?

02

Market Analysis

How promising are digital learning technologies in Sub-Saharan Africa?

market analysis

AFRICA

SUMMARY

79%

in SSA think the internet is a good influence on education

Top 5 leading regions in the e-learning market (2019):

Top 3 smartphone markets in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by 2025:

Top 5 e-learning market drivers:

  1. Rising disposable incomes
  2. Increasing population
  3. Increasing government initiatives
  4. Rising internet penetration
  5. Growing smartphone industry

<10%

of students that enroll in primary school will make it to university

1b

mobile connections expected in SSA by 2024

  1. South Africa
  2. Morocco
  3. Nigeria
  4. Tunisia
  5. Kenya
  1. Nigeria
  2. South Africa
  3. Kenya

market analysis

Kenya

SUMMARY

40%

of Kenya's population is aged 14 or under

(20.5 million)

56%

of Kenyans who have a mobile phone use it for learning

18%

1GB of data costs

of the average monthly income

+7m

new mobile subscribers by 2025

72%

live in rural areas

Share of web traffic by device:

As a percentage of population:

96%

have 3G coverage

62%

own a mobile phone

43%

are internet users (on any device)

03

M-Shule

Venture Profile

M-Shule

addresses Kenya's love of mobile phones, high cost of internet connectivity and need to support a growing population of students in regional settings.

Can be used on any mobile phone and does not require internet access

Mobile SMS learning

Builds community

Facilitates relationships between school directors, teachers, parents and students

Data Driven

Adaptive learning allows for personalisation of tutoring and instant analytics. Insights are shared with key stakeholders.

At a glance

Objective

How it works:

"M-Shule is the first adaptive, mobile learning management platform designed to improve performance [in Math and English] for millions of primary school students across Kenya and Sub-Saharan Africa."

EXPAND

Facts and figures

Achievements

$0.90/month

400 to 4000+

12,000+

2016

Established

Cost per student

Learners in 2017

Learners in 2020

$8.33/month

$10M

+20%

Top 50

Cost to schools to manage data

Est. revenue by 2023

Improvement in student exam scores

Holon IQ's list of Africa Edtech 2020

"Only 10% of schools in developing countries currently have internet connection. We need to be more creative and more innovative in connecting them to powerful learning tools and M-Shule wants to be that platform for students across the entire African continent. "

Claire Mongeau: founder

Investors and awards

Product Demo

AI meets SMS

Adaptive learning personalises student learning at the point of need. SMS makes the platform accessible by any mobile phone, without requiring internet connectivity. Learner performance is tracked and shared with parents and schools.

Team

Julie Otieno

Phoebe Khagame

Sara Cohen

Claire Mongeau

Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer

Head of Operations

Head of Learning

Co-Founder & CEO

Insights

Opportunity Space

Retaining Customers

Growing customer base

Summary

Competitors

04

Forecast

Venture Assessment and Investment Recommendations

Claire MongeauM-Shule Co-Founder & CEO

More than 85% of Africa's population works in the informal economy, and the pandemic has decimated their lives. Incomes are down, schools are closed, and families cannot access resources to keep learning and stay safe.

2020

M-Shule adapts to provide COVID-19 solutions for healthcare and learners.

Healthcare support

Through a partnership with Jacaranda Health and Health-E-Net, M-Shule created an e-learning platform to accelerate referrals for high-risk mothers.

01

We will reach at least 10,000 families throughout the pandemic, launching educational and health information immediately and continuing for at least three months until the curve flattens

Pandemic communication

M-Shule's new Coronavirus Response Toolkit encourages better understanding of COVID-19. It is available in several local languages and is accessible without internet access.

02

School closures

Its adaptive learning platform continues to support students and communities during school closures. Parents spend less money on educational materials and schools can track learning progress at a distance.

03

Seeking:

Meeting these goals requires strategic funding and collaboration to support content expansion and partnerships with health organisations.

  • Funding - Grants
  • Funding - Loans
  • Funding - Investment
  • Partnerships - NGOs
  • Partnerships - Private Sector
  • Partnerships - Government

M-Shule's Ask

Investment needs

To continue responding effectively to the changes of 2020, M-Shule aims to:1. Increase content production 2. Support more out-of-class learners 3. Onboard more team members

Author Name

Venture Assessment

M-Shule meets the criteria set out by the 2019 Pathways Commission Report.Click to view the analysis for each category.

FOR ALL

was it designed to benefit everyone?

Can adaptive learning software provide customisation for students in the most marginalised communities?

RESOURCES

does the technology have the appropriate support?

Are the infrastructure (internet, electricity, digital/data standards) and human capacity (digital skills, social acceptance, institutions) in place?

SYSTEMS

do the underlying systems support learning?

Who are the stakeholders and decision-makers? How does the government fund and support education? What cultural attitudes must be acknowledged?

ECONOMIC

is it an appropriate and cost-effective solution?

Is digital connection affordable?

Analysis

Analysis

Analysis

Analysis

Conclusion

Venture Analysis

The Sub-Saharan African mobile learning technologies market is experiencing rapid growth. Kenya, in particular, is forecast to expand in its demand for e-learning and mobile technologies. M-Shule has responded well to the SSA learning technologies market. Its platform has also been effectively designed to cater to students in the most marginalised communities. The team's expertise in and passion for education in East Africa is no doubt responsible for its thoughtful and appropriate design.

Conclusion

Investment Recommendations

Though Eneza is a significant competitor, M-Shule creates unique value by providing a highly personalised learning experience and building supporting relationships. Eneza's success may forecast similar growth for M-Shule. M-Shule's strategy positioned it well for the shift to remote learning in 2020. It has adapted admirably to support communities during COVID-19, both in learning and healthcare. New investment and partnerships will allow for continued expansion of their initiatives. While the venture has so far performed well, updated growth and revenue forecasts are not publically available after 2017. This data would be crucial for calculating expected investment returns and requires further investigation.

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