Zambian-based startup, Koloso, a free-to-access educational mobile app designed to help school students and adults achieve their personal learning goals, has secured an investment of over 27,000 Euros from the Zambia Business Angel Network, prompting the maximum matching investment from Catalytic Africa, a substantial investment that came at a crucial juncture for Koloso, enabling the startup to accelerate its growth and innovation efforts, as it looks forward to planning its next prototype.
The matching funds, totaling 60, 000 Euros, will be instrumental in countering some of the challenges the startup was facing and give it more credibility.
The Koloso App is designed to help school students and adult learners achieve their learning targets (to pass an exam or to improve their work-related mathematics skills) and report on progress in real-time, allowing learners, parents, and schools to focus efforts where they are most needed. Alongside topics taken directly from the school curriculum, the App introduces themed quizzes to aid particular areas of learning and to add variety.
“It is great to be a part of the growing Zambian tech startup scene. At Koloso, we are entering an intense and exciting period, bringing our Ed-tech mobile app to the market. We have big ambitions and a very clear sense of how we are going to build a successful business as well as deliver a massive, positive social impact. The €60,000 matching funds from Catalytic Africa will make a huge difference in how quickly we can do this.” Petra Chikasa, Co-founder of Koloso.
Koloso aims to create and grow a commercially viable, free-to-use, and easily accessible Ed-tech App to improve educational achievement in Zambia, Africa, and eventually the world.
“It is great news to hear that Koloso has secured the 60,000 Euros matching fund because, at Koloso, we are on a mission: We want to make learning fun and engaging, we want to make quality teaching accessible to all, and we are on a mission to drive out the scourge of pretend-ucation. We want a new generation of Zambians to leave school with the skills they need to achieve their life goals and ambitions,” James Blewett, Co-founder at Koloso.
“While the road ahead in the startup ecosystem and angel investing landscape may be challenging, the support we have received from our angel investing community is a testament to the Africa Business Angel Network’s (ABAN’s) vision and potential, trickling down to the success of Catalytic Africa beneficiaries. We have always been committed to pushing the boundaries of angel investing on the continent, and this funding round reflects the trust and confidence that all our angel networks and stakeholders have in our mission of creating a culture of angel investing in Africa. The angel investing sector keeps growing and funds like these play a pivotal role in ensuring startups gain revenue and more traction – we are grateful for the trust placed in us and we will strive to exceed our expectations as we embark on this exciting journey.” Fadilah Tchoumba, Fund Manager, Catalytic Africa.
With this newly acquired matching funding, Koloso is poised to redefine the Education sector in Zambia and make waves in the Ed-tech industry on the continent. Stay tuned for exciting developments as the startup embarks on the thrilling next phase of its journey.
Catch the complete interview with the startup’s founder right here!