Co-creation HUB (CcHUB), in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, has selected 12 Nigerian startups for the fourth cohort of the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship, an 18-month accelerator programme supporting early-stage education technology companies.
The selected startups will each receive up to $100,000 in equity-free funding, along with technical support in product development, communications, and business strategy to help them scale their educational solutions.
12 startups join the latest EdTech Fellowship
The fourth cohort brings together startups developing technology solutions that address some of the biggest barriers to education across Nigeria.
According to CcHUB, the startups are grouped into four focus areas: improving learning for people with disabilities, expanding access to education in underserved and displacement-affected communities, increasing opportunities for girls and young women, and strengthening education data systems.
The selected startups include TrainDTrainer Ltd, Talktu, DAWN AI STUDY, Efiwe, Ileemore Technologies Limited, Skillup Africa, Lena, Heels and Tech, NursePadi, Skilladder AI, Lalitah, and Ribara Analytica.
Funding goes beyond financial support
Beyond funding, the fellowship provides founders with technical assistance, business development support, communications training, and media readiness to help strengthen their products and expand their reach.
Nissi Madu, Managing Partner at CcHUB, said the latest cohort reflects the organization’s commitment to supporting founders building inclusive education solutions from the earliest stages.
“Cohort 4 was designed around the belief that the most important decisions about inclusion are made at the earliest stages of innovation,” Madu said.
She added that the programme will help participating startups test, refine, and generate evidence for their solutions while building sustainable businesses capable of scaling their impact.
Some of the selected startups are building learning tools for people with disabilities, while others are expanding access to education in rural communities and areas affected by displacement.
Another group is focused on improving skills development and economic opportunities for girls and young women, while Ribara Analytica is developing data infrastructure to support education planning and improve pathways from learning to employment.
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Funding gaps in Africa’s Edtech sector
The selected startups are developing solutions that address challenges affecting learners who are often excluded from traditional education systems.
Despite Nigeria’s educational challenges, where the illiteracy rate is estimated at 29.6%, meaning that nearly three in ten adults aged 15 and older cannot read or write, the sector remains grossly underfunded. Nigeria allocates only about 6 percent of its annual budget to education, far below the 15 percent benchmark recommended for adequate education funding.
Furthermore, African startup funding has been significantly less focused on edtech than on sectors such as fintech and logistics. A report by TechCabal Insights showed that edtech was the least-funded sector in the second quarter of 2026, attracting just $1.5 million.
However, since its launch in 2019, the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship has been working to bridge this funding gap. The programme has supported 72 startups across Africa, helping them reach more than 700,000 new learners, with 89 percent of beneficiaries being children and young people.
Speaking about the fellowship, Wariko Waita, Director of the Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) at the Mastercard Foundation, said that edtech, at its best,
“does not just digitize education; it redistributes opportunity, and that’s where the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship comes in.”