Online learning platform Kibo School has raised $2 million in a seed funding round to offer STEM degree programs to students in Africa.
The round was led by VC firm Neo and saw participation from Future Africa, Pledges, Brooklyn Bridge Ventures, Transcend Network, and several angel investors.
According to TechCrunch, the new funding brings the total capital raised by the startup to $2.4 million after last year’s pre-seed round.
Speaking on how a better education system could make African continent a hub for young technologists and how it plans to use the latest funding, Ope Bukola, Co-founder & CEO of Kibo School, said,
“There are so many young people getting into the technology workforce, and I really think the continent could be the place for young technologists if only our education system was up to the task. Our mission at Kibo is to provide a better alternative to traditional education.
The primary goal for the seed round is to get the degree program off the ground. We have been doing these short classes, and we’re going to keep doing them and going through the process of applying for accreditation. But our primary focus now is bringing in students for our degree programs.”
Bukola said the school has so far trained 400 students in 13 countries across Africa.
“The future of global talent is African. We’re the youngest and the fastest-growing continent. So, if you want to solve the world’s future problems, literally the young people are going to be in Africa. This is not just a charitable thing; it’s just a practical thing because Africa is where the opportunity for growth is,” Bukola said.
Kibo has opened the application window for its full-time computer science degree, and it aims to attract 100 students in the first cohort of the three-year degree program. The program is accredited by Woolf, a collegiate university based in the U.K. As a Woolf member, students enrolled at Kibo will earn European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) credits, which are transferable across the globe.
Currently, Kibo School’s STEM program is open to students in six cities across Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana. The school plans to introduce more programs and to take in new students every quarter, starting next year.
