Aanaab, a Saudi Arabia-based education technology company that aims to empower teachers, has recently raised an undisclosed amount in funding from Rethink Education, a New York-based impact venture capital firm focused on education.
Established in 2019, Aanaab distinguishes itself by providing K-12 teachers and educators with a comprehensive range of courses, licensing, and qualifications, primarily in Arabic. This unique approach to professional development has attracted over 200,000 teachers and approximately 250 schools from 10 countries in the MENA region. Aanaab’s courses, which can be taken asynchronously or synchronously, are accredited and feature a data-driven approach that monitors teachers’ professional growth through a dashboard. The company’s content framework spans six domains, encompassing teachers’ subject knowledge, assessment, and pedagogical skills, student support and wellbeing, and technology in education. The platform also offers courses for school leaders and preparation courses for Saudi Arabia’s teacher licensing exams.
Aanaab develops its own content and partners with various international entities to provide its users with the latest in educational professional development courses. For example, the firm recently launched courses that support teachers in learning how to teach coding and developing their understanding of AI techniques and how to effectively apply them in the education process.
Speaking about the company, Mounira Jamjoom, CEO and Co-founder of Aanaab, said:
Upskilling teachers is something we’re passionate about because it changes students’ lives worldwide. We can all remember a teacher who positively impacted our learning. A good teacher can still facilitate effective and impactful learning even in classrooms with limited access to resources.
Commenting on the fundraising, Andre Bennin, Managing Partner of Rethink Education, stated:
Our investment in Aanaab illustrates how impact can be leveraged at scale globally. Aanaab is the first Saudi Arabia-based edtech company to get funding from an international edtech venture capital fund and one of the few in the broader MENA region. At Rethink Education, we believe that to unlock students’ full potential, we must first invest in teachers. It was fascinating to see the work Aanaab was doing to help solve the most pressing education issue in the region.
Rethink Education has been diligently observing entrepreneurship and innovation in the MENA region over the past year and will continue to explore opportunities.
