Pakistani startup launches exam prep app, gets $320,000 pre-seed funding

Published April 8, 2021
Edkasa, a Lahore based education technology startup has managed to raise pre-seed funding of $320,000 to help launch a new mobile application for exam preparation. — Photo courtesy Edkasa FB
Edkasa, a Lahore based education technology startup has managed to raise pre-seed funding of $320,000 to help launch a new mobile application for exam preparation. — Photo courtesy Edkasa FB

Edkasa, a Lahore-based education technology startup has managed to raise pre-seed funding of $320,000 to help launch a new mobile application for exam preparation, the company said on Tuesday.

The new app will leverage and make use of Edkasa's existing userbase of 55,000 students and more than 40 schools throughout Pakistan which currently avail its services, according to a statement from the startup.

The company says it has already helped thousands of students, and recorded over 1.3 million hours of viewing time with over 250,000 queries answered by its teachers in 2020.

Edkasa raised the funding in a pre-seed round led by i2i Ventures, with participation from Walled City Co, Zayn Capital and strategic angels in Southeast Asia. The investment was made to build out the exam prep app and scale Edkasa’s e-learning impact with students across the country, the statement said.

"The new mobile application features an initial quiz to gauge a student’s requirements, and then offers customised studying paths based on their needs such as a specific exam, subject, or exam board," according to the company.

It added that students could view on-demand video lectures and access quizzes based on past papers as well as compare their rankings on the app's leaderboard.

Students sign up for the app for free and can continue to avail its services with a monthly subscription fee which gives them access to Edkasa's learning materials across various subjects.

"The Edkasa app has been designed with feedback from Edkasa’s pre-existing user base, and is also aimed at countering the effects of school closure and an uncertain learning environment due to Covid-19," said the press release.

It also noted that the app launch was geared towards helping Pakistan resolve the issue of access to quality education for over 14 million secondary and higher secondary students, a hurdle that leads to poor exam performance of over half of those who appear in standardised examinations across the country.

“Education is the biggest bridge between the world that we have, and the world that we want,” said Annum Sadiq, co-founder of Edkasa along with Fahad Tanveer. “Edkasa is a dream coming to fruition, as we prepare to educate millions of Pakistani learners.”

Sadiq is a Lahore University of Management Sciences (Lums) alumnus and Fulbright Scholar who co-founded Edkasa in 2017 with Tanveer — a Lums and Harvard alumnus.

Its chief technology officer, Muneeb Ali, is also the founder and chief executive officer of OneByte — which works with pre-seed, early-stage, and growth-stage startups to help build their products.

Follow Dawn Business on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook for insights on business, finance and tech from Pakistan and across the world.

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.