About Us

The Future of Learning Fund is a $20M fund to invest in new and improved models of learning that deliver education at scale and prepare Africans for the future of work.

There is a global reinvention of education taking place that has the ability to dramatically improve learning outcomes and to better connect learning to jobs in the skills-based economy.

This revolution is more relevant in Africa than anywhere as the continent soon to have the largest youth population and workforce faces a generational opportunity to leapfrog often antiquated education systems where demand outstrips supply.

As the first dedicated edtech investor in Africa, we aim to be the primary source of capital, coaching and community for founders shaping what will soon be the largest education market in the world.

We are Seeded by

Future Africa is building a future where African prosperity is within everyone’s reach. We are an operator-led fund that backs mission-driven founders turning Africa’s biggest challenges into global businesses that deliver outsized impact and returns.
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We focus on creating category-defining companies to unlock the Talent, Infrastructure, Markets and Environment that will shape Africa’s digital economy.

We have invested $10M into over 100 companies now cumulatively worth $6B with follow on investors including: Sequoia, Greycroft, SoftBank, LocalGlobe, Goldman Sachs, Naspers and the IFC.

Our commitment to the Future of Learning Fund signals our deep belief in the value of a first-mover, thematic fund to shape one of the most important and exciting sectors that will impact the continent’s future. Future Africa provides ongoing strategic and investment support in the incubation and lifetime of the Fund.

Global Context

The Radical
Transformation of
Education to Learning.

Problem

Africa Needs an Education Revolution.

Learning
Crisis

87% of 10-year-olds in SSA are unable to read a simple story. 35% of teachers cannot pass the exams they give their students. Due to the pandemic, close to 300 million African children missed school with learning loss estimated at 4.5-4.9 years.

Lack of Seats & Capacity

In Nigeria, there is 1 university seat available for every 4 applicants. In some African countries, teachers are absent almost half of the time. 1 out of every 4 school-age children now receive education in low-cost private schools due to overcrowded public systems.

Skills Gap

96% of CEOs in Africa are concerned about the lack of skills among prospective employees. 65% of African CEOs say the skills shortage is preventing them from innovating effectively. Average time it takes a graduate in SSA to find a job: 5 years.

Unemployment

Two-thirds of African youth (15-35) are unemployed or vulnerably employed which leads to poor living conditions, fuels migration out of Africa, and contributes to conflict on the continent itself. Only 3 million jobs are created each year for the 10-12 million youth entering the workforce. 71% of youth cannot secure employment due to a lack of relevant work experience.

opportunity

The Most Demographically Dynamic Region in the World.

Africans will make up a quarter of the world’s population by 2050 and a workforce of 1 billion. 74% of population growth worldwide of 18-23-year-olds will be in 10 countries by 2035: Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, (Pakistan), Tanzania and Uganda.

The digital transformation of education will drive exponential gains in the access, affordability, quality, and relevance of learning in Africa.

Skills-focused and competency-based learning — combined with the emergence of faster, cheaper, more relevant pathways to employment — affords unprecedented opportunity to connect learning to jobs.

As the global distributed workforce becomes a reality, new models of education and learning in Africa can develop a talent pipeline for the world.

This is a generational opportunity to leapfrog.

our focus

Tech-Enabled, Scale-Focused Innovations that Improve Learning Outcomes and Connect Learners to Jobs.

Accelerated & Better Learning

The power of technology in education is not just about expanding access and affordability – it is about significantly improving learning. For school-age learners, we are interested in: the next generation of personalized and adaptive learning to improve educational outcomes and to empower teachers to teach better; experiential, immersive and work-embedded learning, especially around 4IR skills; higher-quality supplementary support for mass audiences not just elite; and, more effective on-ramps for post-secondary life.

Digital Transformation of Higher Education

Higher-education participation of Africans is at 9% compared to 38% globally and the Fund believes that a combination of Challenger Universities and next-generation Online Program Managers (OPMs) will be the solution to closing this gap, enabling millions more young Africans to enroll in relevant post-secondary education. In both instances, the underlying innovation is the unbundling and digital transformation of higher ed, which represents lower costs, on-demand and innovative, hybrid delivery methods, and employment-focused learning with active connections between education and employers.

Alternative Pathways to Employment

The emergence of faster, cheaper, more relevant pathways to employment is a foundational element of the re-invention of education. Traditional technical and vocational opportunities in Africa have not delivered at scale nor provided engaging and relevant alternatives to higher education for millions of young people. Learn to Earn and Go Pro Early are some of the emerging new models as the skills gap widens, the lifetime of skills shortens, and employers become less degree-focused and more urgently and actively engaged in building their own talent pipelines.

Employer-Driven Education

A hallmark of the future of learning is the degree to which the silo between education and employers is breaking down. This is true of an emerging global talent grid looking to Africa to provide critical tech talent, and of African employers who struggle to find quality, entry-level workers. Innovative new models of recruitment and education are emerging to better support employers’ talent needs. And employers are creating continuous cultures of learning through upskilling solutions where integrated education will be seen as a benefit of employment.

Innovative Technology & Finance

Surveys consistently find that financing education is the number one challenge for learners, caregivers, and school owners in Africa. And Sub-Saharan Africa is known to have the most expensive data costs in the world. We are eager to see new and innovative business models that improve access to connectivity and education finance products so effective EdTech solutions can scale.

Current investments

Reflective Learning

Mastery-based assessment and diagnostic tool for math and reading gaps. A valuable tool for teachers confronted with learning loss from previous years.

Nexford University

Next-generation, online university offering students access to an industry-aligned, international university experience, US degrees, and real-world employment skills.

Akili Network

Africa’s first digital broadcast network offering high-quality, educational content for young viewers and their caregivers. Free-to-air model reaches 85% of the population in Kenya.

Craydel

Building the infrastructure for Africa’s first online higher platform for African learners to search, match, and apply to their best-fit higher education around the world.

Resolute Robotics

Turn-key solution helping schools transform their ability to deliver dynamic 4IR coding and robotics curriculum. Hardware and software solutions include robotics kits, educational licensing and teacher training.

testimonials

“As the founder of Nexford, the Future of Learning Fund has been an advisor, partner, sounding board and investor. I’ve found they bring a rare combination of strategic thinking, empathy and impressive global network – all of which have been truly instrumental to our growth story. Having worked with dozens of VCs I wish more of them would adopt their approach in supporting startups throughout their evolving needs and through the highs and lows of a startup’s journey.”

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Fadl Al Tarzi, Founder & CEO

“The Future of Learning Fund was a great sounding board as we developed our business plan for Akili Network’s vision of a children’s TV channel for Kenya (and beyond). They were instrumental in mapping out the education media landscape as well as identifying organizations that shared our vision and that we are now working with. Thank you!”

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Jeff Schon , CEO & Co-founder
Jesse Soleil, President & Co-founder

“The Future of Learning Fund brings incredible value as an investor in Craydel. They have provided valuable insights from the education sector in other markets, which has informed our strategy. They have made introductions to thought leaders and operators around the world, which has helped to shape our thinking and pursue high value partnerships. If you are an education company in Africa seeking funding, we would highly recommend working with the Future of Learning Fund.”

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Shayne Premji, Co-founder

Founders

Julia Moffett

Co-founder and Managing Partner, Future of Learning Fund

Iyinoluwa Aboyeji

Founder and General Partner, Future Africa, Co-founder, Future of Learning Fund