iHUB picks 12 Kenyan edtech startups for $100,000 funding programme

iHUB and the Mastercard Foundation have selected 12 early-stage Kenyan startups for an 18-month education technology programme that will provide each company with up to $100,000 in equity-free funding, as the fellowship expands its focus to learners with disabilities and other underserved groups.

The fourth cohort of the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship marks a change from previous editions, which ran for eight months and focused on growth-stage companies. The programme will now work with younger startups building products for learners with disabilities, refugees and displaced communities, girls and young women, and people in rural and underserved areas.

The selected companies are DEAFHEALTH, AssistiveMath, Signvrse, Deaf Outreach Program, SmartSteamMinds Edtech, Chipurobo, Neurollect Audread, JUZA AI LTD, Ubuntu Universe Limited, RYEH CBO, Gwiji for Women and Tausi App.

DEAFHEALTH, AssistiveMath, Signvrse, Deaf Outreach Program, SmartSteamMinds Edtech and Chipurobo are developing assistive technologies, learning platforms, digital skills programmes and specialised education products for learners with disabilities.

Neurollect Audread, JUZA AI LTD, Ubuntu Universe Limited and RYEH CBO are working on multilingual, offline and AI-supported learning products aimed at refugees, displaced people and learners in rural and underserved communities. Gwiji for Women and Tausi App focus on entrepreneurial, vocational and digital skills for girls and young women.

“Innovation has the greatest impact when it begins with the learners who have historically been excluded,” Nissi Madu, managing partner at iHUB, said. “Over the next 18 months, our role is to help them test, refine, and generate evidence for their solutions while building sustainable businesses that can scale their impact.”

Each startup will receive up to $100,000 without giving up equity, alongside technical support covering product development, business strategy, communications and testing through pilot programmes. They will also get access to iHUB’s network of partners and support with investor and stakeholder engagement.

The fellowship has supported 36 edtech companies in Kenya since its launch in the country in 2023. Those companies have reached more than 700,000 learners and 11,000 educators and worked with more than 2,100 schools, according to iHUB and the Mastercard Foundation. More than 6,000 learners with hearing and visual disabilities have also used products developed by participating companies.

M-Lugha, which joined the fellowship in 2025, says it has reached 14,000 learners across 35 Kenyan counties. Its language-learning platform has also been downloaded by users in 130 countries.

“Through the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship, we gained the tools, networks, and support needed to strengthen our solution and expand our impact,” said Abdinoor Ali Mahdi, M-Lugha’s founder. “The program helped us move beyond building technology to creating meaningful learning experiences for 14,000 learners across 35 counties, particularly in underserved communities where access to quality education remains a challenge.”

The Mastercard Foundation launched the EdTech Fellowship in 2019 through its Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning. It runs the programme with technology hubs and EdTech accelerators across Africa, providing participating companies with funding, product development and business support.