One advantage startups in South Africa have over their African peers is the increasing roles of corporate venture capital in the country’s startup ecosystem. Naspers Foundry is one such VC which has intensified investments in the ecosystem more than others. The latest on the VC’s list is The Student Hub, an online learning platform, which helps TVET colleges to overcome physical infrastructure constraints and improves students’ access to vocational education and training. The VC has just announced investment of R45 million ($2.9 million) into the edtech company. 

“We are delighted to be partnering with Naspers given their deep international experience in the edtech sector. We are a technology company that believes that improving access to education to millions of students across South Africa is at the core of what we do. Linking graduates with the right economic opportunities that relates to their skills are what the economy needs right now,” Hertzy Kabeya, Founder and CEO, The Student Hub said. 

Here Is What You Need To Know

• Coinciding with the third annual South Africa Investment Conference, the latest investment from Naspers Foundry, Naspers’s R1.4 billion early-stage tech investment vehicle, marks its fourth deal, bringing the total investments to approximately R200 million since its launch in 2019. 

Why The Investors Invested

‘‘The work of Naspers Foundry is one of the key focus areas of our business in South Africa. We believe tech companies have the potential to be the cornerstone of South Africa’s economic growth and we want to play a role in unlocking that potential. Our investment in The Student Hub is an example of how digitalisation has the potential to address unequal access to education, create local opportunities, and enable increased participation towards a more inclusive economy,’’ Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa, South Africa CEO of Naspers said. 

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“Over the last 18 months, Naspers Foundry has supported promising, best-in-class early stage tech businesses run by local entrepreneurs that have significant long-term potential and address societal needs. We are thrilled with our first edtech investment as Naspers Foundry, and we look forward to working with Hertzy and his team at The Student Hub. We continue to execute transactions against a robust pipeline of potential investment opportunities,” Fabian Whate, Head of Naspers Foundry, said. 

Of the total R 4.6 billion that Naspers committed to invest at the inaugural South Africa Investment Conference, which includes the R1.4 billion for Naspers Foundry, the group has so far invested ZAR 1.9 billion of its original pledge in its existing South Africa businesses Takealot, Mr D Food, Superbalist, Media24 and OLX.

Read also:How Technology could Enhance PPP Projects

In 2019, Naspers Foundry invested R30 million in online home cleaning services business, SweepSouth and R100 million in May this year, in agritech business Aerobotics, a subscription-based artificial intelligence company. In September, it invested in Food Supply Network, a B2B online marketplace that integrates food ordering systems across the food services industry.

Additionally, R69 million has been invested in Naspers Labs, Naspers’s youth development programme which provides unemployed young people with the confidence and training to pursue tech careers in preparation for a more digitally-driven local economy.

Naspers donated R500 million to the Solidarity Fund towards the country’s Covid relief efforts and sourced and delivered R1 billion’s worth of personal protection equipment for South Africa’s frontline healthcare workers earlier this year.

The Student Hub Naspers Foundry The Student Hub Naspers Foundry

Read also: South African Startups Are Invited To Pitch To Naspers Foundry’s $100 Million Fund

A Look At What The Startup Does

Founded in 2015, by Kabeya Hertzy, The Student Hub increases access to vocational education to large numbers of students whilst reducing the costs of delivery of education and training. The company helps overcome the constraints of limited physical infrastructure and related resources by partnering with government accredited Technical and Vocational Education and Training (‘TVET’) colleges to help them deliver their courses online. The online platform also connects graduates with work opportunities related to their skills set.

The Student Hub digitises TVET course content to present curricula in a personalised and learner-centric environment through a 100% online distance learning model, as well as through a blended learning model to students who attend classes in person at TVET campuses nationwide. 

The platform provides tools for lecturers and tutors to track individual student performance and for heads of faculties to measure the productivity and performance of lecturers in real time, resulting in a marked increase in pass rates. Its crowdfunding tools assist students in financing their studies and enable donors to follow the progress of their beneficiaries, while an integrated skills marketplace matches graduates to entry-level job placements.

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions.
He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance.
He is also an award-winning writer