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uLesson provides digital learning solutions through its core product, the uLesson App, designed for students, and the uLesson Classboard, aimed at enhancing classroom instruction. The platform delivers a rich video library, interactive quizzes, and practice exams tailored for primary, junior secondary, and senior secondary students. It focuses on accessible, engaging content across various subjects, including mathematics, sciences, and languages, available via web and mobile applications.
The company was founded in 2019 by Sim Shagaya, an entrepreneur known for his previous ventures in e-commerce and digital media. Shagaya established uLesson with the insight that high-quality, affordable, and culturally relevant education was critically needed across Africa. His experience in building large-scale digital platforms informed the technological approach to deliver educational content effectively.
uLesson serves a broad base of students from early primary grades through senior secondary levels, along with educators and schools utilizing its classroom tools. The company’s long-term vision centers on democratizing access to excellent education, aspiring to equip African learners with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed, thereby contributing to broader societal advancement and educational equity across the continent.
uLesson has raised $26.0M across 3 funding rounds.
uLesson has raised $26.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
uLesson has raised $26.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $15.0M Series B in December 2021.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 1, 2021 | $15M Series B | — | 10100, 2XN, Accenture, Altos Ventures, Costanoa Ventures, Expa, Founder Collective, General Atlantic, Innovation Endeavors, Musha Ventures, OWL Ventures, Romulus Capital, Susa Ventures, Tide Africa Fund, TLcom Capital, Union Square Ventures, Elliott Cohen, Esther Dyson, Jeff Bezos, Marc Benioff, ROB Solomon, Nielsen Ventures, Tencent Holdings | Announced |
| Jan 1, 2021 | $8M Series A | OWL Ventures | Accenture, Altos Ventures, Costanoa Ventures, Founder Collective, General Atlantic, Index Ventures, LocalGlobe, Musha Ventures, Susa Ventures, Tide Africa Fund, TLcom Capital, Union Square Ventures, Christian Woolfenden, Elliott Cohen, Esther Dyson, Hugo Burge, ROB Solomon | Announced |
| Nov 1, 2019 | $3M Seed | Tide Africa Fund | Accenture, Founder Collective, Musha Ventures, Susa Ventures, TLcom Capital, Elliott Cohen, Esther Dyson, ROB Solomon | Announced |
uLesson is a Nigerian edtech company founded in 2019 that builds an online learning platform via its mobile app, uLesson Education, targeting primary, junior secondary, and senior secondary students across Africa.[1][2][4] It serves K-12 learners in countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Gambia, solving access gaps to quality education through curriculum-aligned videos, quizzes, live lessons, homework help, and exam prep tools like those for WAEC, NECO, JAMB, and BECE—initially distributed via SD cards and USBs for offline use.[1][2][3][6] The platform has shown strong growth, raising $7.5M in Series A (led by Owl Ventures) and $15M in Series B in 2021 for a total of $25.6M, reaching over 100,000 students per mock exam session, and earning accolades like TIME's Top EdTech Rising Stars and Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies in EMEA (2023).[1][3][5][7]
uLesson was founded in 2019 by Sim Shagaya, a serial entrepreneur, in Abuja (with some sources noting Jabi-Abuja or Jos as headquarters), starting with pre-recorded educational videos on SD cards and USBs for K-12 students in Nigeria to address limited internet access.[1][2][5] The idea emerged from recognizing Africa's education gaps, building on Shagaya's prior ventures; the team quickly gained traction, launching the uLesson Education app in March 2020 amid COVID-19 demand, adding features like Junior High School libraries (July 2020) and AI-personalized learning.[1][2][3] Pivotal moments include helping students crack WAEC exams (August 2020), a CNN feature (October 2021), sponsorships like the NCF Under-17 Cricket Championship (2023), and the uNAT tournament with 5M naira prizes (March 2023), alongside expansion plans to East Africa.[1][5]
uLesson rides the African edtech boom, fueled by a rising middle class, youth population (over 400M under 18), smartphone penetration, and post-COVID demand for blended learning amid teacher shortages and poor infrastructure.[1][2][3] Timing aligns with $25.6M funding in 2021, enabling scale during remote education shifts; market forces like government exams (WAEC, JAMB) and AI integration favor it over rivals focused on admin tools (Edves) or narrower personalization (Gradely).[2][5] It influences the ecosystem by localizing content, sponsoring events like uNAT, and pioneering offline solutions, bridging urban-rural divides and preparing students for tech jobs via coding—positioning edtech as key to Africa's demographic dividend.[1][3]
uLesson is poised for East Africa expansion and deeper AI personalization, potentially launching university-level tools via Miva Open University amid growing investor interest in scalable edtech.[1][5] Trends like 5G rollout, gamified learning, and vocational skills (e.g., expanding DevKids) will shape its path, with influence evolving from K-12 leader to pan-African education powerhouse—building on its "No. 1 Learning App" status to close persistent learning gaps.[3][6][7]
uLesson has raised $26.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
uLesson's investors include 10100, 2xN, Accenture, Altos Ventures, Costanoa Ventures, Expa, Founder Collective, General Atlantic, Innovation Endeavors, Musha Ventures, Owl Ventures, Romulus Capital.
