Three Nigerian education technology startups have secured a combined N7 million in seed funding to scale new learning solutions built on artificial intelligence and peer-to-peer teaching. The funding came from Women and Career, a non-governmental organisation supporting innovation in education, and was awarded at the end of the 2025 Women and Career EdTech Fellowship Programme.
The fellowship, which ran for twelve weeks, was designed to equip early-stage ventures with the practical tools, skills and networks required to build solutions that can influence the future of learning in Nigeria.
The VARLC Project emerged as the first-prize winner and received N4.5 million to grow its peer-tutoring platform. The platform connects university students with high-performing peers who offer subscription-based tutoring, giving learners personalised access to academic support at their own pace while enabling knowledgeable students to earn income by teaching or uploading lessons. Ntapi Inc, which received N2.25 million, operates an EdTech-driven social network that provides engaging and affordable educational content in several Nigerian languages. It allows users to follow industry experts and content creators and gives SMEs and organisations a space to develop educational materials for wider audiences. Neuronest was awarded N750,000 to expand its AI-based adaptive learning tool designed specifically for neurodiverse children, including learners with ADHD and dyslexia. Its technology adapts lessons to each child’s learning style to ensure that more students can learn effectively.
During the award ceremony held in Lagos, the CEO of INGRYD Academy encouraged the founders to approach the tech ecosystem with a balance of boldness and caution.
She stressed that risk-taking is unavoidable in technology and urged them to gather and analyse data that can help them understand their market rather than data collected only for monetisation. She noted that founders must be flexible, ready to shut down ideas that do not match the needs of their operating environment and willing to build new solutions for markets beyond Nigeria. She explained that products should be designed in ways that allow multiple forms of identification and access, warning that limiting a platform to local systems such as BVN alone can cut it off from global opportunities. She reminded the audience that technology is borderless and that founders must think beyond their immediate environment if they hope to build solutions that can scale across Africa and other regions.
An angel investor at the event also encouraged the startups to be globally minded and patient, especially in the early stages when traction may be slow. He advised them to pursue ideas that are familiar enough for the market to understand but innovative enough to stand out. According to him, with thorough research, persistence and a clear value proposition, young founders can build products that eventually gain widespread acceptance.
The programme director of Women and Career offered further reassurance by revealing that the organisation is already working behind the scenes to secure collaborations with major partners, including Mastercard and CcHub. He described the fellowship as a call to action for startups to solve real educational problems using technology and reiterated that the organisation believes EdTech founders must become active contributors to the future of learning on the continent.
For MSMEs, the development highlights a rising wave of homegrown EdTech solutions that could simplify staff training, expand language-based learning for local businesses and offer personalised learning tools that help young people become more productive. As these startups grow, they are expected to drive more opportunities for small enterprises, content creators and local educators, strengthening the broader digital economy across Nigeria and Africa.
