iHub, Mastercard Foundation pick 12 Kenyan edtech startups for fellowship
iHub and the Mastercard Foundation selected 12 Kenyan edtech startups for up to $100,000 each in equity-free funding under an 18-month fellowship.
Photo by Katerina Holmes on Pexels
iHub and the Mastercard Foundation selected 12 Kenyan startups for the fourth cohort of the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship, offering each company up to $100,000 in equity-free funding, TechCabal reported on July 28, 2026. The fellowship, run through the Foundation’s Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning, shifts this cohort to an 18-month programme focused on early-stage startups, a change from the eight-month, growth-stage format used in prior cohorts.
The 12 selected companies split across three focus areas: DEAFHEALTH, AssistiveMath, Signvrse, Deaf Outreach Program, SmartSteamMinds Edtech and Chipurobo work on tools for learners with disabilities; Neurollect Audread, JUZA AI LTD, Ubuntu Universe Limited and RYEH CBO build multilingual or offline-capable products for refugees, displaced people and rural or underserved communities; and Gwiji for Women and Tausi App focus on entrepreneurial and vocational digital skills for girls and young women, according to TechCabal and TechAfrica News.
Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship’s track record in Kenya
Since launching in Kenya in 2023, the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship has supported 36 edtech companies that have collectively reached more than 700,000 learners, over 11,000 educators, and more than 2,100 schools, including 6,000 learners with hearing or visual disabilities, both outlets reported. Neither source disclosed a total dollar figure for the fellowship’s cumulative investment in Kenya, nor a shilling-denominated total for the current $100,000-per-startup grants.
Nissi Madu, managing partner at iHub, said “innovation has the greatest impact when it begins with the learners who have historically been excluded” and that over the next 18 months the fellowship’s role is “to help them test, refine, and generate evidence for their solutions while building sustainable businesses that can scale their impact,” per TechCabal.
Abdinoor Ali Mahdi, founder of M-Lugha, a 2025 fellow, said the programme helped his company “move beyond building technology to creating meaningful learning experiences for 14,000 learners across 35 counties,” with the app now downloaded in 130 countries, according to both outlets.
| Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| Startups selected (Cohort 4) | 12 |
| Funding per startup | Up to $100,000, equity-free |
| Cohort duration | 18 months (up from 8 months in prior cohorts) |
| Cumulative companies supported since 2023 | 36 |
| Cumulative learners reached | 700,000+ |
| Cumulative educators reached | 11,000+ |
| Cumulative schools reached | 2,100+ |
| Learners with disabilities reached | 6,000+ |
The shift to a longer, earlier-stage fellowship format signals a change in how the Mastercard Foundation is trying to build Kenya’s edtech pipeline, moving support upstream to companies still refining their products rather than only growth-stage firms. That mirrors a broader trend of edtech funders backing niche, accessibility-focused tools alongside larger AI platforms; imagi, for example, raised $4.5 million to bring AI coding education to schools earlier in 2026, part of the same wave of edtech investment aimed at expanding who gets access to digital learning tools.
About the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship
The Mastercard Foundation launched the global EdTech Fellowship in 2019 through its Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning, working with technology hubs and accelerators across Africa to support edtech entrepreneurs. iHub has served as the Foundation’s managing partner for the fellowship in Kenya since the program’s local launch in 2023. Wariko Waita, director of the Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning, said the fellowship “sits at the intersection of three powerful forces – education system transformation, inclusive technology-enabled solutions and sustainability of Africa’s EdTech entrepreneurship,” according to TechAfrica News. Cohort 4’s narrower focus on disability, displacement and gender-inclusion builds on that mandate as the fellowship enters its fourth round of Kenyan startup support.
Sources: TechCabal; TechAfrica News
Featured image: photo by Katerina Holmes on Pexels (free Pexels license).
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I specialize in sustainability education, curriculum co-creation, and early-stage project strategy. At WINSS, I craft articles on sustainability, transformative AI, and related topics. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me chasing the perfect sushi roll, exploring cities around the globe, or unwinding with my dog Puffy — the world’s most loyal sidekick.
