Global Publisher invests in Africa by supporting South African based EdTech

28th May 2021

The Sheffield-based global educational publisher Twinkl has announced an investment and partnership with the African EdTech company Watobe.

Watobe is a digital education platform that supports the challenges faced by pupils and education systems ssacro Africa by working with parents and learners to help them grasp concepts, fill any gaps and excel in their studies. The Watobe platform achieves this by providing curriculum-aligned video lessons for mathematics, coupled with adaptive quizzing and remote 1-to-1 mentor support. All Watobe content and mentor support is accessible on all devices 24/7 to give learners flexibility. 

Founders Henry Warren, former Director of Innovation at the publishing company Pearson and Erik Lönnroth, also ex Pearson and a former consultant at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, created Watobe in 2019 to ensure that children could learn in a way that suited them in a digital age. 

Watobe has received a strategic investment from and joined Twinkl through its business accelerator TwinklHive, which partners and supports entrepreneurs and businesses that have a shared mission to help educators and transform learning experiences. The £450k investment values the recently founded company at £4.45 million. 

The team at TwinklHive recognised how Watobe could significantly support learners in Africa by providing tailored educational services that draw on the science of behavioural psychology to create sustainable study habits. With the founders Henry and Erik having spent three decades working on education and development challenges in Africa, TwinklHive were keen to support them with their ongoing mission. 

Henry Warren, Chair and Founder of Watobe said: “We are unbelievably excited to be working with Twinkl, one of the world’s leading educational companies to ensure that high-quality education can become available to all children in Africa”

David Angrave, COO of Twinkl, said: “Africa is a large market where needs are currently underserved. Twinkl's mission and passion for education align perfectly with Watobe, we're delighted to be embarking on this partnership".

The EdTech company is currently operating in South Africa with plans to expand into other countries in Africa imminently.

For more information about Watobe please visit watobe.co.za or contact info@watobe.co.za