Meet Nubian Smarts
Nubian Smarts is an Edtech startup based in the East of Johannesburg that strives to improve the educational experience of all African children, by creating mobile applications that are dedicated to making learning fun.
MEET THE FOUNDER
Lungile Maile is the founder and CEO of Nubian Smarts. She is a staunch believer in the power of education, and it is this belief that drives her determination in creating innovative and engaging educational solutions that will empower the African child. Among her many achievements in the short time that she has had the company, she is one of the 50 most inspiring women of the South African panorama in 2018 and a winner of the 2018 Pioneer Foods Community Champion. In 2019, she was also selected as one of the 100 Shining Stars of Ekurhuleni. In 2020 selected as one of the 1000 Digital Africa entrepreneurs, and most recently was announced as the winner of the South African Innovation Summit 2020 BoostUp Pitch Battle.
She is a multi-talented young woman who has an extensive background in the FMCG sector which is where she realized that South Africa needed innovative solutions to address the education crisis.
Lungile (middle) & her brand ambassadors, Dintle (left) and Sebenzile (right)
THE PROBLEM BEING SOLVED
With large amounts of learners in the foundation phase clusters, it is hard for teachers to reach and help all learners. This results in learners not developing the early childhood math literacy that will empower them to be good at mathematics later on in life.
THE IMPORTANCE OF WHY THE PROBLEM NEEDS TO BE SOLVED
Just like Sonia Sotomayor, we believe that “until we get equality in education, we won’t have an equal society”. We are adamant in our belief that the answers to African problems will come from Africans. Our job is to empower the young problem solvers in our communities by providing tools that will make it easier for them to learn. Regardless of the background of learners, they all deserve the chance to enhance their childhood math literacy skills (that are taught in the foundation phase) to develop the confidence required to handle complex mathematics that is required when adapting to the ever-changing world that we are in.
OPPORTUNITIES COVID-19 PROVIDED
The Covid-19 pandemic has made it easier for our target market to adopt technological solutions as part of solving day-to-day educational challenges. It has also highlighted the need for cost-effective solutions that ensure that no learners are left behind. We are finding it easier to get customers since most schools are open to introducing technological solutions as part of their educational strategy.
ASPIRATIONS FOR INCUBATION PERIOD AT FSAT LABS
We would like to scale up the company, increase the number of learners that are impacted by our product, and create strong networks that will help the business grow. We are interested in learning how to get the company investment ready and ensure that our governance processes are geared for the sustainable growth of the company and the team.
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