Women and Career Foundation Empowers Nigerian EdTech Startups with N7 Million Seed Funding

The Women and Career Foundation has awarded seed funding to three Nigerian education technology startups, providing crucial support to help transform their innovative ideas into scalable businesses.

The beneficiaries—The VARLC Project, Ntapi Inc., and Neuronest—were chosen following a rigorous 12-week training under the 2025 Women and Career EdTech Fellowship Programme. Launched a few months ago in Lagos, the initiative is designed to equip EdTech startups with the skills, resources, and networks needed to drive innovation in the education sector.

The Fellowship Programme offers a comprehensive curriculum that includes entrepreneurship, product development, business growth strategies, mentorship, capacity building, expert-led sessions, and hands-on projects. Its goal is to accelerate startup participation in EdTech while preparing founders to address critical industry challenges.

The three winning startups shared N7 million in seed funding. The VARLC Project, which won first prize of N4.5 million, enhances university students’ learning experiences through peer tutoring, allowing top-performing students to earn income while teaching others via the platform.

Ntapi Inc. received N2.25 million to advance its social-learning platform, which makes education affordable, engaging, and accessible in multiple Nigerian languages. The platform upskills users through personalized guidance from industry experts and educational influencers, while also providing a marketplace for content creators.

Neuronest was awarded N750,000 to expand its AI-driven adaptive learning platform, which personalizes K–12 education for neurodiverse learners, including children with ADHD and dyslexia. The startup aims to ensure every child learns in a way that aligns with their cognitive style.

At the award ceremony in Lagos, guest speaker and INGRYD Academy CEO Khadijat Abdulkadir encouraged the startups to balance boldness with caution, emphasizing the importance of risk-taking, data-driven decision-making, agility, and global-minded solutions. Angel investor Ifeanyi Akosionu also advised participants to pursue innovative yet relevant ideas and to persist even when early traction is slow.

Emeka Amadi, Programme Director of Women and Career, noted that the NGO is working to secure further financial and business support from partners including Mastercard and Co-Creation Hub.

“This fellowship is more than a programme; it is a call to action to empower EdTech startups to solve real educational challenges through innovation,” Amadi said. “We believe that EdTech founders must play an active role in shaping the future of education and technology.”