Egyptian Edtech Orcas Raises $2.1 Million for Regional Expansion Plans

Egyptian edtech startup, Orcas, has announced the raise of a $2.1 million Pre-Series A funding round, as it looks to expand the services of its live learning platform across the MENAP region.

Led by CIRA’s NFX Ventures and Access Bridge Ventures, the round also included participation from the likes of Algebra Ventures, Launch Africa Ventures, Cairo

Angels Syndicate Fund and Seedstars International, an impressive roster of backers that speaks volumes of the startup’s potential impact in a new world that has demanded a new approach to education.

With presence in Egypt, KSA and Pakistan, Orcas in its current iteration was founded in 2019 and has made huge strides in helping parents and students find suitable online and offline tutors. Acting as an online discovery channel or marketplace, users can also find hybrid courses that offer personalised learning plans, learning style assessments and practice assignments amongst other features that ultimately aim to empower tutors to deliver high-quality education. 

"Learners today have different needs that edtech companies must cater to,” said co-founder and CEO of Orcas, Hossam Taher. “For that reason, we have evolved into a learning platform that offers the complete spectrum of teacher-led & self-paced learning environments. With the funding, we will be able to continue to build our technology product, attract the best talent, and expand to new geographies in MENAP.”

These radical new approaches have come as a result of a wave of digitisation that has seeped into every corner of our post-pandemic lives, a necessary evolution of a field that has largely remained untouched by tech and innovation until now.