Kuwait Edtech Baims to Expand to More MENA Markets With $2.2M Series A

While many equate the influx of edtech startups across MENA to the pandemic, it was in 2018 that the region began to witness a noticeable increase in innovation in the space. Granted the pandemic did indeed accelerate edtech solutions, as it did for so many other sectors, yet capital began to pour in pre-lockdown, four years ago.

For Kuwait’s Baims, the journey started even before that, in 2017. Founded by Yousef Alhusaini and Bader AlRasheed, the startup is considered an early mover in the GCC edtech space, with its latest milestone coming in the form of a  $2.2M Pre-Series A, led by Kuwait-based investment company, Rasameel Investment House.

Aiming to digitise offline tutoring to allow users to learn at their own pace, Baims (which stands for ‘Big Aims’), offers tailored, recorded courses for university students in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, as well as Jordan. The courses are a mix of video lectures, notes, love sessions and quizzes, all of which are accessible on the startup’s website and app.

To date, Baims has created almost 3,000 recorded courses and almost 60,000 lectures across 20 universities. Since reporting an undisclosed seed-round in May 2020, the startup’s sales have grown 7x.

It all speaks of a steadily rising edtech ecosystem that observed a 46% growth in capital investment between 2019 and 2021. Last year, 26 deals across MENA were secured at a total of $55 million. That figure was dominated by the likes of Jordan’s Abwaab, which raised two rounds in 2021 - a $5 million seed round in March and a $20 million Series A in November. Other highlight deals included another Jordanian edtech in Edunation, which raised $3 million in June, as well as UAE-based Almentor’s $3.5 million seed round a month prior in May. The best is arguably yet to come for a sector that is still evolving, still refining its innovations, especially in the case of university-level education.

“The higher education market in MENA is still undervalued and there is so much room to improve and grow,”  said co-founder Alhusaini, who also serves as CEO. “We are looking to offer the best academic courses during university & skills based courses post graduation. Our students spend more than 40+ minutes daily on Baims and we are looking to increase that by providing the best academic content from top instructors.”

These instructors are central to Baims’ growth strategy in existing markets and potentially new ones, as it looks to channel this investment into creating what the co-founders are calling a ‘more dynamic and complete experience’. They intend to do so by creating new content, while also further developing their tech to elevate its app.