Nairobi's Ubuntu Universe wins $100K grant for offline learning app
What's the deal? Ubuntu UniverseDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Nairobi game studio behind offline-first learning app Soraha, will receive up to $100,000 (KES 12.9 million) in equity-free funding through the Mastercard FoundationDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → EdTech Fellowship. iHUBDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, which runs the programme, named it in July among 12 Kenyan startups in the fourth cohort.
What does it do? Soraha lets students download content once and keep learning offline, targeting regions with weak connectivity. It pairs a game layer with a conventional school platform — assignments, analytics, and reporting for teachers, students, and guardians — plus an adaptive system that finds and closes knowledge gaps.
Why now? Ubuntu Universe was placed in the cohort's cluster of four startups building for refugee, displaced, rural, and underserved communities. Founded by Billy Gareth and Joseph Makonge, the studio built its name at the Nairobi Global Game Jam, winning ten awards over five years for titles including GMan and Butwaa.
What's the endgame? The grant runs over 18 months, longer than the Fellowship's earlier eight-month cycles, which targeted growth-stage firms. iHUB said the extended runway lets early-stage founders test products, refine them with real users, and build evidence to attract investors.
Between the lines: Nissi Madu, managing partner at iHUB, said the selection prioritised founders close to the problems they solve. "Innovation has the greatest impact when it begins with the learners who have historically been excluded," she said.
The signal: The $100,000 cheque sits near the bottom of the funding range, in the 4th percentile by amount — a reminder that this is early, non-dilutive backing rather than a scale-up round. The Fellowship has now supported 36 Kenyan EdTech companies since 2023, reaching more than 700,000 learners and partnering with over 2,100 schools.
Read more: TechTrends Kenya
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
