• The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship has supported 23 start-ups since 2024, reaching 410K+ learners across the country, with 13 additional ventures joining the Fellowship in 2026.

Cairo, Egypt: EdVentures, the corporate venture capital arm of Nahdet Misr Group, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation through its Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning, has officially kicked off the 2026 cohort of the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship in Egypt, with 13 innovative growth stage startups expanding the program portfolio to 36 startups supported across three cohorts.

The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship is an entrepreneurship acceleration program designed to support promising, African EdTech companies. Implemented in partnership with innovation hubs and EdTech accelerators across Africa, the Fellowship provides select EdTech companies with critical business and financial support, as well as insight into the science of learning, preparing them for scale, sustainability, and impact.

Egypt’s 2026 cohort of 13 selected growth stage startups spans a wide range of innovation realms, including artificial intelligence, healthcare education, employability, early childhood learning, women's economic empowerment, social-emotional learning, accessibility, and education-to-employment pathways, further strengthening the Fellowship's contribution to a more inclusive and future-ready education ecosystem.

Speaking at the kick-off event, Dalia Ibrahim, Founder and CEO of EdVentures, said: "At EdVentures, we believe that transforming education requires more than innovative technologies; it requires strong partnerships that bring together shared expertise, resources, and a common vision for impact. The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship is a powerful example of how collaboration can accelerate innovation, expand opportunities for entrepreneurs, and reach more learners and communities across Africa. With the launch of Cohort 3, we are proud to continue supporting a growing network of founders who are developing solutions that strengthen learning, employability, and economic participation for the continent's youth."

A defining feature of the EdTech Fellowship remains its commitment to inclusion and equitable access.

The 13 startups selected for Cohort 3 are:

  • Wisdom Education: advancing medical and dental education through specialized digital learning experiences.
  • Hoopooh: an AI-powered early childhood education platform supporting personalized learning and teacher development.
  • Business Development Institute (BDI): delivering entrepreneurship, business development, and professional upskilling programs.
  • Plan P: bridging the gap between healthcare education and real-world clinical practice.
  • MedsPark : providing specialized healthcare training and professional development opportunities.
  • E-TripleSoft Learn: offering practical ERP and enterprise technology education aligned with market needs.
  • MOMKEN FOR HER: empowering women through learning, upskilling, and employment opportunities.
  • Edulga.ai: leveraging artificial intelligence to deliver personalized lifelong learning pathways.
  • SDS Egypt: creating education-to-employment pathways for persons with disabilities through accessible digital learning.
  • GMind: transforming learning through immersive VR and AR educational experiences.
  • Qualiphi: connecting students, universities, and employers through AI-powered employability solutions.
  • Empower Hub: helping underserved youth access mentorship, scholarships, and global opportunities.
  • Farid Academy: promoting social-emotional learning, character development, and wellbeing for children and youth.

Wariko Waita, Director of the Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning, added: "The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship sits at the intersection of three powerful forces: education system transformation, inclusive technology-enabled solutions, and the sustainability of Africa's EdTech entrepreneurship ecosystem. Through this Fellowship, we are supporting innovators who are expanding access to learning, creating opportunities for young people, and helping shape the future of education across Egypt and Africa."

Several startups within Cohort 3 are addressing barriers faced by underserved communities, women, youth, and persons with disabilities, while others are helping learners develop future skills, improve employability outcomes, and access pathways to economic participation. The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship is now being implemented in 12 countries across Africa including Egypt in partnership with Africa’s leading innovation and technology hubs.

About EdVentures

Established in 2017, EdVentures is the investment arm of Nahdet Misr Group and the leading EdTech specialized corporate venture capital firm in the MENA region. The company supports startups and young entrepreneurs operating in the education and EdTech sectors through its incubation, acceleration, and investment programs. Since its launch, EdVentures has supported 108 startups and invested in 29 of them.

www.nmedventures.com

About the Mastercard Foundation

The Mastercard Foundation is a registered Canadian charity and one of the largest foundations in the world. It works with visionary organizations to advance education and financial inclusion to enable young people in Africa and Indigenous youth in Canada to access dignified and fulfilling work. Established in 2006 through the generosity of Mastercard when it became a public company, the Foundation is an independent organization separate from the company, with offices in Toronto, Kigali, Accra, Nairobi, Kampala, Lagos, Dakar, and Addis Ababa. Its policies, operations, and program decisions are determined by the Foundation’s Board of Directors and leadership.

For more information on the Foundation, please visit www.mastercardfdn.org

About the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship

The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship is an entrepreneurship acceleration program designed to support promising, African EdTech companies. Implemented in partnership with innovation hubs and EdTech accelerators across Africa, the Fellowship provides select EdTech companies with critical business and financial support, as well as insight into the science of learning, preparing them for scale, sustainability, and impact. The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship was launched in 2019 by the Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning with the goal of providing access to technology-enabled, inclusive, quality education to all, especially young people, underserved, under-resourced and marginalized communities.