Egyptian ed-tech Orcas raises $2.1m pre-Series A funding as it expands to Pakistan

Egyptian ed-tech startup Orcas has raised a US$2.1 million pre-Series A funding round as it prepares to expand into Pakistan in the early months of this year.

Co-founded by Hossam Taher and Amira El Gharib in 2019, Orcas provides K-12 students with live one-on-one tutoring sessions, both online and in-person. It also provides self-paced learning environments to complement the learning experience. 

The startup is already active in Saudi Arabia, and is now expanding to Pakistan after raising US$2.1 million in a round co-led by CIRA’s NFX Ventures and Access Bridge Ventures. It also saw participation from Algebra Ventures, Launch Africa Ventures, Cairo Angels Syndicate Fund, and Seedstars International. 

“Learners today have different needs that Edtech companies must cater to. For that reason, we have evolved into a learning platform that offers the complete spectrum of teacher-led and 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,” said Taher.

Aly El Shalakany, CEO of the Cairo Angels Syndicate Fund, said the investment in Orcas encompassed everything the fund has been built for. 

“The fund was designed to double down and invest in our best-performing startups and to continue supporting amazing founders like Hossam and Amira to build great businesses. We are very proud of Orcas’ performance so far and we are confident that with this latest investment they will continue to be market leaders within the space and will now be able to add more exciting educational solutions using cutting edge technology and to bring these products to new markets,” he said.

source: disrupt-africa.com