Abwaab, a Jordanian online learning platform for secondary school students, has acquired Pakistani e-learning social platform Edmatrix to expand its operations, the Amman-headquartered company has announced in a statement.
The company, however, did not disclose the financial terms of the deal. It is the first acquisition by Abwaab, and it marks the startup’s first move into the wider Asian market, after having recently announced the ramping of its operations in Egypt.
Edmatrix was founded in July 2020 by siblings Dr. Faryal Shuja, Manaal Shuja, and Raja Ahmed Shuja along with Syed Onib Nasir. Like Abwaab, Edmatrix’s social learning platform also offers secondary school students the opportunity to buy access to different subjects and learn using pre-recorded videos. The platform also features live sessions for Q&A. The Lahore-based startup had not raised any funding before the acquisition, according to a statement.
Commenting on the new development, Sabri Hakim, Co-founder & CEO of Abwaab, said in a statement,
“Our mission to provide the highest-quality education and make it accessible and affordable to each and every student regardless of socioeconomic background aligns perfectly with Edmatrix’s. We are proud to have them on board as we embark on a journey to change the way students learn in our part of the world.”
With the acquisition, Abwaab will now begin its operations in Pakistan, which is the world’s 5th most populous country with more than 50 million students who demand quality education at affordable rates.
Edmatrix’s Co-founder and CEO Raja Ahmed Shuja said his team is passionate about creating impact in Pakistan, and joining forces with the Abwaab team will enable them to unlock massive potential.
“By partnering up with Abwaab, we won’t only be able to accelerate our pace but create a much bigger impact by enabling millions of students across the Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan. The two companies share the same mission and vision.”
Founded in 2019 by Hamdi Tabbaa, Sabri Hakim, and Hussein Alsarabi, Abwaab enables secondary school students in the Middle East & North Africa to learn different subjects at their own pace using engaging video lessons from expert teachers. The platform allows students to interact with tutors, take tests and quizzes, and track their performance using different tools. It aims to uplift the way students learn outside the classroom by offering visualized learning journeys, continuous assessment, and performance-tracking features. The platform currently has a library of more than 50,000 video lessons and questions, all of which have been produced in-house.
Abwaab has been expanding across different markets in the region and now serves students in Egypt, Saudi, Iraq, and Palestine as well. With the acquisition of Edmatrix, the platform has now launched in Pakistan with subjects of Class 10 and 12 of different education boards of the country. As a part of the acquisition, Edmatrix’s team will become a part of Abwaab.
The Jordanian startup had recently raised $5.1 million in its seed funding round from several investors including BECO Capital, GSV Ventures, 4DX Ventures, EQ2 Ventures, Foundation Ventures, and Spartech Ventures. It has raised a total of $7.5 million to date.
