Mastercard Foundation backs third EdTech cohort
The Mastercard Foundation launched its third EdTech Fellowship cohort, supporting 36 ventures (24 post‑acceleration) to scale education innovations — a funding wave that can seed new campus tools and vendor partnerships. The cohort mix signals continued investment into scalable edtech solutions. (x.com/shegamedia/status/2038537348380492046)
The Ethiopia launch occurred during Ethiopia EdTech Week in Addis Ababa on March 25–26, 2026, an event hosted by Reach for Change in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. (shega.co) Reach for Change said its Ethiopia programme pairs equity-free grants of up to US$60,000 with tailored coaching, investor advisory, peer learning and access to learning‑science courses delivered in partnership with institutions including Carnegie Mellon University. (shega.co) CcHub’s Nigeria Demo Day (announced December 1, 2025) showcased 12 participating startups — including AI Teacha, Varsityscape, FlexiSAF and Mavis Computel — and reported the cohort collectively reached more than 21,000 learners, engaged about 7,000 educators, and supported over 500 schools. (cchub.africa) The Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning has set programme-level targets to partner with 12 tech hubs, support over 250 EdTech companies, and reach at least 1.8 million young people by the end of 2025. (techdesk.africa) iHub Kenya’s reporting shows the first two cohorts reached over 470,341 learners and onboarded 1,537 schools, and iHub highlighted gender‑inclusion advances such as seven female founders among its third cohort selections. (techtrendske.co.ke) CcHub described a cross‑cohort “Founders Connect” alumni forum that catalysed in‑cohort partnerships, citing examples where Varsityscape integrated with I‑Train Africa and Kryptr partnered with FlexiSAF to expand scholarship and student engagement pathways. (cchub.africa)
