The Startup
uLesson is a Nigerian education technology company that uses digital tools to make learning more accessible, affordable and engaging for students.
Founded by Nigerian entrepreneur Sim Shagaya, uLesson was established in 2019, while its learning app officially launched in March 2020. The company was created to use technology to tackle some of the long-standing problems facing education across Africa, particularly limited access to quality learning materials and teachers.
The platform initially focused on primary and secondary school students, offering curriculum-based video lessons, quizzes and other learning materials. Over time, its services expanded to include live classes and personalised homework support.
Rather than depending entirely on traditional classrooms, uLesson allows students to learn through smartphones, computers and dedicated learning devices. Its offline options were also designed to help students who struggle with expensive or unreliable internet connections.
Today, uLesson is part of a broader education group that has expanded beyond its original K-12 learning platform.
The Problem uLesson Solves
One of the biggest challenges in many African education systems is unequal access to quality education.
Students may attend schools where there are not enough teachers, learning materials or specialised instructors. Internet access and data costs can also make online education difficult for families.
uLesson was designed around this gap.
The company provides structured educational content that students can access outside the traditional classroom. Instead of waiting for a teacher to explain a topic again, a learner can watch a lesson repeatedly, answer questions and practise at their own pace.
This approach became particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools were forced to close and millions of students had to continue learning from home. uLesson’s relatively low-bandwidth approach and digital content helped position the company for rapid growth during that period.
The startup also focuses on curriculum-relevant content, helping students prepare for examinations and understand subjects such as Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and other core subjects.
In simple terms, uLesson is trying to make quality educational support available beyond the four walls of a classroom.
How uLesson Makes Money
uLesson’s main business model is based on paid subscriptions.
Users can pay for access to premium educational content and learning services. The company has also experimented with different product formats, including devices bundled with learning subscriptions.
This model gives uLesson recurring revenue rather than depending mainly on advertising.
The company has also developed products around live lessons, personalised homework help and digital learning devices. Its early model included pre-recorded educational content distributed through SD cards and dongles, an approach that addressed internet limitations in many African homes.
The strategy shows an important feature of African technology businesses: the product has to be designed around the realities of the market.
A purely internet-dependent platform may struggle when customers face expensive data or unreliable connectivity. By providing offline and device-based options, uLesson has attempted to reduce those barriers.
The Growth Story
uLesson’s growth has been supported by significant investment from international and African venture capital firms.
In November 2019, the startup raised $3.1 million in seed funding, with TLcom Capital leading the round.
The company later raised $7.5 million in Series A funding in January 2021. The round was led by Owl Ventures, with participation from existing investors including TLcom Capital and Founder Collective, as well as LocalGlobe.
By December 2021, uLesson had raised another $15 million Series B round, backed by investors including Tencent, Nielsen Ventures, Owl Ventures, TLcom Capital and Founder Collective. At the time, the round was described as the largest disclosed investment in an African edtech company.
The funding helped the company expand its content, technology, team and geographical reach.
uLesson reported that its app had reached two million downloads by 2021, while millions of videos had been watched and questions answered on the platform. It also reported strong growth in paying users and daily engagement.
The company has also formed partnerships aimed at extending digital education to underserved students. In one major initiative, uLesson’s application was preloaded on 4,600 tablets donated by MTN Nigeria to the Federal Government, with the devices intended to support vulnerable and underserved communities.
More recently, the wider uLesson Group has moved further into higher education through Miva Open University, showing how the business is expanding its education ambitions beyond primary and secondary school learning.
The Challenges
Despite its progress, building an education technology company in Africa is not easy.
Internet access remains a major challenge. Although uLesson has developed offline options, many potential customers still face limitations involving smartphones, electricity, connectivity and data costs.
Affordability is another issue. Families have different levels of purchasing power, meaning that a subscription that is affordable to one household may be expensive to another.
The company also operates in a competitive education market. Students can access free educational videos and materials from platforms such as YouTube, while traditional schools, private tutors and other edtech companies compete for the same customers.
Customer acquisition can also be expensive. Convincing parents to pay for a digital education service requires the company to demonstrate that its product provides real value and improves learning outcomes.
Funding is another consideration. Large investments can accelerate growth, but startups must eventually develop a sustainable business model capable of supporting long-term operations.
Lessons for Entrepreneurs
The uLesson story offers several lessons for people building startups.
The first is to solve a clear problem. uLesson did not simply create another technology platform; it focused on a specific challenge — access to quality education.
The second is to build for the market you actually have. Internet limitations forced the company to think beyond streaming and develop offline solutions.
Another lesson is the importance of adaptability. uLesson changed and expanded its products as it learned more about customers and the education market.
Entrepreneurs should also understand that funding is not the same as success. Investment can provide the resources needed to grow, but a startup still needs customers, strong products and a sustainable revenue model.
Finally, uLesson demonstrates the importance of thinking beyond the first product. A company can begin by solving one problem and gradually expand when it understands its customers and market.
uLesson’s journey from a Nigerian edtech startup founded in 2019 to a broader education business shows how technology can be used to tackle major social and commercial problems. Its biggest lesson for entrepreneurs is simple: start with a real problem, build something people need, listen to the market and create a business model capable of lasting beyond the excitement of the startup phase.
