Schools shutdown hastens shift to online learning for some 24 January 2021 - 00:05 By Arthur Goldstuck
The explosion in online teaching during the pandemic has made educational technology one of the big winners in the venture capital industry, with SA’s delay of school opening ensuring that the momentum will continue this year.
More significantly, it has opened a path to the future of education in the country, once the government lives up to its own promises in this regard.
“The genie is out of the bottle, and there s no shoving him back in after the pandemic,” says Robert Paddock, CEO of the Valenture Institute, one of SA’s biggest “edtech” success stories. In September, it secured a $7m (R105m) investment from GSV Ventures, a global venture capital fund known for its early-stage investment in online teaching platform Coursera.
Enygma Ventures invests $650,000 in PremierCredit
Enygma Ventures has announced its final investment of 2020 into PremierCredit, an online microlending platform operating in Zambia and Zimbabwe, which has extensive plans to grow and serve the SADC region.
L to R: Eugene Mwila and Chilufya Mutale, founders of PremierCredit“After an extraordinary year it has been incredible to see women-owned businesses still thriving and creating expansion plans despite the pandemic” said Sarah Dusek, managing partner and co-founder of Engyma Ventures.
PremierCredit has a proven track record of supporting the informal sector and making informal trading possible for many by providing timely and appropriate loans to help businesses thrive. Since 2019, PremierCredit has been offering micro loans in Zambia, supporting local entrepreneurs and small scale traders, many of whom are women, increasing their access to capital and the ability to grow their businesses. With the support of its partner ban
PremierCredit, an online
microlending platform operating in Zambia and Zimbabwe, has raised $650 000 (R9.7 million) from
South Africa’s Enygma Ventures. Branded as a unique purpose fund, Enygma Ventures is a Venture Capital Fund that invests in female founders and entrepreneurs in Southern Africa.
PremierCredit has extensive plans to grow and serve the SADC (Southern African Development Community), a Regional Economic Community comprising 16 Member States.
Since 2019 PremierCredit has been offering microloans in Zambia, supporting local entrepreneurs and small scale traders, many of whom are women, increasing their access to capital and the ability to grow their businesses.
“After an extraordinary year it has been incredible to see women-owned businesses still thriving and creating expansion plans despite the pandemic,” said Sarah Dusek, Managing Partner & Co-Founder of Engyma Ventures.