EdTech startups are as important as any other tech startups that are popping in the region – and since technology plays an important role in our lives, children are also inclined to use smart devices to be entertained. Therefore, it would only make sense if education also took a shift towards digitizing its content to encourage children, transforming it into a more fun and lively learning experience.
This is why we decided to speak to one of the leading award-winning EdTech startups in the region, Little Thinking Minds. A startup that creates advanced digital solutions and platforms aimed at improving learning outcomes and enhancing the method of teaching in the MENA region.
With a background in Production and Liberal arts, the founders Rama Kayyali, now CEO, and Lamia Tabba decided to launch Little Thinking Minds in 2005, filling a gap in the market to create engaging and quality content for children to improve their Arabic native language, and connect them to their culture. They were later on joined by Salwa Kathuda as Partner and Head of Strategy and Growth in 2016. “We are committed to improve learning outcomes, advancing skills and increasing social and cultural connectivity in the Middle East and North Africa,” Lamia, who also heads Engagement and Communication, shares.
Little Thinking Minds mainly targets primary school children living in the Arab world, in addition to Arabs living abroad, and equally importantly, the refugees around the world that they reach through working with several NGOs.
While the company was initially driven by edu-tainment in its early years , it pivoted to develop literacy content B2B and B2G, to help students in primary schools. According to Lamia, their content has been rigorously tested and have proven to work everywhere, including low-income areas. “We deliver unparalleled educational programs and resources to over 200 public and private schools within the MENA region,” Lamia tells us.
Little Thinking Minds’ educational content and solution is not just targeted towards Middle Eastern and North African schools, their reach has actually extended beyond the MENA region. They have developed both solutions for Native and Non-native speakers as well as early years. Lamia states that they’ve circulated their solutions to schools in Australia, Europe, Canada, and North America, and has shown to be effective as it has provided an engaging learning experience to over 80,000 students globally including refugee children through remedial school programs.
As of now, the company has offices in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. “Little Thinking Minds is a growing team of passionate educators, programmers, designers, artists, animators and literacy experts,” Lamia says.
Little Thinking Minds has recently closed $1.765M Series A funding round and Lamia shares that they will be using the funds to improve the user journey, expanding their product base, and hiring people to expand in booming markets, such as Saudi Arabia.
If you’d like to know more about Little Thinking Minds, check out their website here. You can also follow them on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to be up to date with their future announcements.