This Edtech startup wants to facilitate collaboration and education in the Nigerian edtech space

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, education in Nigeria was primarily confined to the four walls of brick-and-mortar schools, rendering it a mundane obligation for some, if not most, students.

Consider a federal government tertiary school where the number of students outnumbers the available chairs, and the lecturers’ voices reverberate like whispers in a cavern due to the lack of a PA system to amplify their speech. In such an environment, it’s challenging to foster a culture of learning and collaboration.

But then the COVID-19 pandemic struck, causing a massive upheaval that completely changed the face of education. The traditional rhythm of classroom instruction gave way to the virtual symphony of online learning environments, resulting in an irreversible shift in education.

This change was also noticeable in Nigeria, where adopting technology helped overcome the obstacles caused by the pandemic and brought about a revolution in education.

Online platforms became the cornerstone of educational continuity as the pandemic sparked a swift shift towards remote learning.

Collaborative platforms also gained popularity as educators sought new ways to engage their students. The virtual world became a melting pot of ideas, promoting interactive learning experiences that crossed geographical boundaries.

Moreover, the CEO and co-founder of Tutlr, a Nigerian edtech startup, Adekunle Ogunade, found inspiration in the unexplored intersection of education and technology during this seismic shift.

The freelance web designer noticed a spike in demand from individuals and small companies during the pandemic, as they were keen to learn web design.

However, traditional courses proved prohibitively expensive, and in-person instruction was impractical.

Besides, after facing the challenges of managing course materials, collecting payments, and navigating a disjointed set of communication tools, the co-founder recognised the need for a streamlined, local solution.

Recognising this market gap, the CEO envisioned Tutlr as a solution: a platform that would democratise education by providing affordable and flexible online learning options and the power of peer-to-peer collaboration.

The idea behind Tutlr was to address the specific needs of the Nigerian market in addition to providing an edtech platform. By combining the disparate components of virtual learning into a unified and optimised experience, it attempted to close the gap between accessibility and aspiration.

Meet the people steering the wheel at Tultr

Ogunade (CEO) and Damilare Aremu (CTO) founded Tutlr in 2022. During that year, the founders dedicated themselves to refining their concept and conducting thorough user and market research.

Ogunade, a seasoned full-stack developer and project manager, has over five years of experience building scalable web applications, leading interdisciplinary teams, and guiding beginners through their programming projects.

Aremu is an adept full-stack Python and web developer renowned for his proficiency in crafting robust and scalable web applications.

He boasts a wealth of experience in creating scalable web solutions. His forte lies in building efficient backend systems, creating captivating front-end interfaces, and leveraging several technologies to provide exceptional user experiences.

He possesses a formidable skill set encompassing Django, JavaScript, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB, as well as adeptness in web scraping, automation, and cloud deployment.

Tutlr facilitates education and collaboration

Tutlr offers a comprehensive feature set for creating, sharing, and managing educational content while facilitating user interaction and engagement.

These features include virtual classes, payment and billing management, group and community formation for subject-specific study groups, real-time chat, and file-sharing capabilities.

For context, the startup provides these tools to enrich the learning journey, encouraging active participation in educational content creation. Users can collaborate on study materials, articles, and resources, fostering a culture of knowledge sharing and collective construction.

Tutlr takes a different approach from traditional education and many other e-learning platforms, often limiting lifelong learning opportunities.

The platform aims to create a holistic and interactive learning atmosphere, with features such as access to previous sessions via the user dashboard, content distribution options, and timely notifications and reminders.

Currently bootstrapping, Tutlr generates revenue through multiple streams, including a freemium model, targeted advertisements, strategic educational partnerships, and in-app purchases.

While Tutlr’s Minimum Viable Product (MVP) as a web application is still in development, with a target launch date of March 2024, one of its primary challenges is conducting market research and understanding the nuances of the edtech sector it serves.

Nevertheless, Ogunade asserts that this obstacle has been surmountable through close collaboration with stakeholders in the educational technology industry.

On growth and expansion, “We want to transform how we acquire, share, and experience education. We want to build a global learning community. We want to attract a broad user base to prioritise and implement new features based on user needs and feedback,” Ogunade concludes.