Funzi

Funzi named one of TIME's Top EdTech Companies of 2024 Funzi has been recognized in the inaugural edition of the World’s Top EdTech Companies 2024. This prestigious award, presented by TIME and Statista, the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider, recognizes companies focused on developing and providing educational technologies, products, or services. The World's Top EdTech Companies list recognizes 250 education technology companies based on research and analysis of over 7 000 companies across two dimensions: financial strength and industry impact. Companies received scores in each dimension and an overall combined score. Other 2024 awardees include Grammarly, Babbel, Skilljar, D2L, and Noodle. Funzi is recognized for its success in making learning accessible to all mobile users globally and delivering skills that are in demand in the changing world of work. Funzi is the world's most accessible learning ecosystem and its short self-study courses make learning 21st century skills available for anyone with a mobile device. “This is a much appreciated recognition for our goal to give everyone with a mobile device access to the skills that they, and our planet, need to thrive in the future: employability, entrepreneurship, and sustainability.” says Aape Pohjavirta, Founder of Funzi. For more than a decade Funzi has given everyone with a mobile device access to the skills they need to build their dreams. Funzi’s goal is to transform the learning industry the way Rovio, Supercell, and Spotify have changed their industries. During the past decade, Funzi has reached more than ten million learners and executed a multitude of ground-breaking and revolutionary projects globally. Funzi’s projects include course delivery during the refugee crisis in the Middle East, development and launch of direct-to-consumer services in collaboration with Facebook and mobile operators, and delivery of services to the TVET sector to bridge the Fourth Industrial Revolution skills gap. Today, Funzi looks at the future with confidence: the need for mobile-first, pedagogically solid learning services is poised to grow in the future. In the uncertainties of our world, 21st century skills are key components of success, and that is what Funzi provides: access to the skills you need to build your dreams, on your mobile.

We are excited and proud to have just received our HolonIQ Nordic Baltic EdTech 50 badge. This list is HolonIQ’s annual list of the most promising EdTech startups from the region. The Nordic Baltic EdTech 50 is focused on identifying young, fast growing and innovative learning, teaching and up-skilling startups from the region. Powered by data and insights from HolonIQs Impact Intelligence Platform together with qualitative assessments by their Intelligence Unit, and local market experts, organizations are evaluated and scored based on the eligibility and assessment criteria. We are happy that our work, that unlike the work of most of our industry colleagues, focuses on bridging the skills gaps in the emerging markets, receives this recognition from the leading education industry analysts!

Today, ten years ago, Funzi was founded. That is a milestone that makes you want to pause and reflect on what you have become, achieved - have you had an impact? Funzi was founded to give everyone with a mobile device access to the skills they need to build their dreams. We intend to transform the learning industry the way Rovio, Supercell, and Spotify have changed their industries. During this decade, we have reached more than ten million learners and executed a multitude of projects globally. It was difficult to choose three highlights from Funzi’s history, but here we go: Refugees & Funzi The 2015 crisis in the Middle East resulted in a large refugee crisis. Funzi was the first company to use design thinking in developing digital services for these refugees. The services were a huge success and received multiple awards, including Nordic Startup Awards and the Facebook Global Digital Challenge. An achievement that we are particularly proud of is the entrepreneurship training in Iraq: it reached more than 1.1 million users and 27,000 became active learners. Mobile learning for consumers Funzi partnered with Facebook back in 2015. During this partnership we collaborated on technology development, community solutions, and development of services to support Facebook’s own business. One outcome of the partnership were Funzi’s deals with Mobile Network Operators. The first pilots and launches in Asia were full of promise - but then something that no one could predict happened: the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. Covid dramatically changed the behavior of users, and the success we built for never happened. Bridging the Fourth Industrial Revolution skills gap During the pandemic we understood our unique position in assisting the global workforce to learn the skills relevant for the future of work. Our solution, Funzi YES, is designed to give graduating students access to future-relevant skills. It has a scientifically validated impact, users love it, and teachers and educational institutions welcome the easy integration. The market we started in is South Africa, and we are expanding into other countries. Today, Funzi looks at the future with confidence: the need for mobile-first, pedagogically solid learning services is poised to grow in the future. In the uncertainties of our world, trust and truth are key components of success, and that is what Funzi provides: access to the skills you need to build your dreams, on your mobile. Lastly, the most important part, the thanks: we thank all past and present Funzi members, our investors and funders, our partners, and even those who turned down their chance to work with us. To our users, we say: you are the reason why we do this; it is you who are the reason for everything we do at Funzi; thank you for being there. Funzi has proven to be a great system to engage a large number of learners fast and cost-efficiently, please get in touch with us if you are considering starting such a project.

Funzi and all Funzians celebrate this achievement with you, Brian! 🤩 As you prepare to embark on your journey as a skilled project manager, we eagerly anticipate the projects you will lead and the meaningful impact you will undoubtedly make. Here's to Brian's success, his bright future, and all the exciting ventures that lie ahead! ✨

As we approach the final chapter of 2023, we take a moment to reflect on the journey Funzi has undertaken with our inspirational learners and valued partners. A special mention goes to all our zealous Funzians, who tenaciously strive to continue bringing the magic that is Funzi to the world. Your dedication and support have been the heartbeat of our success! Here's to closing this chapter with gratitude and opening a new one full of possibilities. Wishing you all the warmth, joy, and blessings of the season. ✨ Let's embrace the New Year, unwrapping new opportunities and stepping into 2024 together. Cheers to the adventures ahead!

Congratulations to every startup selected for the HolonIQ 2023 Nordic Baltic EdTech 50 list! The list was just launched by the CEO Maria Spies at #XcitED by xEdu at #slush2023! Claned 3DBear GraphoGame Annie Advisor Freeed Code School Finland Eduten Funzi

Vietnam Rural Industries Research and Development Institute (VIRI) wins ASEAN* Leadership Award based on the Eco Fair project that used Funzi mobile learning Exciting news! Eco Fair, a project driving sustainable rural development in Vietnam, just won the ASEAN Leadership Award. With Funzi mobile learning, it reached over 500,000 consumers, empowering them with knowledge on sustainable consumption and certifying MSMEs in the industry. The project focused on green trade, integrating MSMEs into supply chains and supporting eco-fair practices. It contributed to climate change mitigation and to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12 about Responsible Consumption and Production. The project’s efforts also spanned SDGs 2, 8, and 9, promoting zero hunger, economic growth, and industry innovation. It championed sustainable farming, disease control, and food waste treatment for improved food security and agriculture. The project created decent work opportunities, increased MSMEs' access to financial services, and facilitated their integration into value chains and markets.  Big congratulations and thank yous to VIRI, who managed the project. We also want to congratulate EU SWITCH-Asia Official programme and EU International Partnerships without whose funding the project would not have happened! Let's continue working together, fostering positive change! * ASEAN stands for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a union of 10 countries in Southeast Asia, representing over 600 million people.

Funzi’s Founder Aape Pohjavirta, a serial entrepreneur and longtime entrepreneurial activist, shares a practical solution to tackle the challenges of the world:

As we strive towards the UN's Sustainable Development Goal number 8, which envisions decent work for all by 2030, the progress towards achieving it has been challenging. In 2022, almost one fourth of young people (23.5%) worldwide were outside of education, employment, or training (NEET). And as if the global statistics aren’t alarming enough, some countries face even greater challenges! The solution to create new jobs is simple: we need to create new companies that create new jobs. Beyond the essential elements of funding and a stable business environment, the growth of new businesses requires more accessible and scalable entrepreneurship training. Discover our proven, impactful, and scalable solution for creating more jobs and flourishing communities through our Entrepreneur Launchpad programme, as featured in the following blog post, which also includes highlights from the past programmes: https://lnkd.in/dy58hZJY. #EducationForAll #Entrepreneurship #JobCreation #SustainableDevelopment

Exciting Announcement: Funzi Becomes a CPD Member! We're thrilled to share the latest milestone in our journey at Funzi. We've become a CPD Member, and several of our courses have now earned certification from The CPD Certification Service, a globally recognised accreditation institution. CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development, which is in line with our dedication to lifelong learning. We're here to support individuals in constantly upskilling themselves, regardless of their education level. What does this mean for our partners? Organisations benefit from ongoing reskilling of their students and employees, leading to enhanced future career progress and workplace performance. CPD accreditation ensures that our courses meet the highest standards of quality, relevance, and professional development, giving organisations confidence that they have opted for the right educational investment. We invite you to join us in celebrating this significant milestone, and we look forward to continuing our journey of providing lifelong learning for all. #CPDCertification #QualityEducation #EducationForAll