Skizaa Education, a Kenyan startup, has been chosen as the sole African company among global education startups to participate as a finalist in the Milken Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition.
Founded in 2022, Skizaa specializes in gathering and analyzing educational data, with a particular focus on underserved regions.
The company’s objective is to provide valuable insights to stakeholders such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), curriculum developers, policymakers and social enterprises, enabling them to make informed decisions and improve educational outcomes.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Skizaa Education, Ngugi Karega expressed his delight in representing the company in this international competition, emphasizing their commitment to “Promoting inclusive education and the belief that improved access to data will empower schools and teachers to make more data-driven interventions.”
The Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition (EBPC) is an annual event hosted by the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE) and the Milken Family Foundation.
The competition focuses on promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in education.
It encourages participants to develop and pitch business plans that address various challenges and opportunities in the education sector.
The competition is open to individuals or teams from around the world who have innovative ideas for educational products, services, or programs.
It provides an opportunity for participants to refine their business plans, receive feedback from experts, and compete for a share of the prize money to help bring their ideas to life.
The competition typically involves multiple stages, including the submission of written business plans, semi-final presentations, and a final round where selected finalists present their ideas to a panel of judges.
The judges evaluate the plans based on factors such as innovation, feasibility, potential impact, and market viability.
Winners of the Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition can receive cash prizes, in-kind services and networking opportunities that can support the development and implementation of their educational ventures.
Since 2010, it has awarded more than $1.8 million in cash prizes.
