Esoma Kids

Limited access to quality education resources in Sub-Saharan Africa contributes to 89% of children failing to meet age-appropriate literacy and numeracy milestones. In Kenya, about 60% of grade 4 learners in Kenya who cannot at least meet expectations in both solving a grade 3 appropriate numeracy problem and reading a grade 3 appropriate English text. 

High costs and poor accessibility exacerbate this issue, hindering children's ability to develop fundamental skills essential for academic success and future opportunities. Without adequate literacy and numeracy proficiency, these children face significant barriers to accessing higher education, securing employment, and ultimately realizing their full potential in various aspects of life.

Esoma Kids bridges the accessibility and cost problem by providing teachers and learners with a low-cost, easily accessible, platform with curated digital content and tools to help improve learning outcomes. The platform is built on evidence of teaching and learning science and tailored to improve learning outcomes. We ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all from a tender age, as envisioned in SDG 4.

Esoma Kids is a web-based mobile-friendly platform built on adaptive algorithms that chart a learner's path based on their ability. The path continuously adapts when the learner demonstrates competency in skills or is faced with difficulty, ensuring that each learner learns at their own pace within the limits of their ability.

The platform has an integrated innovative competency scoring algorithm meticulously evaluating learners' mastery of each concept, considering question difficulty and consistency to generate a comprehensive competency score. As learners progress and master new skills, they earn learning points, fostering a sense of achievement and motivation.

In the event of difficulty, our platform offers targeted interventions such as animated video lessons or summarized notes to support learners in overcoming challenges. Through engaging interactive modes including Drag and Drop, Selection, Input, Audio, and Gamified interactions, children experience immersive learning tailored to their preferences.

Here is a link to a Product Demo of how Esoma Kids work.

Our solution serves children aged 6-10 in Sub-Saharan Africa, along with their teachers, in their pursuit of foundational literacy and numeracy proficiency. For children, it offers a personalized digital learning experience, equipping them with essential skills early on, thus positioning them to potentially become consumers of other educational technology products in the future. This empowerment fosters a brighter educational journey and opens doors to broader opportunities. Additionally, the platform supports teachers by providing tools for teaching and assessment, coupled with continuous professional development opportunities. This ensures they can adapt to evolving educational landscapes, deliver quality instruction, and implement effective pedagogical approaches.

We have a strong and diverse team at Esoma Solutions that will ensure the solution is best delivered to users. The team's technical expertise, strong leadership, and effective collaboration, combining backgrounds in technology, education, and community engagement, make us an ideal unit to deliver the solution. The team members are all products of the Kenya education system, with a deep understanding of the improvements required to improve learning outcomes. The following are the members of the team and what they bring on board. 

1. Julius Njuguna Irungu

The team leader bearing the vision for the business, and an accomplished crusader for equitable education. Julius is a graduate of Analytical Chemistry with management from Kenyatta University, and recently participated in EdTech Hub’s program “EdTech Evidence for Entrepreneurs” - funded by the Jacob's Foundation, from which he emerged top in his cohort, gaining essential knowledge on how to build viable evidence-backed EdTech solutions. 

2. Kelvin Kung’u Munyambu

Kelvin is an Information and Communications Technology graduate from Mount Kenya University. He is the visionary architect behind our web design and development, a creative virtuoso with a remarkable aptitude for full-stack development

3. Esborn Waithuki Kariuki 

A dynamic business visionary, whose illustrious career spans various influential roles within diverse organizations. Armed with a degree in Industrial Chemistry and Management from Kenyatta University, he possesses an innate ability to orchestrate streamlined processes and deliver impeccable quality outcomes.

4. Moreen Wanjiku Kamau

Maureen is a graduate with a  Masters in Digital Marketing from Deakin University, Australia. She ensures that our communications and digital marketing endeavors are not just campaigns but masterpieces of strategic brilliance. Her experience schooling abroad in her Master's degree adds great value in our attempts to improve learning outcomes locally.

5. Teddy Ochieng Samo

Teddy has a Master's degree in Instructional Design, Educational Sciences, Professional Development, and Educational Research from Vrije Universiteit Brussel. He has previously been involved in shaping a strategic framework for digitized aquaculture education in Kenya. His experiences in instructional design and functional pedagogical approaches in digital learning are important in our effort to build evidence-backed solutions. His different perspective from successes in Europe is a valuable addition to the team. 

6. Fridah Wangui Maina

A teacher by profession and our content validation lead, Fridah has played a pivotal role in our team by serving as a bridge between theoretical knowledge and practical application. She is a Bachelor of Education graduate from Laikipia University, Kenya. Her keen insight into the real-time needs of both learners and teachers enables us to craft educational solutions that are not only relevant but also transformative.

Our product is currently in the pilot stage for a couple of reasons. Despite attracting over 500 users, we're still refining both the design and business model. Launching in Kenya adds complexity as we tailor our solution to meet local needs and cultural nuances. Being in the pilot stage means we're actively seeking feedback and iterating based on user experiences. While we've secured some funding ($12,555 from the EdTech Hub), it's clear that we're still in the early stages of refining our product-market fit. This period allows us to experiment, gather data, and pivot as needed before fully scaling our venture. Overall, being in the pilot stage is a strategic in that it positions our startup for long-term success by prioritizing learning and adaptation.

We are eager to apply to the Solve program for several compelling reasons. First, there is a profound alignment between Solve's mission of leveraging technology to address equity gaps in learning and our organization's commitment to utilizing technology to close the learning disparities prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in literacy and numeracy. This resonance between Solve's objectives and our mission underscores the significance of our application.

Moreover, participating in Solve presents unparalleled advantages for our startup. The program offers access to vital human and capital resources crucial for achieving our objectives. Grant funding, networking opportunities, and expert guidance provided by Solve serve as essential catalysts for our solution to effectively reach its intended targets. Given the collaborative nature required to make our solutions thrive, partnerships such as this represent a significant step towards collective success in our mission.

Esoma Kids stands out in the EdTech landscape due to its innovative Competency Attainment Process (CAP). Unlike traditional approaches, Esoma Kids' CAP ensures a thorough understanding of every concept through comprehensive and exhaustive coverage of all possible paths of explanation. What sets Esoma Kids apart is its integration of adaptive and personalized learning paths, facilitated by advanced algorithms. This dynamic approach tailors the learning journey to each student's strengths, weaknesses, pace, and ability, optimizing their potential. By constantly adjusting to individual needs, Esoma Kids provides a truly customized educational experience, fostering deeper comprehension and engagement. This blend of personalized learning and comprehensive competency attainment makes Esoma Kids a pioneering FLN solution in educational technology.

We are also working to integrate Generative AI functionalities in the system to further enhance our learners’ experience. Generative AI in Esoma Kids will help further personalize learning by generating tailored exercises, quizzes, and explanations based on each student's progress and preferences. It will provide more apt adaptive challenges, reinforce concepts, and offer real-time feedback, maximizing engagement and comprehension. This dynamic approach shall ensure a customized and effective learning experience for every learner.

Esoma Kids addresses low access to learning tools by providing a scalable and accessible platform. Our product further reaches learners in remote and underserved areas through appropriate collaborations with partners in the education space. Its adaptive learning algorithms cater to students with varying literacy and numeracy levels, fostering foundational skills development. Through personalized learning experiences tailored to individual needs, Esoma Kids bridges gaps in foundational proficiency, empowering learners to progress at their own pace and enhancing overall educational outcomes, regardless of geographical or socioeconomic barriers.

A visual of Esoma Kids Theory of Change is attached. 

Esoma Kids aims to improve literacy and numeracy outcomes for children aged 6-10 in Sub-Saharan Africa, addressing the region's education gap. Impact goals include increasing literacy and numeracy proficiency, reducing the percentage of children below age-appropriate milestones, and enhancing accessibility to quality educational resources. Progress is measured through pre- and post-assessment scores, tracking improvements in literacy and numeracy skills, user engagement metrics, and feedback from teachers and parents. Additionally, monitoring the expansion of access to the platform across underserved communities helps gauge effectiveness in reaching those most in need.

Esoma Kids leverages web-based technology, ensuring accessibility via mobile devices, and incorporates adaptive learning algorithms. These algorithms dynamically adjust content and pace based on each learner's proficiency and learning patterns, fostering personalized learning experiences. Additionally, when AI-enabled feedback models are fully integrated, they will provide real-time guidance and assessment, aiding learners in understanding concepts effectively. This fusion of adaptive learning and AI feedback empowers children aged 6-10 in Sub-Saharan Africa to acquire foundational literacy and numeracy skills at their own pace.

We have six members of the team, where 3 are permanent and 3 are engaged on need to need basis (part-time), based on their roles. 

Permanent

1. Julius Irungu

2. Kelvin Munyambu

3. Esborn Kariuki

Part-time

1. Moreen Kamau

2. Fridah Maina

3. Teddy Ochieng Samo

We have been working on the solution for five years. We are currently on our first pivot/iteration, built to support a specific age group among our users. While we started as comprehensive K-12 solutions tool (www.esomake.co.ke), we have developed Esoma Kids to cater for the needs of younger learners in the system, based on the feedback we have collected and evidence put together by researchers. As learning engineering implementers, we understand out primary job is to validate learning science principles an remain adaptive to emerging trends and changes in learning and teaching. 

We are alive to the concept of diversity, equity and inclusion (D.E.I.), and we work hard to ensure adherence. To ensure diversity and inclusivity in our startup’s team, we prioritize inclusive hiring practices, actively seeking candidates from varied backgrounds. We also implement policies that minimize barriers to opportunity, such as flexible working hours. For us to foster a culture of respect and openness, we encourage open dialogue and value diverse perspectives. Since we are a small group, we operate like an affinity group or employee resource group to support every individual at their personal levels. We promote a welcoming environment where all team members feel valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their best. The team is age diverse, comes from different ethnic groups, genders, professional backgrounds, and religions. Our diversity makes us stronger and ensures we bring diverse perspectives to the operations.

A hybrid of B2C and B2B2C.

Our business model is hinged on two fronts: A fully developed B2C, where we directly sell to end consumers, and B2B2C, where we are working to collaborate with schools and institutions to enroll their students onto our platform. Our primary users are learners aged 6-10, hailing from lower to upper-middle-class households, predominantly attending private schools.

In acquiring customers, we leverage a network of teachers who serve as influential advocates for our platform. Additionally, we capitalize on traffic redirected from our established platform, EsomaKE, and are expanding into social media marketing to target parents matching our customer profile. We have leveraged the AARRR Pirate Metrics framework to ensure successful onboarding and retention of users. Implementing these key stages of acquisition, activation, retention, referrals and revenue is important in our B2C approach, to ensure that we convert as many users as possible. 

Key to our revenue stream is user subscriptions, offering access to our educational resources and services. Additionally, we foster partnerships with schools and institutions, augmenting our reach and impact within the educational sector.

Our strategy for financial sustainability centres on ensuring affordability and scalability. With our product priced at an accessible average of $2, we cater to our target market's financial constraints while maintaining profitability. Our dual approach of business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) models allows us to efficiently scale operations and reach a wider audience. Leveraging a lean team optimizes operational costs, while in-house technology development minimizes expenses typically associated with outsourcing. 

We have leveraged grants to grow and develop our product. We have received a grant of $12,555 from the EdTech Hub for product iteration and are actively pursuing other grants primarily for further product development

We are targeting 150,000 annual users by 2027, who should be generating $300,000 in income for us, against an estimated $100,000 in expenses, thus ensuring self-sufficiency. Our success thus far is evidenced by our ability to cover expenses and expand our user base according to plan, demonstrating the viability of our financial sustainability approach.