Video e-learning platform for MENA, Almentor, closes $6.5M Sequence B led by Partech – TechCrunch

There are greater than 400 million Arabic audio system globally and that quantity isn’t slowing down anytime quickly. Arabic, to most individuals, is a tricky language even to those that converse it. In response to Duolingo, somebody fluent in Egyptian Arabic won’t totally perceive Yemeni Arabic audio system due to the huge distinction in dialect.

Whereas people can simply navigate dialects, it may be comparatively exhausting for them to seek out tailor-made Arabic content material important for on a regular basis life.

Dr Ihab Fikry and Ibrahim Kamel based Almentor.internet in 2016 as an internet video studying platform to compensate for this lack of on-line studying content material for Arabic audio system. In collaboration with a whole bunch of leaders, educators, and consultants, the platform presents programs and talks in varied fields like well being, humanities, expertise, entrepreneurship, enterprise administration, life-style, drama, sports activities, company communication, and digital media.

In 2016, Almentor closed a $3.5 million seed spherical and two years in the past raised $4.5 million Sequence A led by Egypt’s Sawari Ventures. With this Sequence B funding, the Dubai-based edtech firm has raised $14.5 million in complete. San Francisco and Paris-based VC agency Partech led the financing spherical with participation from Sawari Ventures, fellow Sequence A investor Egypt Ventures, and Sango Capital.

Almentor gives Arab learners with the mandatory abilities crucially wanted to advance their skilled careers and private lives. The platform claims to have the largest steady studying library within the area and one of many greatest worldwide. With places of work in Dubai, Cairo, and Saudi Arabia, its video content material is developed in-house and made in Arabic and English.

“The imaginative and prescient and cause behind beginning Almentor is we perceive that in our area of greater than 100 million folks, of which 90{69439eabc38bbe67fb47fc503d1b0f790fcef507f9cafca8a4ef4fbfe163a7c5} can’t correctly study with every other language aside from Arabic,” Fikry stated to TechCrunch. “So we needed to have a cutting-edge cutting-edge platform that can change folks’s ideology and assist them be goal, and focus based mostly on subjects that may be taught as prodigious studying.”

For first-time merchandise like Almentor, it may be exhausting to get each traders and prospects on board. In response to CEO Fikry, the primary problem was to persuade the funding neighborhood within the MENA area that Almentor was creating a brand new business in video e-learning that “had a number of potential to energy instruments within the area.”

Almentor’s enterprise is an intersection of training, media, and expertise. Its choices are dissected into three: the flagship B2C product, a white-label B2B mannequin for blue-chip corporations, and the final, which Fikry calls the ‘particular mission’ for governmental our bodies.

For its B2C product, Almentor sells programs to customers for $20-$30 of which they get to maintain for a lifetime. Fikry says that in June, the corporate is planning to introduce a subscription-based mannequin the place customers can have limitless entry to all of its 12,000 video content material for a payment to its greater than 1 million registered customers.

The B2B mannequin is the place Almentor opens its library to corporations to customise their content material for workers. These movies are primarily tutorials or coaching wanted to thrive at work, and since 2016, Almentor has executed 78 offers with companion corporations. 

The particular mission’s mannequin highlights Almentor’s work with the federal government. One time, the corporate had a partnership with the Egyptian authorities to upskill the nation’s film business. It has accomplished 11 extra comparable particular initiatives since launching 5 years in the past. 

Throughout all three fashions, Fikry says Almentor has efficiently delivered greater than 2 million studying experiences. With this funding, the firm needs to enhance content material manufacturing and high quality and educate folks within the MENA area on why they want the product.

“We at the moment are main the continual video studying business within the Arab area, and we have now a accountability that goes past our ambitions for Almentor. Our accountability now’s to work unceasingly to enhance the business as a complete within the Arab area, and this may solely be achieved by means of gaining the arrogance of the Arab learners within the worth, professionalism and impartiality of the content material offered by the platform and dealing consistent with the worldwide studying traits.”

Talking on the funding for Partech, common companion Cyril Collon stated: “Since our first interplay, we have now been very impressed by Ihab and Ibrahim, two unbelievable mission-driven entrepreneurs who’ve been executing on a daring imaginative and prescient since 2016, and who constructed the main Arabic self-learning go-to content material supplier within the Center East and Africa.  We’re wanting ahead to supporting the corporate in its subsequent section of progress to serve the 430 million Arabic-speaking inhabitants and increase entry to on-demand cutting-edge private studying & developments choices.”