Cameroonian startup Prepdia is helping learners improve their outcomes by reliably connecting them with professional tutors for in-person and online lessons. Founded in 2019 and bootstrapped thus far, Prepdia was a platform born from founder Malieh Maxime’s own personal experiences after leaving school in 2015. He set out to fix the problem, and built Prepdia, which helps users quickly and efficiently connect with a vetted, reliable tutor in their local area. So far it has more than 2,000 tutors registered in Douala and Yaounde, and plans to expand to the rest of the country by September. Prepdia wants to be that “big fish”, and Maxime believes it stands apart from any rivals due to its tutor verification processes, automated payments platform, and willingness to follow-up to ensure teaching was of the highest quality. “While we have difficulties in securing funds, our biggest challenge has been in getting both learners and tutors to use the platform,” he said. “Tutors hardly complete the onboarding process, and learners prefer to call. With the data we gathered after launch, we were able to make the onboarding process for both learners, parents and tutors an exceptional one.” Prepdia charges tutors between 10 and 20 per cent commission on any booking secured through its platform, and Maxime said revenues are increasing by 25 per cent month-on-month, as the startup works on overcoming any challenges.
SOURCE: DISRUPT AFRICA