Tuteria is an ed-tech startup that was launched in 2015 by Godwin Benson and Abiola Oyeniyi.
In 2005, Godwin Benson, a teenager in SS1 was hired to tutor a child who was struggling with maths, yet he did not get paid for his services. That experience sparked something in him and he decided to do something to ensure prompt and seamless payment for tutorial services. However, it wasn’t until 9 years later that Tuteria was launched as he began building the Tuteria platform in November 2014.
In his words:
“As of 2005, Tuteria was just an idea in my head. I didn’t know how to implement it because Abiola and I didn’t have the resources until 2014,”
That experience didn’t deter Godwin Benson as he continued being a tutor even as an undergraduate studying Systems Engineering at the University of Lagos, Lagos State. That was where he met Oyeniyi, his co-founder – they both finished with first-class honors from the same department.
Godwin Benson, CEO, and Abiola Oyeniyi, CTO, launched Tuteria in 2015 to make learning accessible to learners who want to reach their learning potential.
The company makes learning accessible to everyone in Nigeria, regardless of their level of education. The company has tutors in all 36 states of the country and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Tuteria explores learning beyond the classroom. It covers some subjects and courses taught in primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions, with tutors available for international exams such as the IELTS and GRE. Also, the company covers skills and professions such as make-up, dance, photography, swimming, coding, music, and public speaking.
Tuteria makes learning more convenient for its learners. Essentially, lessons can be delivered at their preferred location, physical or online.
Funding
Tuteria has had 5 funding rounds in total since it launched in 2015. They amount to a total of $97,500 excluding the grant from Pitch@palace whose amount was not disclosed.
The companies that have funded the startup include Facebook, Microsoft, the African Innovation Foundation, and the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Tuteria received a $20 000 grant from Niara-Africa Inspire and Microsoft Lumia Nigeria.
It won the Royal Academy of Engineering prize for engineering innovation in 2016 for its different and innovative approach to education and received a $25,000 grant as a result.
The tutoring platform generates revenue from commissions on lessons booked via the website or the mobile application. Tuteria charges 15 to 30% for each paid lesson
Growth
In May 2021, Tuteria launched Tuteria 2.0, an upgraded version of its website, to continue to make “the learning process more seamless, effective, and affordable.”
With the upgraded version, parents or students can submit a request by describing what they are looking for in a tutor and providing information about their child or themselves.
Parents can give detailed descriptions of their child’s learning needs. The algorithm will automatically generate tutors that have experience in that area.
Tuteria has an impressive profile of over 3,000 tutors and has served over 50,000 learners since its inception. This includes academic and non-academic learners and qualified tutors in a wide range of subjects.
In April 2015, Tuteria’s developers were among the winners of the Microsoft Mobile devices and services “Passion to Empire” campaign. The start-up was able to raise N3.5 million during this campaign.
In 2016, Tuteria won the Internet.org innovation challenge for education.
On May 23, 2017, Tuteria won the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation and received a US$32,000 prize from the UK’s Royal Academy of Engineering.
Sources: Tech Next, Wikipedia, Tech Point
