My name is Thanzo Msundwe, and I am the CEO of Learner24. I have a BA degree from the University of Zambia in Sociology and Psychology. I am enthusiastic about education and sports – basketball at a professional level, to be precise. Growing up, my parents and elder siblings made me develop an interest in academics. I became a reader and researcher from an early age. At some point, I was a leader of my school’s JETS and debate clubs.
Learner24 is a business in education management, service support and consultancy. We offer education services using modern innovations and technology solutions.
The business was founded based on my progression and challenges in academics. I am a typical Zambian student and it was tough to pass because of the challenges around learning support and resources in local schools. However, my earlier home training in reading and research helped me graduate credibly. I proceeded to work for a global education organisation, where I realised the gap in learning support and resources for local students. This experience inspired me to start my business and provide education services directed to learners.
Learner24 strives to make the student’s learning experience seamless and provide content that is current and relevant for students to make meaningful academic progress. We leverage technology to increase capacity and access to education.
COVID19 and the measures used to mitigate its spread impacted our business. We had a business niche due to the demand from our local market that needed us to be digital and technologically sound, which we didn’t have in place. Our bank labelled us ineligible for a loan, and they were not ready to accept our risk.
The Standard Chartered Women in Tech programme provided us with information and experts that helped us to assess where we are as a business. We became aware of the business challenges especially in leadership, finance, and human resources. We also learnt to qualify our technology needs. Through the programme, we had access to expert mentorship and funds to implement effective processes and systems to be efficient and position ourselves for scaling using technology. We are now finalizing an online platform that allows us to digitise our services. This has helped to increase our capacity and our learner’s access to education across the country.
In our 5 years of existence, the greatest award has been providing exceptional service to our clients. We are also proud to have been one of the top 5 winners for cohort 1 of the Standard Chartered Women in Tech programme. This is an outstanding award because it is beyond funds.
Applications for the Standard Chartered Women in Tech programme are still open. We are looking for women-led businesses that would like to use technology to grow their businesses. Apply today!