AltSchool Africa, a Nigerian edtech startup dedicated to equipping Africans with in-demand tech skills, is expanding its operations to Europe to diversify its revenue streams and accelerate growth.
The edtech startup will begin its European operations in Malta, following its participation in a growth accelerator sponsored by the Maltese government. As part of this expansion, AltSchool is actively hiring for roles across business development, marketing, and content production teams.
This European expansion follows AltSchool’s entry into Kenya earlier this year, in January 2024. Founded in 2021 as a virtual platform offering diplomas in engineering, data, and business analytics, AltSchool has witnessed growing demand for its services beyond Nigeria. The company now has a presence in the United States and Rwanda, where it established an office at the Norrsken Hub in 2023.
Europe is currently the startup’s third-largest market, with learners from over 12 European countries, according to CEO Adewale Yusuf. The company’s extensive curriculum—which spans business, data, engineering, media, and the creative economy—will now include AI and data analytics modules in Europe. AltSchool plans to onboard its first cohort of learners in Malta by 2025.
Yusuf stated that AltSchool is nearing profitability, and this expansion is expected to bolster its revenue growth.
In a shift from its Africa-focused online learning model, AltSchool will establish physical campuses in Malta to adopt a hybrid learning approach, allowing students to participate in in-person sessions with tutors.
“Because we’re an alternative school, there are some elements of the actual traditional school that work, and we want to take the best of both sides,” said Rachael Onoja, Head of Innovation and Market Expansion at AltSchool.
To complement its B2C (business-to-consumer) model, AltSchool will also explore a B2B (business-to-business) model in Europe. The company aims to partner with organizations to offer tailored employee training programs and provide support for content development and learning infrastructure. Onoja revealed that AltSchool is close to securing a major partnership deal.
“We noticed that in Africa and even some other parts of the world, companies have been reaching out to us for workforce development support. So, we aim to scale this by offering enterprise licensing to businesses looking to upskill their employees,” said Onoja.
AltSchool will face competition from edtech startups like BloomTech in Europe. However, Yusuf believes AltSchool’s focus on community building and personalized learning will set it apart. The company plans to maintain its subscription-based pricing model in Europe, albeit with region-specific price adjustments.
Since its inception, AltSchool has supported around 100,000 learners across eight African countries and 12 European countries.
“Currently, we are partnering with local universities, organizations, companies, and even governments to implement aspects of our expansion plan, because it truly takes a village,” said Yusuf.