EdTech business Smartella is looking to further develop its software-based online platform for training providers, HE and FE institutions and education academies following an investment from StartUp Funding Club, a leading organisation in the UK’s early stage investment world that provides seed capital and support to promising British startups.
Smartella is a mobile-optimised platform, which is customisable with other industry standard tools in the education sector which has been developed at Innovation Birmingham.
Since its inception in April 2018, Smartella has secured multiple contracts at the minimum viable product (MVP) stage, with global corporate training providers signing up to use the platform to train employees of Apple, Microsoft and the Dubai government.
Smartella’s training software is formulated upon a platform that combines a learning management system, virtual classrooms and an eCommerce system into one solution. It enables training providers to create a new line of business for online learning while saving 60 per cent on technology costs. It significantly reduces working hours thanks to its automation, providing an enhanced learning experience that streamlines the administration, delivery tracking and implementation of educational courses.
Smartella has ambitious plans as it sets its sights on becoming an industry leader within the expanding global e-learning market. The company’s platform is able to meet the needs of customers with thousands of learners and has also a now has developed a SaaS version for training providers that cater to smaller groups of learners.
The seed investment from the StartUp Funding Club will be crucial to the growth of Smartella and will allow it to expand its workforce, client-base and the functionality behind the platform.
Smartella is led by managing director Amir Shurrab, a recipient of the prestigious Chevening Scholarship, who has been recognised as a ‘world leading exceptional talent’ by the British Government and Tech Nation.
Amir has benefitted from mentoring opportunities provided as part of the business support programme at Innovation Birmingham, as well as the introduction to StartUp Funding Club, which has proved crucial to enabling Smartella to develop its creative approach to EdTech in a supportive and collaborative environment.
Amir said:
“This investment from StartUp Funding Club will be crucial to our future development and will allow us to further refine our innovative solution to training providers around the world. For too long the process of training new employees through software has been fragmented and inefficient – we’re doing our best to change that. Innovation Birmingham has been and will continue to be crucial to our expansion. It’s inspiring to be around likeminded entrepreneurs launching other businesses in other sectors.”
Dr Mohammad Nazir OBE, chairman of Smartella, eyes a massive global market for Smartella:
“I believe Smartella has a bright future thanks to its advanced digital technology, which is so easy to use, and a team of people behind it who are very passionate about making e-learning available to as many people around the world as possible in a way which is affordable, friendly, highly interactive and fun.”
Rohallah Ghasemi, investment manager, StartUp Funding Club, said:
“Traditional methods of education are no longer working and people are looking for more flexible learning options – that’s why the e-learning market will pass $300bn by 2025. Amir and his team have managed to build a cloud based and simple to use platform that enables anyone from one person organisations to large corporates to have the right infrastructure to deliver their content to anyone, anywhere. Access to education and information is a basic human right. Smartella’s easy to use and affordable platform service is making this a reality.”
Katharine Fuller, head of business support at Innovation Birmingham, said:
“Smartella’s story and their journey is a testament to what forward thinking startups can achieve, particularly when they are provided with the support, mentoring and connections they need to reach their business milestones and growth aspirations. Amir has created an e-learning platform that will simplify the training process for companies of all sizes, bringing huge efficiencies and cost savings – it’s no surprise then that the company is attracting sizeable investment and making waves within the market. Smartella’s potential is huge, and we look forward to continuing to support its growth as it looks to enter new markets and territories.”
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