E-book startup Snapplify has raised an undisclosed funding round from existing backer South African venture capital (VC) firm AngelHub Ventures, alongside NuState Capital and an United Kingdom-based investor, to enable the startup’s cross-continental expansion.
Snapplify was launched in 2011 to provide e-book solutions for both the trade and academic industries, with publishers signed with Snapplify including Penguin Random House, Pearson, Oxford and Cambridge.
Disrupt Africa reported in February 2015 AngelHub Ventures invested in Snapplify, with the startup saying it would use the funds to expand its product and team.
The VC firm has now made a further investment in Snapplify, but this time is joined by South African investment holding company NuState Capital, and an unnamed UK investor.
Snapplify said the capital will be used to expand “more aggressively” into new markets; having already established operations in South Africa, Kenya, and Europe over the past 18 months.
“Snapplify continues to make important innovations in the education market in South Africa, and the greater African continent. Their model is one that we are incredibly proud to support,” said Michael Jordaan of AngelHub Ventures.
Snapplify is currently working on government-led projects in South Africa and Kenya. In South Africa, the startup has been appointed to work with the Gauteng Education Department to roll out e-learning to schools, while in Kenya the company is working with local hardware providers to provide the distribution of e-learning materials to Kenyan schools, under the Kenyan government’s “one laptop per child” policy.
“We’re looking to change the way students access content”, said Snapplify chief executive officer (CEO), Wesley Lynch.
“Digital learning is about more than just using eBooks. We want to empower teachers to be using video, audio, apps and other interactive media in the classroom environment as well – but while keeping it within one simple and easy to use learning ecosystem.”
