Orcas
Orcas is an Egyptian-founded hybrid tutoring marketplace connecting K-12 students in MENA with vetted private tutors across 30+ subjects and 7 international school systems, delivered online or in-person via mobile and web apps with prepaid hour packages.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersCairo, Egypt
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Orcas does
Orcas (legal name: Orcas Edtech) is an Egyptian-founded, Cairo-headquartered hybrid tutoring platform established in 2017 that connects K-12 students with vetted private tutors for one-on-one sessions delivered online or in-person. The platform operates across Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait, with announced expansion plans into Pakistan, covering more than 30 subjects across seven international school systems (American, British, IB, French, German, Canadian, and National). It maintains over 3,500 tutor profiles and enforces quality thresholds including a minimum 60% Trial Success Rate, 50% Retention Rate, and 4.5+ star ratings.
The product surface includes the core Orcas Tutoring Platform (mobile apps on iOS and Android plus a web booking flow), an AI Tutor Assistant (AI TA) that uses generative AI to produce personalized lesson plans and homework in seconds, and Orcas Practice, a free gamified self-study environment with quizzes, missions, and leaderboards. Platform infrastructure is built on technology from Baims, listed as a powering partner. Revenue is generated through prepaid hourly tutoring packages (2, 12, 24, 40, and 100-hour bundles with up to 40% savings on larger bundles), with Orcas retaining a platform fee on each completed session and tutors paid hourly. Payment is processed via credit card and Fawry, with installment plans available.
Orcas has raised approximately $4.5 million cumulatively across pre-seed, seed, and pre-Series A rounds between 2016 and September 2022, with investors including Algebra Ventures, NFX, Access Bridge Ventures, Launch Africa, Acasia Ventures, Seedstars, and the Oman Technology Fund. The company acquired CairoSitters in April 2017 and is led by CEO Hossam Taher, co-founder and COO Amira El Gharib, CTO Mohammed Khalaf, and CMO Shams Adly.
Orcas firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Orcas
- Legal name
- Orcas Edtech
- Website
- https://orcas.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Orcas is an Egyptian-founded hybrid tutoring marketplace connecting K-12 students in MENA with vetted private tutors across 30+ subjects and 7 international school systems, delivered online or in-person via mobile and web apps with prepaid hour packages.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Orcas industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online K-12 Tutoring Marketplace
- NAICS
- Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- On-Demand 1:1 Live Tutoring Marketplaces (EDANAGAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Integrated Tutoring + Learning Content Platforms (Curriculum + Tutors) (EDANAGAL), Homework Tutoring & Academic Support (Subject Tutoring) (HSAAAHAC)
Keywords
Where Orcas is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cairo
- HQ country
- Egypt
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices2 records
Markets served
Orcas business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Tutoring Session Packages: Orcas generates revenue through the sale of tutoring session packages. Parents purchase hourly packages (2, 12, 24, 40, or 100 hours) at time of booking. Tutors are paid hourly for confirmed sessions while Orcas retains a platform fee. Packages can be renewed and are customizable for multiple subjects and learners.
- Platform Transaction Fees: Orcas facilitates payments between parents and tutors, charging a service fee for the platform's matching, tracking, and quality assurance services. Payment is processed through the app with credit card and Fawry options.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 2 hours bundle - Ideal for specific chapters or last-minute exams |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 12 hours bundle - Ideal for general follow-ups and revisions |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 24 hours bundle - Ideal for multi-subject help, multiple learners, or daily schoolwork |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 40 hours bundle - Ideal for families with multiple learners |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 100 hours bundle - Ideal for ongoing help throughout the year |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels3 records
Orcas product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Orcas operates a hybrid (online and in-person) one-on-one private tutoring marketplace that connects K-12 students and parents with qualified, vetted tutors across MENA (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait). Parents purchase bundled hourly tutoring session packages (2, 12, 24, 40, or 100 hours) tailored to grade level, subject, and international school system (American, British, IB, French, German, Canadian, National). The platform monetizes through package sales and platform transaction fees while supplementing tutor income via an AI Tutor Assistant for lesson planning and a free gamified Practice Platform for student self-study.
Product overview
Orcas is an EdTech platform offering personalized 1-on-1 private tutoring for K-12 students. The core product is the Orcas Tutoring Platform, which connects students with qualified tutors for online or in-person sessions across all subjects and multiple international school systems. The platform includes supplementary features: AI Teacher Assistant (AI TA) for automated lesson planning and homework generation, and Orcas Practice for free gamified learning with quizzes and interactive missions. Tutoring packages are available in bundled hour increments from 2 to 100 hours.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- AI Tutor Assistant (AI TA): Orcas Tutoring's AI-powered solution for educators to build lesson plans, customize homework, and enhance the learning experience for students across Egypt, Gulf region, MENA, and beyond.
Products and services
- Orcas Tutoring Platform One-on-one private tutoring marketplace platform connecting K-12 students and parents with qualified tutors for online or in-person sessions across all subjects and multiple international school systems (American, IB, French, National, British, German, Canadian). Covers grades from Pre-School through University and supports tutor discovery, booking, payment, and progress tracking.
- Orcas Tutoring Session Packages Hourly tutoring session packages offered in five tiers: 2 hours (exam-specific or last-minute), 12 hours (general follow-ups and revisions), 24 hours (multi-subject help for up to 2 learners and 3 subjects), 40 hours (up to 3 learners, family-oriented), and 100 hours (year-long support for up to 4 subjects with up to 40% savings). Customizable by number of learners and subjects, with multiple payment options and installment plans.
- Orcas Practice Free interactive learning platform providing thousands of quizzes, questions, and gamified learning missions to help K-12 students study and improve skills through game-based learning. Features learning missions, brain training games, point systems, learner profiles, subject-specific missions, progress tracking, leaderboards, and peer ranking.
- AI Tutor Assistant (AI TA) AI-powered tool that helps tutors build personalized lesson plans in seconds, customize homework with various question types and difficulty levels, and automate session preparation. Supports multiple school systems, grade levels, subjects, units, lessons, and session types; allows feedback, regeneration, copying, and updates to lesson plans.
Quantifiable outcome
- Platform hosts over 3500 tutor profiles serving students across multiple countries
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Orcas
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Orcas technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature4 records
Orcas partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Orcas competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Chegg: Global education platform with tutoring, textbook solutions, and homework help serving K-12 and higher education. Broad incumbent offering overlapping on-demand homework and tutoring help capabilities.
Emerging players
- Vedantu: Live online tutoring platform serving K-12 with AI-enabled personalization and international curricula. Comparable on AI-driven live tutoring model and emerging-market expansion playbook relevant to Orcas's Pakistan push.
Direct peers
- Outschool: Online marketplace for live small-group and 1:1 classes serving K-12 families with vetted independent educators. Comparable on package-based prepaid model, international curricula, and parent-tutor marketplace dynamics.
- Superprof: Global tutoring and lesson marketplace covering academic subjects, languages, and enrichment for K-12 and adults. Comparable on tutor-supply marketplace mechanics and broad subject coverage.
- Preply: Global online tutoring marketplace with strong MENA tutor supply connecting learners to vetted tutors for 1:1 sessions. Direct comparable on marketplace model, transaction fees, and tutor vetting approach.
- iSchool: Egyptian online K-12 school and tutoring provider offering live instruction aligned with international curricula. Comparable on Egypt K-12 live tutoring market and curriculum-aligned positioning.
- Noon Academy: MENA-headquartered social K-12 tutoring platform with live sessions, study groups, and content across the region. Closest direct competitor to Orcas given overlapping MENA focus, K-12 segment, and live 1:1/group model.
- Baims: MENA K-12 online learning platform offering live and self-paced courses across multiple curricula; also the listed technology partner powering Orcas. Closest regional competitor with overlapping curricula coverage.
Regional players
- Classera: MENA-focused learning management and education delivery platform with K-12 reach. Comparable regional incumbent with school-distribution channels that could pressure Orcas's B2C tutoring funnel.
- Jadarat (Edtech Saudi): Saudi-focused education and training platform serving learners in the Kingdom. Comparable regional player in Orcas's KSA market competing for similar Gulf family customers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Orcas financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Orcas leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Orcas funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors9 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Orcas M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Orcas
What does Orcas do?
Orcas operates a hybrid (online and in-person) one-on-one private tutoring marketplace that connects K-12 students and parents with qualified, vetted tutors across MENA (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait). Parents purchase bundled hourly tutoring session packages (2, 12, 24, 40, or 100 hours) tailored to grade level, subject, and international school system (American, British, IB, French, German, Canadian, National). The platform monetizes through package sales and platform transaction fees while supplementing tutor income via an AI Tutor Assistant for lesson planning and a free gamified Practice Platform for student self-study.
Is Orcas a public or private company?
Orcas is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Orcas founded?
Orcas was founded in 2017. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Orcas based?
Orcas is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt, in the Africa region.
How does Orcas make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Tutoring Session Packages are the primary driver. The others are platform Transaction Fees.
Who are Orcas's main competitors?
Chegg is listed as a broad incumbent. Vedantu is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Outschool, Superprof, Preply, iSchool, Noon Academy and Baims. Regional players are Classera and Jadarat (Edtech Saudi).
Does Orcas have an API?
No public API is recorded for Orcas.
What industry is Orcas in?
Orcas's product category is Online K-12 Tutoring Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDANAGAA, On-Demand 1:1 Live Tutoring Marketplaces, with a secondary code of EDANAGAL, Integrated Tutoring + Learning Content Platforms (Curriculum + Tutors). Its NAICS code is 611691 and its SIC code is 8200.