Onebillion
Onebillion is a UK non-profit charity (founded 2014) that builds onecourse, adaptive offline educational software for foundational literacy and numeracy, delivered on purpose-built onetab devices to children in resource-constrained contexts across 17 countries and 6 languages via NGO and government partner networks.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Onebillion does
Onebillion learners (legal name; operating as "onebillion") is a UK-registered non-profit charity (No. 1159480, founded 2014, headquartered at 315-317 New Kings Rd, London) that develops onecourse — adaptive educational software delivering foundational literacy and numeracy through inclusive, child-centred, play-based pedagogy. The product spans reading, writing, and numeracy modules plus a digital library of more than 200 illustrated books, all delivered via a digital teacher persona (Alefa/Mahira/Anna) that guides self-directed sessions. Adaptive logic personalises difficulty using diagnostic assessments, enabling shared-tablet use with no personal login and no collection of children's personal data. The software is delivered on onetab, a dedicated low-cost 7-inch Android device with rugged casing, optional solar charging, offline operation, and boot-lock to onecourse (~$50 per unit at 1,000+ volumes).
The platform is offered in six languages (Chichewa, Swahili, English, French, Portuguese, Khmer) and is active in 17 countries across East, West, and Southern Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, South America, the Caribbean, and the UK. Business model is grant-funded rather than commercial: revenue streams comprise foundation grants (LEGO Foundation, Cisco Foundation, Education Endowment Foundation, DFID), prize/award funding (most notably the $15M Global Learning XPRIZE co-won in 2019), and partner-funded hardware/implementation costs distributed through NGO and government channel partners (Imagine Worldwide, EIDU, VSO, iSchool Africa, Open Up Resources, Rising Academies, Counterpart International, Hello World). The flagship commercial-scale deployment is the Government of Malawi's BEFIT programme, which targets every Standard 1-4 learner nationwide — projected 3.8 million children annually by 2029.
Operating with a deliberately lean core team (1–10 employees, augmented by translators, voice actors, and external pedagogy experts), Onebillion relies on evidence generation (nine randomised controlled trials) and an extensive partner ecosystem for scale. Strategic direction in 2022–2024 has emphasised inclusion of neurodivergent children via the LEGO Foundation Play for All Accelerator and a subsequent 3-year grant to build a comprehensive learning journey for SEND and marginalised learners — moving beyond the initial out-of-school and government-school deployments in low-resource contexts.
Onebillion firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Onebillion
- Legal name
- onebillion learners
- Website
- https://onebillion.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Onebillion is a UK non-profit charity (founded 2014) that builds onecourse, adaptive offline educational software for foundational literacy and numeracy, delivered on purpose-built onetab devices to children in resource-constrained contexts across 17 countries and 6 languages via NGO and government partner networks.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Onebillion industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Educational Technology Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Literacy Foundations (Phonics, Reading Fluency, Comprehension) Platforms (EDAFAOAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Foundational Literacy & Early Reading Apps (EDACANAA), Learning Device Ecosystems & 1:1 Program Solutions (Devices, MDM, Charging) (EDAJAMAL), AT for Reading, Writing & Learning (Literacy/Executive Function) Tools & Training (EDAKAIAC), Kids & Education Tablets (CRACAMAG)
Keywords
Where Onebillion is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Onebillion business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- NGO and Government Grants: onebillion is a non-profit that relies on grants from foundations and governments to fund software development and deployment. Major funders include LEGO Foundation, Cisco Foundation, Education Endowment Foundation, and government bodies like DFID.
- Partner Software Distribution: onebillion works with implementation partners who fund and deploy onetab programmes. Partners include Imagine Worldwide, VSO, EIDU, and government ministries who fund the hardware and implementation costs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | onetab hardware procurement |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Onebillion product offering
Product offeringCore offering
onebillion develops onecourse, an award-winning adaptive educational software that delivers foundational literacy and numeracy through child-centred, play-based learning, and delivers it on onetab, a low-cost, offline, robust Android tablet designed for resource-constrained environments. The software combines reading, writing, and numeracy modules with a digital library of 200+ illustrated books, adapts to each child's level via short diagnostic tests, and is currently localised into 6 languages reaching over 2 million children across 17 countries.
Product overview
onebillion offers a unified product ecosystem centered on onecourse, an award-winning adaptive educational software that delivers foundational literacy and numeracy through inclusive, child-centered pedagogy and play-based learning. The core onecourse software combines reading, writing, and numeracy modules with a digital library of 200+ illustrated books. This software is delivered via onetab, a dedicated low-cost Android tablet designed for durability in resource-constrained environments, featuring offline capability, optional solar charging, and adaptive technology that personalizes learning sessions. Currently available in 6 languages (Chichewa, Swahili, International English, French, Portuguese, and Khmer) and deployed across 17 countries reaching over 2 million children.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- onecourse: Comprehensive adaptive software delivering foundational literacy and numeracy through inclusive, child-centred pedagogy and play-based learning. Available in 6 languages (Chichewa, Swahili, English, French, Portuguese, International English).
- onetab
- onetest
Products and services
- onecourse Comprehensive adaptive educational software delivering foundational literacy and numeracy through inclusive, child-centred pedagogy and play-based learning. Combines reading, writing, and numeracy modules with a digital library of 200+ illustrated books; uses diagnostic tests to personalise learning sessions; works offline with no personal login required; available in 6 languages. Designed for children in resource-constrained contexts and deployed via partner organisations.
- onetab Low-cost, offline, robust 7-inch Android tablet in a durable protective case with optional solar charger, designed to deliver onecourse in resource-constrained environments. Boots straight into onecourse in the child's language and is locked to prevent access to other apps or device settings, with a high-capacity battery designed for years of use. Procured by partner organisations in quantities of 1000+ at approximately $50 per unit.
- onetest Digital assessment tool for evaluating children's learning outcomes in literacy and numeracy, supported by Cisco Foundation funding for localisation and validation.
Quantifiable outcome
- 9 randomised controlled trials show significant gains in literacy and numeracy, with girls making the same progress as boys
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Onebillion
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Onebillion technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability1 record
Feature5 records
Onebillion partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
25 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Government of MalawiflagshipBEFIT programme - nationwide rollout of onetab to every Standard 1-4 learner. Led by Ministry of Education, supported by consortium of implementation partners, funders, and researchers. Will reach 3.8 million children annually by 2029.
- Imagine WorldwidecoreNon-profit providing affordable tech-enabled learning. Appointed exclusive software distributor in Malawi to coordinate scale-up. Multi-country implementation partner working in Sierra Leone, Ghana, Liberia, Burkina Faso, Malawi.
- EIDUcoreEIDU delivers onecourse through low-cost, school-based interventions in Kenya. Over 230,000 children actively using content. Has support from all 47 Kenyan counties and working on nationwide roll-out.
- VSO MalawicoreUnlocking Talent initiative reaching 225,000 children. Institutionalised in Ministry of Education's Digital Education Technology Agenda with goal to embed in all 5,300 primary schools covering 4.4 million children.
- iSchool AfricacoreImplementation of Unlocking Talent approach to 130+ schools across South Africa, together with Department for Rural Development and corporate partners.
- Open Up ResourcescoreUS-based non-profit, exclusive distributor of onetab in US. Focused on reaching millions of disadvantaged children without access to devices or reliable wifi.
- PACE CanadaminorDonated 2,500 onetabs to Minister of Education in Jamaica, distributed to 500 kindergarten schools across the island to bridge digital divide.
- Hello WorldminorHub Heroes project - 100 onetabs delivered to 100 families in Kampala, Uganda for children to learn in English. Works with communities to build solar-powered internet Hubs.
- Rising AcademiesminorImplementation partner in Sierra Leone working with Imagine Worldwide to implement onetab to 16,000 children across Grade 1-6.
- University of OxfordcoreIndependent researchers monitored and evaluated learning outcomes for EEF-funded UK study.
- University of NottinghamcoreTeaching assistants trained by University of Nottingham for UK study. Multiple research partnerships conducting RCTs and technical reviews of onecourse.
- nasencoreNational Association for Special Educational Needs. Supporting onebillion's review of onecourse software for neurodivergent children.
- Hopeview Resource CentreminorPartner in Mzuzu, Malawi providing feedback from children with lived experience of autism and ADHD and their teachers.
- Counterpart InternationalminorPartner with Imagine Worldwide implementing onetab in 75 schools in Senegal over 4 years as part of McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program.
- UNICEFcorePartner in Unlocking Talent initiative in Malawi.
- UNESCOcoreMonitored Global Learning XPRIZE field trial.
- World Food Programme (WFP)coreMonitored Global Learning XPRIZE field trial.
- VSO EthiopiaminorImplementing maths apps in Dubti and Samara, two towns in Afar-speaking region of Ethiopia.
- Cambodian Children's FundminorGrades 2 and 3 children in Cambodia get headstart in safe kindergarten centres using Khmer version of maths apps.
- Barefoot CollegeminorTwo engineers partnered with Barefoot College to manufacture solar-powered projector displaying learning material in local night school in India.
- Haileybury Youth TrustminorUK charity constructed oneclass learning centre for Nabirama Primary School in Jinja district, Uganda.
- The Tongole FoundationminorFirst to deploy onetab in Nkhotakota, Malawi. 10 onetabs charged by solar power used by 60 children in Standards 2 and 3.
- African StorybookminorOpen-source story provider for onecourse library.
- StoryWeaverminorIndian open-source story provider for onecourse library.
- Book DashminorSouth African open-source story provider for onecourse library.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Onebillion competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ubongo: Tanzania-based educational media company delivering localized literacy and numeracy content (including via TV and mobile) to African children; comparable target audience, language localization approach, and African distribution model.
- EIDU: Kenya-based edtech delivery organization that actually distributes onecourse to 230,000+ children in Kenya and operates its own digital learning platform; direct channel partner and adjacent peer serving the same Kenyan government-school market with complementary content.
- Eneza Education: Shaping foundational learning in Africa via mobile/SMS-based educational content; comparable target customer (low-resource African learners and schools), delivery-via-mobile, and curriculum (literacy, numeracy, exam prep).
- Imagine Worldwide: Non-profit that deploys tablet-based learning across multiple African countries and is onebillion's exclusive distributor in Malawi; operates in similar geographies and end-user segments with comparable tablet-based literacy/numeracy programmes.
- Kitkit School: Co-winner of the $15M Global Learning XPRIZE with onebillion in 2019, Kitkit School builds tablet-based adaptive literacy and numeracy software for children in low-resource settings, making it the closest direct peer in product, target user, and delivery model.
- Rumie: Provides low-cost tablets pre-loaded with educational content for underserved learners, including literacy and numeracy; comparable hardware-plus-content bundled model and low-resource distribution similar to onebillion's onetab.
Emerging players
- Library for All: Builds digital libraries with localized, leveled reading content for low-resource contexts, comparable to onebillion's onecourse Library (200+ books) and overlapping mission to expand literacy access.
- onecourse by Mavis Talking Books / Curious Learning: Non-profit deploying offline reading apps and curated content on low-cost devices in low-resource contexts; overlapping mission in foundational literacy on offline tablets and complementary content model to onecourse.
Broad incumbents
- Rising Academies: Operates school networks and edtech platforms across Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ghana; comparable West African footprint and government-school integration model, although Rising also runs its own schools.
- Khan Academy (with Kolibri): Khan Academy's Kolibri platform delivers offline educational content including foundational literacy and numeracy to learners without reliable internet; comparable offline-first delivery and target users, although Khan Academy operates at substantially broader scale and scope than onebillion.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Onebillion social profiles
Digital presenceOnebillion compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Onebillion financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Onebillion leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Onebillion funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Onebillion M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Onebillion
What does Onebillion do?
onebillion develops onecourse, an award-winning adaptive educational software that delivers foundational literacy and numeracy through child-centred, play-based learning, and delivers it on onetab, a low-cost, offline, robust Android tablet designed for resource-constrained environments. The software combines reading, writing, and numeracy modules with a digital library of 200+ illustrated books, adapts to each child's level via short diagnostic tests, and is currently localised into 6 languages reaching over 2 million children across 17 countries.
Is Onebillion a public or private company?
Onebillion is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Onebillion founded?
Onebillion was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Onebillion based?
Onebillion is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Onebillion make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. NGO and Government Grants are the primary driver. The others are partner Software Distribution.
Who are Onebillion's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ubongo, EIDU, Eneza Education, Imagine Worldwide, Kitkit School and Rumie. Emerging players are Library for All and onecourse by Mavis Talking Books / Curious Learning. Broad incumbents are Rising Academies and Khan Academy (with Kolibri).
Does Onebillion have an API?
No public API is recorded for Onebillion.
What industry is Onebillion in?
Onebillion's product category is Educational Technology Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAOAD, Literacy Foundations (Phonics, Reading Fluency, Comprehension) Platforms, with a secondary code of EDACANAA, Foundational Literacy & Early Reading Apps. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.