Open Learning Exchange

What Open Learning Exchange does

Open Learning Exchange (OLE) is a 501(c)(3) social benefit organization founded in 2007 in Cambridge, Massachusetts by Dr. Richard Rowe. The organization develops and deploys open-source, offline-capable learning technology for underserved communities, refugees, and government education systems across 21 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. Its core product, Planet Learning (myPlanet), is a personalized learning management system built on Angular, CouchDB, and Docker that runs on $35 Raspberry Pi servers broadcasting intranet WiFi clouds and powered by solar panels, enabling deployment in zero-connectivity environments. The product is bundled with a multimedia digital library, course development templates, assessment modules, and the myPlanet Android mobile app; UPlanet is a regional variant deployed in Guatemala.

OLE operates a nonprofit, grant-funded business model rather than a commercial pricing structure. Revenue comes from foundation grants (Yahoo Employee Foundation, Nokia, MIT Solve/Atlassian, Global Giving), institutional partners (UNHCR Innovation Fund, World Bank's S4YE), and corporate philanthropy (Travis the Translator cause-marketing). Programs are delivered through nation-based partner organizations — OLE Ghana, OLE Nepal, OLE Kenya, OLE Madagascar, and OLE Somalia — that operate independently with local leadership, staff, and funding. Anchor deployments include UNHCR Community Learning Centers in Dadaab refugee camps (Kenya) serving 5,000+ young refugees, the TIGER Girls program in Za'atari camp (Jordan) for adolescent Syrian girls, and a Ministry of Education agreement in Madagascar targeting all 8 million school-aged children. Notable initiatives span education (Planet Learning), health-worker training (Planet Health in Uganda), peace-building (PeaceBuilders in Somalia), and community enterprise development (Todos Conectados in Guatemala).

Name

Open Learning Exchange

Legal name

Open Learning Exchange, Inc.

Website

https://ole.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Open Learning Exchange (OLE) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds open-source, offline-capable learning technology on Raspberry Pi servers and deploys it through nation-based partner organizations to underserved communities, refugees, and government education systems across 21 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Grant Funding: OLE is a 501(c)(3) social benefit organization that raises funds through grants from foundations (e.g., Yahoo Employee Foundation, Nokia, UNHCR Innovation Fund, MIT Solve/Atlassian Prize, Global Giving) and institutional donors. Revenue supports program deployment, hardware, training, and scaling.
2. Partnership and Technical Support Fees: OLE provides strategic advice, technical support, open-source software, and monitoring & evaluation services to partner organizations and governments. Partnerships with nation-based organizations include development of national Community Learning Center programs.
3. Hardware Provision: OLE enables deployment of its system by facilitating procurement and deployment of low-cost hardware (Raspberry Pi servers, tablets, solar panels, routers) for partner-run community learning centers. Costs are covered through grants and donations.
4. Corporate Philanthropy and Cause Marketing: Corporate partners (Travis the Translator, Nokia) provide grants and in-kind donations tied to social mission alignment, with cause-marketing campaigns (e.g., device donation matching when customers pre-order Travis devices).

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Open Learning Exchange (OLE) develops and deploys Planet Learning (myPlanet), an open-source offline learning management system that runs on Raspberry Pi servers with solar power. The system provides personalized education through Community Learning Centers in underserved and conflict-affected communities across 21+ countries. OLE partners with governments, NGOs, and nation-based organizations to deliver its Personal Learning Toolkit, which includes a multimedia digital library, course development tools, and assessment modules accessible via any browser on any device.

Product overview

Open Learning Exchange offers a unified portfolio centered on the Planet Learning (myPlanet) open-source learning management system, which serves as the core platform for delivering personalized, offline-capable education. The Personal Learning Toolkit bundles Planet Learning with multimedia libraries, course development tools, and assessment modules. UPlanet represents a regional variant deployed in programs like Todos Conectados in Guatemala. The ecosystem also includes mobile applications (myPlanet) for Android devices. All products share core technology: Raspberry Pi-based offline servers, browser-based access, and community learning center infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Planet Learning System: Personalized learning platform using Raspberry Pi servers that work offline and can broadcast intranet WiFi to villages. Includes multimedia digital library, course development tools, and assessment modules.
• Personal Learning Toolkit
• TIGER Girls Program
• PeaceBuilders in Somalia
• Todos Conectados

Products and services

• Planet Learning (myPlanet)
• Personal Learning Toolkit

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,000+ young people reached in Dadaab refugee camps with Planet Learning over 3 years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and supporting.

• Uayki (Peru)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 6 December 2022Uayki from Peru partnered with OLE for the Todos Conectados program in Guatemala, providing technical expertise and support during the community kickstart in San Pablo.
• Grupos Gestores (Guatemala)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 6 December 2022Grupos Gestores from Guatemala partnered with OLE for the Todos Conectados program, supporting community enterprise development and local implementation in San Pablo.
• Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE) — World BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 June 2019S4YE, based in the World Bank, selected OLE for membership in its Impact Portfolio. This membership provides OLE opportunities to showcase its Personal Career Pathways innovation, learn from other youth employment projects, engage with the World Bank, and access experts on youth employment topics.
• Mogadishu UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 February 2019OLE and Mogadishu University signed an agreement to establish a national Community Learning Center program. OLE will provide open-source Planet software, technical and educational assistance, monitoring and evaluation. Mogadishu University will provide institutional infrastructure and certification capabilities.
• MIT SolveflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2017OLE was selected as an MIT Solver and awarded the Atlassian Prize to create Career Pathways in health, education, technology, and business. MIT Solve provides high-visibility platform for showcasing OLE's solution and connects OLE with a global network of innovators and funders.
• Travis the TranslatorsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 March 2017Travis, creator of a pocket-sized voice translation device, partnered with OLE. When customers pre-order a Travis device, they can donate a second device to OLE's programs. Devices support language learning for youth in refugee communities in Turkey and Jordan.
• Massachusetts General Hospital Global MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 November 2016OLE and MGH Global Medicine partnered on the Planet Health Pilot in Uganda, funded by Yahoo Employee Foundation. The pilot provides Village Health Workers with access to Planet Health System — a multimedia digital library with personalized health learning resources.
• Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 November 2016MUST cooperates with OLE and MGH Global Medicine for the Planet Health Pilot in Uganda, providing academic and research infrastructure for training Village Health Workers.
• Bugoye Health Clinic IIIcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 November 2016BHC III is the field partner for the Planet Health Pilot in Uganda's Bugoye District, serving as the primary health facility where Village Health Workers receive digital health training.
• Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2016Harvard GSE partnered with OLE to evaluate the TIGER Girls Program at Za'atari refugee camp. Graduate students designed surveys and conducted process evaluations to assess program effectiveness and recommend modifications.
• International Education Association (IEA)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2016OLE and IEA in Lebanon entered a partnership agreement across multiple program areas in the Middle East and North Africa, beginning with work at Za'atari refugee camp in cooperation with UNHCR Innovation.
• UNHCRflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2015OLE partners with UNHCR to deploy learning programs in refugee camps. UNHCR provides institutional access, camp infrastructure, and funding through UNHCR Innovation Fund. OLE provides the Planet Learning system, training, and program design. Programs include TIGER Girls in Za'atari camp (Jordan) and Planet Learning in Dadaab camps (Kenya).
• International Relief & Development (IRD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2015IRD partnered with OLE and UNHCR to implement the TIGER Girls Program in Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan, providing operational support and field implementation.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Worldreader: Nonprofit delivering e-books and digital reading to children and families in low-income countries via e-readers and mobile apps. Overlaps with OLE on digital content distribution to underserved populations, though narrower in modality (reading vs. full LMS).
• Ubongo: Nonprofit producing localized, African-language edutainment content distributed via TV, radio, and mobile. Comparable to OLE in low-cost localized learning for African youth, though distinct in delivery medium (broadcast vs. interactive LMS).
• OneCourse: Offline-first mobile learning platform deployed in African school systems. Comparable to OLE on offline architecture and African education market focus, though primarily a mobile-only delivery model.
• Eneza Education: Social enterprise providing mobile-based educational content and SMS tutoring across sub-Saharan Africa. Comparable to OLE on Africa focus and low-bandwidth learning delivery, but uses mobile/SMS rather than community WiFi infrastructure.

Direct peers

• Library For All: Nonprofit building a cloud-based digital library platform for the developing world, providing offline access to localized educational content. Closely comparable to OLE's digital library and offline content delivery mission in low-resource settings.
• Learning Equality: Nonprofit that develops Kolibri, an open-source offline learning platform for low-resource communities. Most direct peer to OLE's Planet Learning, with similar offline-first architecture, open-source codebase, and focus on reaching unconnected learners globally.
• Rumie Initiative: Nonprofit that distributes low-cost tablets pre-loaded with curated educational content to underserved learners. Comparable to OLE in offline content delivery, low-cost hardware model, and underserved community focus.

Others

• Curriki: Nonprofit open education platform providing free K-12 OER content and LMS tools. Comparable to OLE on open-source LMS and open educational resources philosophy, though US-centric rather than focused on last-mile offline deployment.

Broad incumbents

• UNICEF Learning Passport: UNICEF-led initiative providing digital learning platforms for children in crisis and conflict contexts, including refugee settings. Direct overlap with OLE's refugee education mission (Dadaab, Za'atari), though delivered at much larger institutional scale.
• Pratham (Pratham Digital): Large established NGO operating literacy and learning programs across India and Africa, with Pratham Digital offering open educational resources. Comparable to OLE in OER and underserved-learner focus, but far larger scale and broader programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/oleorg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/openlearningexchange
• Facebookfacebook.com/openlearningexchange
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/open-learning-exchange

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Open Learning Exchange