Paper Video

What Paper Video does

Paper Video is a South African edtech social enterprise founded in June 2014 by Chris Mills and Paul Maree, headquartered in Cape Town, and operating as a private company with 1-10 employees. It delivers a video-based e-learning platform targeting South African high school students in Grades 8-12 across Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Accounting, in English and (for some grades) Afrikaans. The core product pairs digitized past NSC and IEB exam papers — over 10,000 questions — with teacher-produced video solutions and lesson worksheets, supported by keyword search, learning pathway navigation, results tracking dashboards, and quarterly report cards on Premium tiers.

The technology stack centers on a web dashboard accessible via iOS and Android apps, with an additional offline delivery mode using printed exam-paper books and microSD cards for low-connectivity learners, and a School Dashboard for institutional partner schools. An AI Maths Tutor chatbot layers automated step-by-step assessment on top of the content corpus. Content production is gated by a teacher credentialing standard requiring at least five years of teaching experience and NSC exam marking experience, which the company uses as a quality differentiator.

The business model combines a freemium consumer subscription funnel (free access to ~2,500 questions; Standard tier at R99-R199 per subject per month; Premium tier at R299/month for Maths and Physical Sciences), one-time purchases of offline resource packs, and a corporate sponsorship channel operated through the Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA) and the Actuarial Society Education Trust (ASET), which has extended access to over 20,000 learners in need via Section 18A / BBBEE-aligned corporate giving. Go-to-market is product-led with B2B2C school partnerships and content marketing through blog and social channels; revenue is concentrated in South Africa only.

Name

Paper Video

Legal name

Paper Video

Website

https://papervideo.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Paper Video is a South African edtech platform that provides Grades 8-12 students with past NSC and IEB exam papers, each linked to a video solution, across Mathematics, Sciences, and Accounting via web, mobile, and offline microSD packs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online K-12 Exam Preparation (EdTech)

NAICS

Educational Services (61), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Instructional Video & Multimedia (EDAGALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interactive Multimedia Learning Content (Video, Audio, Interactive Lessons) (EDAFACAG), Assessment & Test Prep Media (Video Lessons, Drills, Simulations) (EDAGALAD), Online Learning Content & Course Publishing Platforms (BPAMAJAL)

Keywords

• Online tutoring videos
• Past exam papers
• E-learning platform
• Video lesson solutions
• Exam preparation resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Monthly Subscription - Standard Tier: Subscription model offering access to all content (exam papers and lesson worksheets) for a specific subject. Billed monthly at R99 or R199 depending on subject. Covers grades 8-12.
2. Monthly Subscription - Premium Tier: Premium subscription including all content plus multiple-choice question assessment, results tracking dashboard, and quarterly report card. Available for Mathematics and Physical Sciences at R299/month.
3. Freemium Access: Free tier offering limited sample resources (approximately 2,500 exam questions and video lessons) to allow users to test the platform before committing to paid subscriptions.
4. Offline Resource Packs: One-time purchase of offline resource packs containing books of 10 past exam papers and microSD cards with video content. Available for grades 10-12 English and Afrikaans Mathematics and Physical Sciences.
5. School Sponsorship: Schools can sponsor student access through corporate partnerships. Sponsors receive Section 18A certificates and BBBEE scorecard contributions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Paper Video operates a video-based e-learning platform that provides South African high school students (Grades 8-12) with past exam papers and lesson worksheets, where every question is linked to a video solution taught by experienced South African teachers with NSC exam marking experience. The platform covers Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Accounting, and includes an AI Maths Tutor chatbot, results tracking dashboard, mobile apps, and offline microSD resource packs for low-connectivity areas.

Product overview

Paper Video is an edtech platform providing South African high school students (Grades 8-12) with exam preparation resources. The core offering consists of an online platform combining digitized past exam papers and lesson worksheets, each linked to video lessons taught by experienced South African teachers. The platform spans multiple subjects (Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Accounting) with over 10,000 questions and associated video solutions. Additional offerings include an AI Maths Tutor chatbot for automated assessment, offline microSD resource packs, a mobile app for iOS and Android, and a School Dashboard for institutional management. Resources are available in English and Afrikaans and follow the CAPS curriculum, with some IEB content. The company also offers school sponsorship programs enabling access for learners in need.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Paper Video Online Platform Web-based e-learning platform providing past exam papers and lesson worksheets for South African high school students in Grades 8-12, where every question is linked to a video solution taught by experienced South African teachers; covers Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Natural Sciences and Accounting in English (and Afrikaans for Grades 10-12 Maths and Physical Sciences).
• Past Exam Papers with Video Solutions Digitized NSC and IEB past exam papers covering Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Natural Sciences and Accounting across Grades 8-12, in which every individual question is paired with a teacher-recorded video solution; questions can be filtered by difficulty level.
• AI Maths Tutor AI-powered chatbot that allows students to type or handwrite Mathematics questions and receive step-by-step assessment feedback on their working, providing automated, interactive tutoring.
• Premium Subscription (with Multiple-Choice Assessment) R299/month subscription for Mathematics and Physical Sciences that includes all standard content plus multiple-choice question assessments, a results tracking dashboard, and quarterly report cards.
• Offline Resource Packs One-time physical purchase containing a printed book of 10 past exam papers and a microSD card preloaded with video solutions, providing Paper Video access without internet connectivity for Grades 10-12 English and Afrikaans Mathematics and Physical Sciences.
• School Dashboard Central management dashboard provided to partner schools that enables whole-institution access to Paper Video, including student onboarding, homework assignment, and live engagement tracking for teachers and learners.
• Mobile App (iOS and Android) Native iOS and Android applications that deliver the full Paper Video experience, including exam papers, video lessons and progress tracking, in a mobile-optimized interface.
• Corporate School Sponsorship Programme Sponsorship programme run through the Actuarial Society Education Trust (ASET) under which South African corporates sponsor Paper Video access for under-resourced schools; sponsors receive Section 18A tax certificates and BBBEE scorecard contributions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 37,000 video views in two months during 2014 NSC exam preparation period
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partnership established to improve quality of education in South Africa. ASSA established the Actuarial Society Education Trust (ASET) which enables contributions from corporate entities and active citizens to sponsor Paper Video resources for students, teachers, and schools in greatest need.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• CambriLearn: South African online school offering Cambridge and CAPS-aligned curricula to students in Africa and beyond. Comparable South African K–12 learner base and online subscription model.
• Think Digital Academy: South African online learning provider for primary and high school learners. Comparable target market, video-based delivery, and South African distribution.

Direct peers

• Snapplify: South African digital content distribution and e-learning platform serving schools with ebooks, educational apps, and management tools. Comparable B2B2C school-channel go-to-market in the same South African K–12 segment.
• GetSmarter: South African-founded online education provider (now part of 2U) offering structured online courses. Comparable South African edtech origin, subscription model, and digital learning platform mechanics.
• Siyavula: South African non-profit edtech focused on open mathematics and physical sciences practice content aligned with the CAPS curriculum. Directly comparable in geography, target learner (Grades 8–12), and subject focus.

Broad incumbents

• Edmentum: Established K–12 digital curriculum and assessment provider serving schools and districts. Comparable curriculum-aligned online learning and assessment offering, focused on institutional buyers.
• Khan Academy: Global non-profit offering free instructional videos and practice across math, science, and more. A broader incumbent competing for the same learner attention with a free, well-known alternative.
• BYJU's: Large global edtech company delivering video-led K–12 and test-prep learning. Comparable video-based exam-prep model at vastly larger scale and capital base.

Emerging players

• Digemy: South African AI-powered adaptive learning platform focused on corporate and education markets. Comparable regional footprint and AI-driven personalization approach to Paper Video's AI Maths Tutor.

Others

• Mathletics: Global math-focused learning platform sold to schools. Adjacent enabling product for primary/secondary math instruction, often bundled by schools alongside local platforms like Paper Video.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/papervideoza
• Facebookfacebook.com/papervideo
• Instagraminstagram.com/papervideo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/paper-video

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Paper Video