What Olico Maths Education does

OLICO Maths Education is a South African non-profit organisation (NPO/PBO) founded in 2012 to address the South African maths education crisis, where 94% of learners from low-income communities cannot complete school with a maths mark above 50%. It serves primary school learners (through after-school Maths Clubs building foundational numeracy) and high school learners (through blended tutoring and technology programmes) in under-resourced communities across Gauteng, Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal, with a stated national footprint. All programmes are free to end users; OLICO has no learner-paying customers.

The organisation's core technology is a custom-built Moodle-based learning management system at learn.olico.org containing over 65,500 interactive maths questions and 330 tutorial videos aligned to the South African senior phase curriculum, published under Creative Commons. This is complemented by the WhatsApp Maths Hotline (0600 39 00 00), a free mobile tutoring service operating Mon-Sun 2pm-10pm that has attracted more than 50,000 users since inception, and 1,600+ after-school Maths Clubs running twice weekly across South Africa. Additional products include the Two Minute Tango times-tables mobile app and the Senior Phase Maths Summary Guide for Grades 7-9.

OLICO's business model is entirely donation- and grant-funded rather than revenue-generating from learners. Funding streams comprise corporate CSR donations (with Section 18a tax certificates and BEE points for SED contributions) and grants from major foundations and trusts including The Learning Trust, Zenex Foundation, DGMT, Nedbank Private Wealth, Oppenheimer Memorial Trust, Claude Leon Foundation, Datatec, and Hatch. Programme partnerships with YearBeyond (8 Western Cape schools), PEP Academies, NASCEE, the FLOAT Gauteng Consortium, and government education departments enable scale, while selection into the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship via Injini signals edtech-ecosystem validation. Leadership is anchored by Co-founder and Programme Director Andrew Barrett, recognised in Mail & Guardian's 2012 list of 200 Young South Africans.

Name

Olico Maths Education

Legal name

OLICO Maths Education

Website

https://olico.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Short description

OLICO Maths Education is a South African non-profit that delivers free maths education to learners in under-resourced communities through 1,600+ after-school Maths Clubs, a custom Moodle-based online platform with 65,500+ questions, and a WhatsApp tutoring hotline serving 50,000+ users across Gauteng, Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Supplementary Maths Education Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Math Intervention & Numeracy Support Programs (EDAJAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mathematics Tutoring (Arithmetic–Calculus & Beyond) (EDANAAAA), Online Math Enrichment Platforms & Courses (EDAMAEAF)

Keywords

• Supplementary maths education
• After-school tutoring
• Online learning platform
• WhatsApp tutoring hotline
• Education non-profit programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Corporate Donations: Corporate social responsibility donations from companies seeking to support education programmes. Section 18a tax certificates issued for local companies. International companies can use OLICO's fiscal sponsor for global transfers. Earn BEE points for SED contributions.
2. Foundation and Trust Grants: Funding from charitable foundations and trusts including The Learning Trust, Zenex Foundation, DGMT, Nedbank Private Wealth, Oppenheimer Memorial Trust, Claude Leon Foundation, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

OLICO Maths Education provides free supplementary mathematics programmes to South African learners in under-resourced communities. The core offering comprises Primary School Maths Clubs (after-school numeracy programmes), a High School blended tutoring and technology programme, and the WhatsApp Maths Hotline, all supported by a custom Moodle-based online learning portal containing over 65,500 interactive maths questions and 330 tutorial videos aligned to the South African senior phase curriculum.

Product overview

OLICO Maths Education is a South African non-profit organisation offering a multi-channel maths education programme. The core offering consists of Primary School Maths Clubs (after-school programmes building foundational numeracy skills), the High School Programme (combining tutoring with technology), and the WhatsApp Maths Hotline (free WhatsApp-based tutoring accessible via 0600 39 00 00). These are supported by the OLICO Maths Learning Portal (learn.olico.org), a Moodle-based online learning platform with over 65,500 interactive questions and 330 tutorial videos for Grades 7-9. Additional resources include the Two Minute Tango times-tables app and the Senior Phase Maths Summary Guide (Grades 7-9). All content is published under creative commons licence and is freely accessible.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Two Minute Tango: Times-tables maths app for students
• WhatsApp Maths Hotline

Products and services

• Primary School Maths Clubs After-school Maths Clubs providing fun and engaging activities to build numeracy skills and number sense for primary school learners; runs twice weekly across more than 1,600 clubs in South Africa.
• High School Maths Programme A blended tutoring and technology programme that enables high school learners to overcome maths backlogs and succeed in high school mathematics, supported by an online maths tool with over 65,500 questions.
• WhatsApp Maths Hotline Free WhatsApp-based tutoring service (0600 39 00 00) that puts a tutor in the pocket of every South African learner; over 50,000 users have messaged the hotline for maths help since inception, available Mon-Sun 2pm-10pm.
• OLICO Maths Learning Portal (learn.olico.org) Custom-built Moodle-based online learning management system providing structured maths lessons, video tutorials, interactive questions, and progress tracking for Grades 7-9, with over 65,500 interactive questions and 330 tutorial videos aligned to the SA senior phase curriculum, published under Creative Commons licence.
• Two Minute Tango Times-Tables App Times-tables maths app designed for students to practice their times-tables in a fun and engaging way.
• Senior Phase Maths Summary Guide (Grades 7-9) Free downloadable booklet summarising key mathematical concepts across Grades 7-9 in the Senior Phase, including solutions.
• Grade 9 Maths WhatsApp Hotline Dedicated free WhatsApp Maths Hotline for Grade 9 learners (0600 39 00 00), providing tutoring support for the Grade 9 mathematics curriculum.

Quantifiable outcome

• 94% of learners in low-income communities unable to complete school with maths above 50% - OLICO addresses this crisis
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NASCEE (National Association of State Comprehensive Education)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASCEE is a national association that unites education-focused entities to build capacity, collaborate, and work collectively to improve SA's education system. OLICO is a founding member of NASCEE.
• FLOAT PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFLOAT is a pioneering collaboration between donors, government and NGOs to improve early grade literacy and numeracy across provinces. OLICO is a member of the Gauteng Consortium.
• YearBeyondcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYearBeyond is a youth development NGO that creates meaningful pathways between school and further opportunity. OLICO is the maths content and training provider of the Catch Up Programme, operating in 8 Western Cape schools.
• PEP AcademiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPEP Academies provide structured after school maths help to learners in under-resourced schools. OLICO is the content, training and coaching provider.
• Social Employment Fund / The Learning TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Learning Trust with SEF provides youth employment participants to after-school non-profits to address learning backlogs. OLICO hosts 100 youth participants through this programme.
• Injini (Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInjini champions innovation in digital learning and the South African edtech ecosystem. OLICO is a fellow on the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship Program.
• Western Cape Education DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment education department partnership for programme delivery in Western Cape schools through YearBeyond initiative.
• Department of Basic EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational government education department referenced in budget speeches and policy engagement as OLICO works to support adoption of effective approaches to maths teaching.
• InkululekominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation-focused partner organisation collaborating with OLICO.
• FundaWandeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation NGO partner working on literacy and numeracy in South Africa.
• Room to ReadminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal education organisation partnering on literacy initiatives in South Africa.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Inkululeko: Inkululeko is a South African education NGO providing after-school tutoring and life-skills support to learners from under-resourced communities. It is listed as an OLICO partner and is closely comparable in mission and learner profile.
• IkamvaYouth: IkamvaYouth is a South African education NPO providing after-school tutoring and mentorship to learners in under-resourced communities. OLICO was originally created to run the Gauteng arm of IkamvaYouth, making it the closest direct peer in mission, geography, and beneficiary profile.
• YearBeyond: YearBeyond is a South African youth development NGO that creates pathways between school and post-school opportunity, including maths catch-up programmes in Western Cape schools. OLICO is their maths content and training provider, making them a tightly coupled programme peer.
• Siyakhula Computer School (Siyacomputers): Siyacomputers / Siyakhula Computer School is a South African NPO delivering computer-based maths and science education in township communities, awarded Microsoft CSR Partner of the Year in 2011. It overlaps directly with OLICO's tech-enabled maths tutoring model and historical founder connections.
• FundaWande: FundaWande is a South African education NGO focused on literacy and numeracy in under-resourced primary schools. It is a listed OLICO partner working on similar early-grade outcomes through teacher development and learner support.
• PEP Academies: PEP Academies run structured after-school maths programmes in under-resourced South African schools, using OLICO-supplied content, training and coaching. They operate a comparable after-school maths club model with similar learner demographics.

Broad incumbents

• Room to Read: Room to Read is a major global literacy and numeracy NGO with active programmes in South Africa. Listed as an OLICO collaborator, it operates at far larger scale but in a comparable supplementary education space.
• Khan Academy: Khan Academy is the global incumbent in free online maths education and was the foundational technology platform behind OLICO's pilot. OLICO has since built its own SA-tailored content but sits in the same category of free online maths resources and benefits from Khan's brand and translation work.

Others

• Injini: Injini is the Mastercard Foundation-backed African EdTech accelerator and investment fund that supports OLICO through its EdTech Fellowship Programme. It is an ecosystem enabler for African edtech companies, comparable as a fellow-portfolio context rather than a direct competitor.

Regional players

• FLOAT Partnership: FLOAT is a South African multi-stakeholder collaboration (donors, government, NGOs) focused on improving early-grade literacy and numeracy. OLICO is a member of its Gauteng Consortium, making it a peer in collaborative numeracy programming rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/olicomaths
• Facebookfacebook.com/olicomaths
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/olico
• TikToktiktok.com/@olicomaths

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 Olico Maths Education