South African tech start-up Eduze announces partnership and investment from TED. Eduze is making waves in the digital content industry, attracting attention to its strategy: “Great digital content. Done right”.
By “done right” they mean providing all Africans with equal access to reliable, relevant, and uplifting content that is entertaining and educational. This struck a chord with TED, whose own mission is “Ideas worth spreading”.
Frustrated by the slow data speeds and high costs which characterise the African connectivity landscape, Eduze set out to develop a unique Wi-Fi- based technology, called CLOX, or Cloud in a Box.
CLOX allows users to browse, stream and download digital content to a mobile device with no waiting, no buffering and no data charges. Deron Triff, TED’s Head of Media Distribution, commented: “Eduze has pioneered something extraordinary-thanks to its technology, for the first time, entire swaths of the global population will have the ability to connect and explore, to discover and learn. It’s exactly this kind of breakthrough in connectivity we seek in our work to spread ideas to the far corners of the world.”
Eduze MD, Charlie Beuthin, said: “We share TED’s vision – to provide users a digital experience that is compelling, meaningful and accessible. We aim to offer African content producers an innovative and commercially viable distribution channel. Initial pilots are underway, and we look forward to an exciting and progressive year.”
Pilots have been running with Amogaleng Buses, Tshwane University of Technology and Maboneng. Successful trials have seen impressive dwell times of over twenty minutes. Focusing on education and entertainment content, the company is now launching across schools.
In schools, curated TED Talks are a highlight, ensuring that learners have a rounded experience gaining first-hand knowledge, and insight from TED’s incredible speakers. Eduze has lined up agreements with global and African content publishers to provide the finest range of digital content available to schools.
“We want to speak to learners in a fresh and inspirational way,” says Beuthin. “It’s about a compelling content offering, provided in a convenient, affordable, fun manner that feeds from a student’s natural curiosity.” Eduze will have offerings launching across a range of school subjects with a particular focus on maths and science, with future plans to launch across the continent.
Staff Writer
