Tech in Africa
SA ed-tech Graduln has made a shift to the accommodation space. The startup began their journey as a student course finder. Launched in January 2019, the startup assists high school students with the opportunity to apply to more than one institution. Graduln users can access their list of higher learning institutions across the country, fill a single form, and pay one application fee that covers all. As of 2019, over 250 learners have benefited from the program.
Their relaunch will include accommodation for both students and young professionals. This will help property owners near the student accommodation areas find tenants. Judith Shabalala, CEO and founder of GraduIn disclosed her motivations behind opening the venture. She mentioned to Disrupt Africa, how the “huge information and knowledge gap” in matters pertaining to higher learning institutions prompted their involvement.
Part of their desire was to ensure high school leavers got all the information they could get about “a possible future.” Through a one-stop website, learners could find all the answers to pressing questions they might have. They later encountered the accommodation problem which she points out as “a terrifying process” for young teenagers.
Graduln then took this as the right chance to “bridge a gap” where several learners could apply to multiple universities. A close competitor to the company is DigsConnect.
