The selection places Alabi and Heels and Tech among a new generation of Nigerian EdTech innovators developing technology-driven solutions to some of the country’s most pressing education challenges.
The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship, delivered in partnership with Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB), is designed to accelerate African EdTech enterprises through equity-free funding, mentorship, technical expertise and strategic business support.
For Alabi, the recognition represents another important milestone in a career focused on expanding opportunities for women and girls through education and technology.
Heels and Tech joins Talktu, Efiwe, DAWN AI Study (META’25), Lena, Skilladder AI, TrainDTrainer, Ribara, Skillup Africa, Ileemore Technologies Limited, NursePadi and Lalitah in the fourth Nigerian cohort of the fellowship.
The selected founders will participate in a 12-month programme centred on learning, mentorship, collaboration and business growth, with the broader aim of strengthening Nigeria’s education technology ecosystem.
For Heels and Tech, the $100,000 equity-free funding offers an opportunity to invest in its technology, expand its reach and deepen its impact while retaining full ownership of the business.
The fellowship comes at a time when access to quality education, digital skills and economic opportunities for women and young people remains an important part of Nigeria’s development agenda.
Under Alabi’s leadership, Heels and Tech is seeking to contribute to that wider effort by exploring how technology can make education more accessible while creating pathways for women and young people to participate more meaningfully in the emerging digital economy.
The support from the Mastercard Foundation and CcHUB is expected to provide the company with not only financial resources but also access to expertise, networks and strategic guidance as it works to scale its activities.
For Alabi and her team, the fellowship therefore represents more than a funding opportunity. It provides a platform to strengthen the company’s operations, test and expand its solutions, and demonstrate the potential of locally developed technology to address education challenges.
Over the next 12 months, Heels and Tech will be part of a cohort of Nigerian innovators working to advance the country’s EdTech landscape, with the ultimate goal of making education and technology more inclusive and impactful.
