SAYNA, the video game for learning tech professionals that automatically connects its learners to remunerative IT micro-tasks has recently received $600K becoming the first Malagasy startup to raise financing from international VCs.
Teaming up in this funding round is Orange Ventures, Orange Group’s multi-stage tech investment fund as well as Launch Africa Ventures, a pan-African VC fund based in South Africa, and the Malagasy Investment Club (Club MAIC). Furthermore, Bernard Ramanantsoa, former MD of the HEC Paris Group and member of Club MAIC, will join SAYNA’s Strategic Committee.
“We strongly believe in the potential of the distribution of crowdsourced micro-services applied to IT projects. The combination with a training solution for the development of digital professions, both online and gamified, makes SAYNA a powerful tool to meet the challenges of employment and the scarcity of developers on the continent.” Grégoire de Padirac, a Principal at Orange Ventures remarked in response to this funding announcement.
The SAYNA Academy
This fundraise will empower SAYNA to prioritise the finalisation of its learning video game “SAYNA ACADEMY” and its work platform “SAYNA WORK”. The objective is to get everything up to speed, gathering more than 3,000 active microtaskers by 2024. The target is 12,000 learners on its mobile game and more than 257,000 IT micro-tasks marketed.
SAYNA is providing a complete ecosystem which combines a professional training offer for digital professions, SAYNA ACADEMY with access to its micro-task platform, SAYNA WORK. SAYNA ACADEMY is the world’s first French-African edtech and crowdsourcing platform. The edtech platform employs a gamified path allowing its users to learn computer development from beginner to expert level at an attractive price. Learning on the platform is structured around exploratory missions that feature written content, quizzes, audio and videos.
Distinctively, at each key step, students can switch to freelance through IT micro-jobs corresponding to their acquired level. SAYNA WORK is allowing learners to develop their experience in IT development very early on in line with their skills while earning, all in a secure environment. SAYNA’s algorithm performs automatic task assignments, with microtaskers receiving tasks by notification. Once their tasks are completed, checked and validated, they receive their payments.
The SAYNA crowdsourcing platform manages, organises and cuts the IT projects of its enterprise clients by placing the right developer in front of the right task, consequently ensuring the security of the code, speed of execution and access to a wider talent pool. This model is also making it possible to guarantee the standardization of code writing.
The female-led Madagascar startup
The Antananarivo-based startup was founded in 2018 by the Franco-Malagasy entrepreneur Matina Razafimahefa, its CEO and Adam Haciane, its COO. Launched with the aim of solving two challenges; access to education and access to work, SAYNA has since grown to train 450+ students, serving more than 60 corporate partners and clients.
Matina Razafimahefa, SAYNA’s co-founder and CEO remarked, “This fundraising represents both a crucial step for the development of SAYNA internationally and a strong symbol for the tech scene in Madagascar. Today we are a team of 25 people divided between France & Madagascar. It is also a sign of hope for hundreds of thousands of young African talents who have so far not had the opportunity to professionalise to take advantage of the fourth industrial revolution underway on the continent.”
