Pinsent Masons advises on expansion of pioneering new online learning platform in Kenya

Dawati is an online education platform designed to offer quality educational online content to secondary school students in Kenya. Dawati creates equal education access for girls, rural and disadvantaged children who would otherwise be severely limited in their access to quality education by providing access to e-learning content including videos, e-books, laboratory practicals and revision materials developed by Kenya’s top teachers.

In this initial phase, Pinsent Masons advised Dawati on its first successful fundraising round. This funding will be applied to securing critical Kenyan accreditation which will facilitate the planned expansion of the platform. Part of this process involved putting in place an international-standard governance framework which will facilitate future fund raisings as the platform expands.

The Pinsent Masons team was led by Chris Green and included Khethi Shezi and Kirsten Gilbert-Dempsey.

Chris Green, lead partner from Pinsent Masons, said: “Currently, around 86% of students in Kenya lack the resources to attain the passing grade required to access tertiary education. Against this background, Dawati presents a life-changing platform for students in Kenya who do not have access to quality education. Kenya is fast becoming a favoured African market for inward investment, particularly for global players in the technology space and for socially responsible investors who are encouraged by an enhanced market focus on addressing environmental and social issues while meeting financing needs for green and inclusive economic growth. As a purpose-led business, this project is perfectly aligned with our commitment to champion change and make business work better for people.”

Pinsent Masons worked closely with Alphier Captial LLP, which also advised Dawati in respect of this initial fundraising round.