Kenyan edtech startup Craydel has extended its reach into Burundi and Tanzania, becoming the first education technology firm from Kenya to establish operations across seven African markets.
Being its fourth expansion in less than a year, this expansion stresses the company’s vision to be the go-to platform in a sector it values at over $30 billion annually.
With operations now in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Burundi, and Tanzania, Craydel is targeting a fast-growing market of more than 400,000 African students who pursue studies abroad each year.
The company argues that despite rising demand, many learners still face fragmented guidance and lack transparent support in choosing higher education opportunities.
“Across Africa, students face the same challenge: limited, biased advice from a fragmented agent system,” said Craydel’s co-founder and CEO, Manish Sardana. “At Craydel, we’re flipping that model, putting control back in learners’ hands with seamless access to the tech to search, match, and apply to their best-fit universities. With proven playbooks for new market expansion, we’re scaling fast, with the learner always at the centre.”
Founded in 2021 by Sardana alongside John Nguru (CTO) and Shayne Aman Premji (CFO), the startup has raised more than $2.5 million in venture funding from investors including Enza Capital and Angaza Capital. Its platform is free to learners but generates revenue from universities that pay commission for successful student enrollments.
The company’s key feature is its “University Matchmaker,” a tool that uses psychometrics, academic performance, budget, and career aspirations to recommend suitable institutions. This approach is designed to bypass traditional education agents, offering personalised and bias-free results.
Craydel’s expansion strategy is underpinned by local partnerships and regulatory navigation, a model it believes gives it an edge over global competitors like ApplyBoard of Canada and Australia’s IDP Education, which have long dominated international student recruitment.
“Our expansion to Burundi and Tanzania is part of our journey to deploy the Craydel platform across Africa,” Sardana added.
With Africa’s education sector being impacted by a youth-heavy population (with over 60% under the age of 25) and a growing appetite for international qualifications, Craydel’s timing is just right. Nonetheless, career counselling and reliable university placement remain scarce in many parts of the continent.
Craydel is scaling to also expand its workforce, with fresh hiring rounds underway in Nigeria and Kenya. The company has revealed that more market launches are on the horizon as it pushes toward profitability.