The IQ Collective is brining the best education solutions to the least connected schools worldwide. Our mission is to transform learning across the developing world by eliminating the accessibility gap. We believe that every student should be connected to the best global education solutions and we believe the way to do so is to create an online platform that allows school entrepreneurs the chance to communicate and collaborate with one another, and connects them to trusted and relevant learning, technology, and finance solutions.

We believe that education in the developing world is on the cusp of a revolution and that The IQ Collective will play a pivotal role in accelerating the progress of bringing the best and most relevant education solutions directly to those who need them the most.

The IQ Collective has a global vision with an aggressive plan of rapid scale. Our on-the-ground market research has shown that the market is not only ready, but eagerly awaiting our entry and that the financial and social return are sustainable and high impact.

We are based in The San Francisco Bay Area and feel that the proximity to Silicon Valley and the connection to education solutions that are coming out of Silicon Valley makes this an ideal HQ location.

Problem

Affordable Private Schools (APS) are revolutionizing education systems around the world. In underserved neighborhoods, parents are demanding access to better quality of education for their children, choosing affordable private schools, with fees of $1-$15/month, instead of the free government schools. Local school entrepreneurs have mastered a high volume, low margin business model to offer English language schools that outperform the government schools and are affordable enough for communities living on less than $5 a day. While the APS market is booming, and extremely competitive in urban areas, it is still an isolated sector. Most affordable private schools are disenfranchised from the traditional educational ecosystem. They lack access to the resources of the government system and the financial support of high-end private schools. This isolation has created a dearth of affordable educational solutions that match both the educational needs of their low-income students, as well as their high volume and low margin business model. In India, the best-known APS market, experts estimate some 300,000 APS serving more than 126 million students. This means that approximately 33% of primary and secondary school Indian students attend an APS. On average, each Indian APS has 420 students paying annual fees of $68. By this measure, the Indian APS market size is estimated at $8.6 billion and experts believe that the market is booming globally.

Solution

Due to intense competition and lack of solutions, school entrepreneurs are hungry and willing to pay for products and services that advance their school quality and help them to differentiate. Although there is a want and need for offerings such as English acquisition, technology solutions, and interactive classrooms, school entrepreneurs are struggling to find appropriate solutions that will better their schools, meet parent demand for quality, and keep pace with the fast evolving education market. Simultaneously, connectivity is sweeping across the developing world and expanding educational opportunities. In India there are now 100 million Internet users, 45 million Facebook users, and 75% of the population has a cell phone. While many teachers and students are still coming online, the majority of school entrepreneurs now own a computer with Internet access. As prominent leaders who are quickly becoming Internet savvy, school entrepreneurs are community and connectivity catalysts. They are now a central access point for teachers, students, and parents to connect to global resources and opportunities. The IQ Collective will capitalize on the technology market accelerators to build an online and mobile distribution channel for school entrepreneurs to increase their competitive advantage by connecting their schools and communities to innovative, trusted, and affordable education solutions.

Exemple

Mr. Saleem owns and manages an Affordable Private School in the Old City of Hyderabad. He has 750 students ranging from nursery to grade 10 and the monthly tuition ranges from $3-$12. As an innovative school entrepreneur Mr. Saleem is always looking for ways to make his school better by improving the infrastructure and bringing in new educational tools and resources to increase student performance. However, since Mr Saleem's school is not a government school and since the community it serves is very low income, the school lacks resources and is isolated from appropriate solutions. This is all changing. Through The IQ Collective, Mr. Saleem became a member of a global community that gives him access to other school leaders like him all over the world and provides him with trusted and relevant education solutions for his school. Through The IQ Collective he is now conversing with other Affordable Private School owners in India, sharing ideas, posting questions, and using the power of the network to create more opportunities for his students. As The IQ Collective network grows, Mr. Saleem will be able to share ideas with similar schools all over the world. He will also have access to data and analytics on how his school compares in to other schools in the region, and he will have access to the best and most relevant learning, technology, and finance solutions.