• Egypt-based edtech Emonovo (formerly MARJA3), has raised a new bridge led by angel investors from across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena), Europe and US, along with follow-on investment from Flat6Labs.
• Marj3 was founded by Abdo Samy, Sami Al-Ahmad, and Ahmed Elgebaly in July 2016 with the aim of offering global educational opportunities for Arab youth. In less than a year after its founding, the platform raised its initial pre-Seed funding from Flat6Labs’ FAC Egypt Fund.
• In 2020, it also raised an investment round from a US-based Expert Dojo, after which it managed to secure partnerships with more than 300 universities worldwide.
• Earlier this year, the startup pivoted its offerings from being focused on scholarships to matching students with universities. 
• The new round will enable Emonovo to onboard more universities and student recruitment, as well as bolster the platform’s technology to optimise matching and data management.

Press release 

Emonovo (formerly MARJ3), the MENA region’s leading Ed-tech platform, has successfully raised an undisclosed bridge round by strategic angel investors from US, Europe, and MENA and follow-on investment from Flat6Labs. 

Emonovo (Formerly MARJ3) is the MENA region’s leading Ed-tech platform that utilizes technology and data to match MENA youth to the best-fit majors and universities worldwide. The participating angel investors compile extensive working experience in giant companies like META, Klarna, Alan, as well as prominent VC and Private Funds while having distinguished backgrounds in EdTech, FinTech, HR, and investment sectors.

“Flat6Labs has been a firm believer in Emonovo’s team and platform from day one. This investment is a testament to our belief in Emonovo’s mission to empower students in the MENA region in their educational journey. We’re excited to see how the team will develop their platform even further and support more potential students towards fulfilling their educational ambitions in the best universities around the world,” said Dina El-Shenoufy, Chief Investment Officer of Flat6Labs.

“I am a firm believer in the power of education to transform people’s lives, and I’m super excited to be backing the team behind Emonovo,” said Willie Elamien, an angel investor.

This investment is aimed to boost the new brand strategy and fuel the growth of university onboarding & student recruitment through the platform. It will also be used to update the platform technology to optimize matching and data management.

“As a proponent of tech and social impact, I’m delighted to invest in Emonovo, the future of higher education in the region,” said Rama A. Chakaki, an angel investor.

Marj3 platform was founded by Abdo Samy, Sami Al-Ahmad, and Ahmed Elgebaly in July 2016 as a comprehensive database containing educational opportunities worldwide for Arab youth in a simplified way. In 2017, within less than a year after its establishment, the platform obtained pre-seed funding from Flat6Labs’ FAC Egypt Fund, which enabled them to grow and reach a far larger segment of the target audience in the Middle East, achieving more than two million monthly visitors on Marj3’s website.

In 2020, as they continued to grow, they managed to obtain a new investment round from a US-based investor (Expert Dojo), synchronizing with the launch of Marj3 education services to help students in the Arab region find the best suitable universities for them worldwide. Then, after a short period, Marj3 managed to secure partnerships with more than 300 universities globally in various fields.

In 2022, the 3 co-founders decided to support students fully from A to Z in their experience to follow their educational journey. They shifted from scholarships to university and student matching arena. In March 2022, Marj3 became Emonovo with some internal and external adjustments and new branding. 

“This strategic investment round is going to help us make Emonovo available to more students than ever before. Our mission is to help students achieve their educational dream, and I am super excited that our investors are aligned with us on making our unique solutions and technology experience available for everyone soon,” said Sami Al-Ahmad - CEO & Co-Founder at Emonovo.