Meet the Absa Small Business Friday featured Small Business of the week – Hippocampus Education.
At Hippocampus Education, their business philosophy centres on transforming education through innovation, inclusivity, and social impact. They believe that every individual, regardless of their background, deserves access to high-quality education. Hippocampus Education is an adaptive tutoring Facebook Messenger chatbot that provides differentiated instruction and immediate feedback that is tailored to meet each individual’s learning needs.
As a woman business leader and co-founder of Hippocampus Education, Boitumelo Makgoba’s journey has been marked by resilience, determination, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. Over the years, she has faced challenges head-on, transforming them into opportunities for growth. Navigating a competitive business landscape has honed her decision-making skills and strategic thinking.
Achieving recognition as a top 100 CIO in Africa and being a finalist for prestigious awards like Best Data and Analytics Leader, Best Data Literacy Champion of the Year by Datacon Africa, and Best Huawei Cloud Computing Leader and given that Hippocampus is a data-driven organization has validated her expertise and dedication. These accolades have not only celebrated her achievements but also highlighted the importance of women’s leadership in the tech industry.
Boitumelo’s success as a business leader is grounded in continuous learning and adaptability. Embracing innovation and staying ahead of industry trends have been pivotal. Additionally, her ability to foster meaningful relationships, both within her team and with clients has been instrumental in building a successful venture.
Being a woman in business has required resilience, confidence, and the ability to turn challenges into stepping stones. She is proud to be a part of a new generation of women entrepreneurs, breaking barriers and shaping the future of business. Her journey is a testament to the power of determination and passion in overcoming obstacles and achieving remarkable milestones.
One significant challenge faced at Hippocampus Education was gaining acceptance and trust within the conservative educational landscape. Traditional teaching methods were deeply ingrained, making it difficult to introduce innovative digital solutions. To overcome this challenge, they took a multifaceted approach. They built trust with educators and institutions by building relationships. They then ran pilot programmes within the institutions so educators to see first-hand the benefits of the programme. Then with data from the programmes, they should the impact it had on the students, and they also offered professional development and listened to feedback from the students and educators to improve the programme. By persistently addressing these challenges, Hippocampus Education successfully navigated the conservative educational landscape. Today, their adaptive digital tutor is not just accepted but celebrated for its role in enhancing the learning experience, bridging educational gaps, and preparing students for the future.