Introducing Acceede

Unlike most startups, Acceede did not start with an idea, it was born via a conversation between a struggling Nigerian parent and one of our co-founders.

Mr Daniel is one of the 23% of Nigerians (46M) who are middle-income earners; earning between N70,000 & N100,000 ($140 & $200) per month. Fortunately for him, he’s among the privileged few Nigerians who are directly on the Federal Government of Nigeria’s payroll; hence he has a consistent stream of income. Mr Daniel is an outlier; people in his income bracket have between 1–2 children (statistical average of 1.6), he has 3 children. His first child is an undergraduate at a Federal University, his second child awaits admission, and he is concerned about the quality of education his third child receives at the neighborhood school he attends. He comfortably pays the school fee — about N30,000 ($60) per term (3 months). He realized that the quality of education his first 2 children received influenced their self-confidence in academics, hence shaping their careers: preparedness and choice of universities. Mr Daniel has come to believe that there is a basic minimum standard every school can meet, unfortunately the signs are telling that where his last child is enrolled does not come close.

If only he wasn’t handicapped by his financial status.

“What if you could pay in installments at a quality school?” our co-founder asked. “They do not take payment in installments” Mr Daniel replied. “Do you have a quality school in mind?” our co-founder asked, “Yes, I do”. He then mentioned the name of the school.

“The school fee there is about N90,000 ($180), which I can comfortably pay in installments. They just won’t buy-in.” “Yes, they won’t. Neither would I if I owned a school business.” our co-founder replied. “Why”, he sharply asked. “Every business lives and dies on cash. What oxygen is to man, cash is to business; business operation is terminated in the absence of cash. Furthermore, if cash becomes available after the business dies, it’s analogous to applying an oxygen tank to a dead man; it makes no sense, no miracle is going to happen.”

The next week, when Mr Daniel told his colleagues at work about the installmental structure, they eagerly asked him if the service was available for use, unfortunately we had barely begun building. Surprisingly, those with children in expensive quality private schools and universities — fees up to N500,000 ($1000) — showed interest. It’s a no brainer, Acceede frees up cash for them to finance other expenses.

Upon interaction with other parents, we discovered that the school fees payment process is an antiquated paper-based system. Parents need to go to the bank with the cash to make a deposit, and return to the school with the teller in order to get a receipt. Some parents use their bank’s mobile app, but they still need to send a copy of the teller to the school. As such, parents can pay schools in less than 5 minutes from our mobile application, with the receipt auto-generated.

Acceede is on a mission to give everyone access to quality education. We believe every child has a fundamental right to quality education, hence access should not be a barrier. Acceede, essentially, is an Edtech in mission, Fintech in operations.

Whether you are a parent, school owner, investor or policymaker, we are open to collaborate with you to democratize access to quality education.

Note: Some identifying details like names have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.