LDN’s Inspired acquires tutoring app Ostaz

EdTech start-up now plans global rollout after success in MENA

• Mobile app offers tutors and students cutting-edge booking and performance technology for both on and offline tutoring sessions
• Partnered with The American University of Dubai, the American University of Beirut and The University of Sharjah in the UAE in addition to elite schools in the MENA region

London, Thursday 1 April: Inspired Education (“Inspired”) – the leading global group of premium schools educating over 50,000 students across five continents – has acquired private tutoring app Ostaz, previously known as Synkers. The move strengthens Inspired’s portfolio of education-related businesses and will see Ostaz expand its offering into new markets.

Founded in Lebanon in 2017 as Synkers, the app connects students with the most relevant, trusted and qualified private tutors to help them complete their learning goals, while supporting them throughout their academic journey starting from school to official exams (IGCSE, American, IB, A levels, SAT, IELTS and more) to college admission.

Ostaz, with its Uber-like user experience, has distinguished itself from other online private tutoring platforms with its personalized matching approach which caters for all learning needs.  Every tutor is thoroughly vetted to ensure only the highest quality tutors are appointed, and their performance is continually monitored.

Ostaz has already seen great take-up of its app, with more than 43,000 students using the service around the world. This has amounted to the completion of almost 65,000 tutoring hours so far across a wide range of curricula such as British (GCSEs, A levels), French, International Baccalaureate, American, Saudi, Egyptian and Lebanese; in addition to languages, prep tests and soft skills.

The acquisition comes at a pivotal time for the education industry, with an increasing adoption of online learning, as it offers flexibility, accessibility to global subject matter experts, along with affordable and convenient solutions for private tutoring.

Ostaz is well placed to address these macro-trends as the teaching is often conducted online, which is especially important for students who are unable to travel or need to find a trusted tutor at short notice.

Ostaz has so far concentrated its efforts in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, where it has partnered with leading educational institutions such as The American University of Dubai, the American University of Beirut and The University of Sharjah in the UAE, but now the company is seeking to go global with Inspired’s expertise and backing.

News of the acquisition comes after Inspired recently launched its online private school, King’s College Online, to UK, European, Middle Eastern and African students. The organisation offers a unique blend of offline and online learning to A level and GCSE students at an affordable price point.

Nadim M Nsouli, Founder & CEO Of Inspired said:

“Ostaz has already proved its popularity in the Middle East and North Africa and now, as the world wants more flexible and trusted learning, is great time for the platform to expand further into new markets. This acquisition also complements Inspired’s other portfolio businesses seeking to transform our education system, including King’s College Online which recently launched in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa. Overall, we believe that Inspired’s global network of schools and teachers will enable Ostaz to achieve its next global level of growth.”

Audrey Nakad, Co-Founder & CEO of Ostaz added

“We are excited that Inspired has taken this decision to invest in the future of Ostaz. We believe that our partnership will enable Ostaz to grow its presence across the globe, bringing high-quality and personalised online and offline private tutoring to students from New York to Riyadh. If anything, the Covid-19 pandemic has catalysed the need for services like Ostaz and we see a burgeoning market and great demand for our offer.”