Bahraini EdTech Startup Telp, has pivoted from their focus on tutoring to a new product called Raed (Ra-ed, pioneer in Arabic), a mobile app that offers various fun and exciting online learning programs for kids aged 4 -12 years old

On Raed, kids join one-hour live sessions on a weekly basis for storytelling, science experiments, English speaking, and other activities.

Raed programs aim to instill a love for knowledge in children while exposing them to diverse fields and cultivating important life skills. Sessions are extremely interactive as they are comprised of small groups of between 6 – 8 children. The programs and sessions are carefully designed by educators to be exciting, as well as beneficial as learning objectives are achieved every session.

“The difference between Raed programs and any other learning program is that kids actually want to attend. The sessions are fun and feel like a game and activity”, says Eman Yasser, a mother, engineer, and lead session planner at Raed.

Raed’s journey began with the launch of their first program Hakawatyy (storyteller in Arabic) back in May 2020. The program caught the attention of users across the MENA region as users  have registered from 10 different countries; 40% of which are from Saudi Arabia.

The program has also intrigued schools and NGOs such as Sharjah Girl Guides who have partnered with the company to offer Hakawatyy sessions to their own students. As of today, Raed has launched  two additional programs Tajarob (experiments) and Natahawar (we converse).

Raed’s model takes the schedules of busy parents to heart. Parents can choose to opt in for individual lessons and join at any time, or they sign up for flexible monthly memberships that can be “frozen” and rescheduled on the Raed mobile app. The app gives parents information on session content and content availability.

Ameena, the co-founder and CEO at Raed, says that it’s the teams EdTech experience that inspired this pivot. “Two years of talking to parents and interacting with students has revealed to us deeper rooted problems in the education system. Although major structural changes are necessary, the private sector plays a vital role in enhancing the education system and services offered,” says Ameena. “With Raed, we envision a future where learning is enjoyable,  memorable, and highly engaging.”

The Raed team is working on expanding their pool of programs, as well as partnering up with relevant institutions and corporations on each program. The Telp app continues to operate although operations have been downsized to focus resources on Raed’s rapid regional growth.