Education technology has a well-known problem: the people who benefit rarely pay, and the people who pay buy slowly. A product can be genuinely good and still fail because the founder never resolved who writes the cheque. Answering that first determines what you build, how you price it, and whether it can work at all.
Four buyers, each with different constraints.
Work out who actually pays
Schools decide slowly, budget annually, and need curriculum alignment. Parents pay directly but are price-sensitive and hard to reach at scale. Corporates and funders fund education through social investment budgets, which is the largest and least contested pot. Government buys at scale through procurement with long timelines.
Most sustainable operators sell to corporates or funders while delivering to schools and learners, because that is where the money and the impact meet.
Design for the devices learners actually have
Products requiring recent devices, heavy data or uninterrupted connectivity exclude most of the market. Light, offline-tolerant and usable on inexpensive handsets is a commercial decision rather than a technical nicety.
This is the single most common reason a well-built education product fails in South Africa, and it is decided at design time rather than fixable afterwards.
Children’s data carries stricter obligations
Personal information about children is specially protected under the Protection of Personal Information Act, overseen by the Information Regulator, and generally requires consent from a competent person rather than the child.
Build consent, data minimisation and security in from the start. Schools and funders will ask, and retrofitting it usually means rebuilding.
Evidence and accreditation
Buyers want evidence of outcomes, not engagement statistics. Measurement should be built into the product so you can show what changed, because funders must report it to their own funders.
Be clear whether you offer a learning tool or an accredited qualification. Accreditation is a substantial separate process, and the qualifications framework is administered by the Department of Higher Education and Training.
Frequently asked questions
What is the hardest question in edtech?
Who pays. The people who benefit rarely pay, and the people who pay buy slowly.
Who is the most accessible buyer?
Corporates and funders through social investment budgets, which is the largest and least contested source.
Why do good education products fail here?
Because they require recent devices, heavy data or constant connectivity, which excludes most of the market.
What is different about children’s data?
It is specially protected, generally requiring consent from a competent person, with stricter obligations throughout.
What evidence do buyers want?
Outcomes rather than engagement statistics, measured within the product so funders can report it onward.
Originally published in January 2018. Updated September 2026 into guidance on building an education technology product.
