09 January 2019

Cape Town start-up aims to disrupt maths education

Submitted by: Godfrey Parkin
Cape Town start-up aims to disrupt maths education

Cape Town Edtech startup Angaza Ltd has launched a disruptive smartphone app which helps high-school learners be brilliant at maths. MindZu (www.mindzu.com) is an exquisitely crafted learning experience, whose gorgeous graphics and slick interface just make you want to explore. 

Godfrey Parkin and Karen Parkin, of Cape Town’s digital strategy firm Britefire, are two of Angaza’s founders. According to Godfrey, “MindZu raises the bar for STEAM e-learning. Clichéd teacher videos are replaced with animated fantasy and fun, while comprehensively covering the full year’s curriculum. Learning is mission-based – you have to rescue your friends from the clutches of the Army of Meh, using maths as your super-power. Every second is colourful, stimulating and motivating. Learners are in control of what they learn, and how fast they learn it. Performance systems let them know what they missed, where they need to focus, and where they are brilliant. Gamified challenges and rewards are woven into personalised learning journeys. And learners are not alone – they can connect with others in their class or around the world. MindZu runs on basic Android smartphones, online or offline. And it’s all available for a fraction of the cost of conventional e-learning.”

Angaza’s goal is to make a superb learning experience universally affordable.

Over the coming months MindZu will roll out the maths and sciences curricula for the last two years of high school. According to Godfrey Parkin, the year before matric is the tipping point for most learners. “This is where maths gets hard, and where many learners start to hate it. This is the point where potential future doctors, engineers and scientists choose an alternate career path. It is where learners with an interest in the arts turn away from an opportunity to add new dimensions to their creative mind. This is the point where Angaza decided to make a difference.” For now, it's available only in India.

He explained that the bootstrapped startup has to quickly achieve operational profitability. “Why are we launching in India and not South Africa? To keep MindZu amazingly affordable, our margins are razor thin. So we need to launch in a market with real volume potential. India gives us a vast market already highly receptive to mobile education. But we will bring MindZu to Africa later this year, probably through a sponsor or business partner.”

MindZu is the culmination of years of work by a global team of educational writers, game developers, instructional designers, animators and user experience experts. Angaza’s founders are deeply experienced in education and technology. Khalaf Rashid was the resident partner and CEO of Macmillan Publishers in Tanzania. Karen Parkin is a UX expert with a history of computer games production and award winning digital projects in major European and US corporations. Kwang Lee is an artist, animator and creative director. Godfrey Parkin is a digital strategist, and was one of the original pioneers of e-learning in the US.

You can find out more about MindZu at www.mindzu.com.

Contact: Godfrey Parkin, CEO, at +27 21 794 7838 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.