Nigerian Founder Serves 400K Students with SchoolTry Platform

When Ismail Eleburuike earned two master's degrees in Sweden, he could have built a comfortable life abroad. Instead, he chose to tackle one of Africa's biggest challenges: modernizing how schools operate.

The journey started with a simple conversation in 2011. Eleburuike's former mentee wanted financial help to open a school in Nigeria, but Eleburuike had a condition: it had to be digital. That discussion sparked something bigger than either of them imagined.

Rather than build just one school, Eleburuike realized he could help thousands. He sketched out a vision for software that would let any school coordinate operations, track student progress, and improve communication between teachers, students, and administrators. SchoolTry was born in 2020.

The road wasn't easy. Some parents refused to pay after installation. A contract with 45 Nigerian Army schools collapsed after a leadership change. But 15 of those schools saw such clear value that they kept paying out of their own budgets.

That moment changed everything. Universities noticed what SchoolTry could do and came calling. Within one year of serving higher education, the platform earned more revenue than it had in three years serving elementary and high schools.

Today, SchoolTry operates at major institutions including Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Ilorin, and Kogi State University. Over 400,000 students actively use the platform, with two million total users when you count professors and staff.

The technology solves real problems. Students can send transcripts anywhere in the world with five clicks. Teachers manage attendance and grading in one place. Administrators finally have clear data about their institutions.

The Ripple Effect

SchoolTry is now building something even more powerful: an AI system that matches students with jobs based on their academic data. Students can find part time or remote work while still studying. The platform also connects students to online universities and alternative admission paths when overcrowded state schools turn them away.

Eleburuike raised over a million dollars from angel investors in three years. Yet he says he's served less than 1% of the potential market. Thousands of African schools still run on paper, spreadsheets, and hope.

What started as one graduate's desire to give back has become infrastructure for African education, proving that homegrown solutions can transform entire systems when built with persistence and purpose.