Kipin was recently recognised in TIME Magazine’s World’s Top EdTech Companies 2024, a list of 250 shortlisted global edutech startups. Working with Statista, the list was based on a formula evaluating financial strength and industry impact. Kipin was the only Indonesian edutech startup shortlisted and was ranked sixth in Southeast Asia.

In an email interview with e27, Steffina Yuli, the Chief Business Officer of Kipin, explains the company’s mission and the solutions it provides for students in Indonesia.

Kipin enables schools, teachers, and students to implement digital school digitalisation at all education levels anywhere in Indonesia, whether in urban, rural, or remote areas with no internet access. One of its solutions is Kipin Classroom, which can operate in a hybrid (online and offline) manner.

Apart from offering study materials such as textbooks, video lessons, tryout exercises, and literacy comics for elementary to vocational levels, Kipin School features a unique offline-online exam system.

“Compared to traditional alternatives, our platform is highly scalable, seeing five times growth in the past year and can be used even in areas with limited internet connectivity. Additionally, we are fully aligned with the Ministry of Education’s curriculum and provide the content required for daily curriculum learning,” she says, adding that pilots have shown over 65 per cent increase in reading and writing scores.

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In developing their solutions, Kipin consulted over 300 teachers, educators, and school administrators, centering their product development process around user feedback and continuous improvement.

“We start by identifying the key challenges faced by students and educators through extensive research and immersion in schools. Our development team then collaborates to design and prototype solutions that address these challenges, deploy them in our pilot schools and iterate on them to ensure they really work. Each iteration is thoroughly tested in real classroom environments to ensure it meets the needs of both students and teachers,” she says.

In the recent years, since the appointment of former Gojek CEO Nadiem Makarim as Minister of Education, Indonesia has been pushing for the digitalisation of its education system, starting with the founding of initiatives such as GovTech Edu.

Kipin’s solutions are designed to integrate seamlessly with the national curriculum, providing digital versions of government-approved textbooks and learning materials.

“By offering these resources in a digital format, we help schools transition smoothly from traditional to digital learning environments. We are one of the official partners of the Ministry of Education as well as the Ministry of Communications. We believe that private sector, Indonesia-made solutions can have a powerful role in supporting government efforts to increase digital education and standards nationwide.”

It operates in B2B business model of selling products and services to schools, governments, and large corporations or non-profits that fund schools.

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In reaching out to their potential users, Kipin actively engages with Indonesian teachers through platforms such as YouTube. It also runs a teachers ambassador programme (DuKi) where young teachers learn about digital education and gain certification; it has produced 1,200 graduates.

The company works with foundations such Tanoto Foundation and Octava Foundation and have represented Indonesia at the Y20 Summit 2023 and the Global World Summit Awards Winner in Learning & Education.

Expanding across the archipelago

Kipin is run by a team of over 50 dedicated professionals that include business development, educators, software developers, content creators, and support staff.

It has raised undisclosed funding from venture capital firms and angel investors which has supported the acceleration of its product development and user acquisition.

“Looking ahead, we do have plans to raise additional funds to scale our operations further and enhance our product offerings. We are actively exploring partnerships with investors who share our commitment to making a positive impact in the education sector.”

This year, Kipin aims to further expand its reach in Indonesia.

“We aim to expand our school network and enhance our platform with additional features such as AI-driven personalised learning paths and more interactive content to further engage students,” she says.

“We also plan to establish partnerships with more educational institutions and government bodies to support the national digitalisation agenda towards Indonesia Emas 2045. We believe that quality education is everyone’s responsibility – and with the help of our partners, governments, and companies – we can achieve a better and more equal education for all.”

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Image Credit: Kipin

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