The Reunion start-up, social and solidarity company pioneering socio-educational solutions for early childhood, raised seven million euros in July. This fundraising will allow the group to develop its activities throughout the national territory and increase its social impact tenfold., particularly within priority neighborhoods of city policy (QPV).
Welcomed within the Village by CA Réunion since 2019, the Educ-up group designs projects aimed at promoting access to education for the most vulnerable, young people, and those who no longer have the taste for learning. “Access to education and training for all, at the heart of our strategy, constitutes a factor of equal opportunities and social cohesion for children, young people, parents and health and social professionals. Thanks to its innovative approach, Educ-up offers a model for the concrete application of the public policy of the first thousand days launched in 2021 by the government and constitutes a response to the announcements of the Prime Minister of June 1, 2023 concerning the public early childhood service. Educ-up is thus the last mile logistician for public education policies and support for people who have dropped out of school”, explains Mohamed El Mazzouji, founder of Educ-Up.
More than six hundred employees
To provide answers to the difficulties that children and their families may encounter, Educ-Up has developed two solutions for rural revitalization areas (ZRR) and so-called “priority” neighborhoods that the founder prefers to call territories with “high human potential”. Domissori provides Montessori educational support services at home (childcare, academic support) inspired by the philosophy developed by Maria Montessori. Edacademy is a Qualiopi certified online training center which intends to revalorize human support professions (from early childhood to the elderly), facilitate the integration of people far from employment and support parenthood. For four years, the young gem from Reunion has accelerated its development by deploying its activities in twenty departments. Nowadays, Educ-up employs more than six hundred employees.
A deployment in fifty departments
As it prepares its expansion towards Mayotte, the Educ-up group plans to deploy its solutions in fifty departments by 2026, i.e. ten thousand households made aware of Maria Montessori’s educational approach, including a majority within the QPV. The new investment will also allow the development of the Edacademy training offer. Five diploma training courses for future early childhood professionals should be created, which will make it possible to support one hundred thousand parents thanks to the specific program dedicated to Educ-up parenthood.
Unwavering local support
Originally from Reunion, this initiative receives support from key local partners. Thus the Village by CA Réunion, which welcomed the start-up within its accelerator. “Since 2019, our confidence in Educ-Up has only grown stronger. Educ-Up brilliantly demonstrates that Paris is not the only place where success stories emerge. We are extremely proud of his journey and can’t wait to see what the future holds for him.”, declares Élisabeth Peguillan, general director of Village by CA. The Initiative Réunion association also contributed to the launch of Educ-Up by granting it an honorary loan of 30,000 euros in 2020. Mohamed El Mazzouji also highlights the crucial role of Pôle Emploi, whose compensation scheme allowed him to devote himself entirely to the project after his departure from a position as a nuclear engineer. Educ-Up considers Pôle Emploi as an essential partner, facilitating the recruitment and financing of training for the sustainable integration of job seekers within the company. Key player in fundraising, BPI France and its regional branch provided their expertise in this crucial phase.
NEW SUPPORT FROM EDUC-UP
The four players in the fundraising are the Banque des Territories, one of the five professions of the Caisse des Dépôts ;the Racine2 investment fund of the General Mutual of National Education (MGEN), managed by the duo Makesense and Serena ; Inco Ventures, for Generali Impact Investing, European management company, expert in venture capital and impact investing ; the Essor PME Réunion Fund, initiative launched jointly by La Financière Région Réunion and the European Investment Fund (FEI), leading European institutional investor, as part of the FEDER operational program for Réunion.
