• Buddy Learning connects students with personalized tutors and educational resources through a digital learning platform.
• The startup integrates an AI-powered educational assistant, BuddyAI, directly into WhatsApp to improve accessibility.
• Founder Tshaamano Mabuba aims to reduce financial, linguistic and technological barriers to education.

South African entrepreneur Tshaamano Mabuba founded and currently leads Buddy Learning, an edtech startup focused on academic support services and access to education.

Founded in 2022, the company develops learning solutions for students, parents, schools and businesses. The startup aims to simplify education and expand skills-development opportunities for a broad range of users.

Buddy Learning designed its platform as a comprehensive educational ecosystem. The platform offers educational resources adapted to all academic levels, from kindergarten to university.

The company structures content through an intuitive interface that allows families to identify tools matching each stage of the educational journey quickly.

One of the platform’s core features connects families with qualified tutors known as “Buddies.” The mentoring service targets students who struggle academically as well as those seeking to improve performance. In addition, the platform allows parents to select tutors that best match their children’s academic needs.

To address financial, linguistic and technological barriers, Buddy Learning also developed BuddyAI, an educational assistant integrated directly into WhatsApp.

The tool allows students to ask questions, receive explanations and complete interactive exercises directly from mobile phones. Consequently, the company seeks to expand educational access among users with limited digital resources.

Alongside her entrepreneurial activities, Tshaamano Mabuba also works as a television presenter for SuperSport Schools, a media company focused on producing and broadcasting school sports content.

Tshaamano Mabuba graduated from the University of Cape Town with a bachelor’s degree in actuarial science in 2022. She also earned a bachelor’s degree in data science and business analytics in 2025 from the University of London.

Her professional background reflects a multidisciplinary profile. She started her career in 2019 as an administrative assistant at Super Group, a logistics and mobility company.

More recently, between January 2025 and March 2026, she taught mathematics at the Jeppe High School for Girls, where she applied her analytical expertise to education.

This article was initially published in French by Melchior Koba

Adapted in English by Ange J.A de Berry Quenum