Conversation with Mohammed Gawish – MasterMinds

Today on MasterMinds, we sit down with a true pioneer in social entrepreneurship and education. From launching EduVision to transform how we think about creative learning, to building Maharty—the first platform dedicated to vocational and technical training—he has consistently turned vision into impact.

His work now spans international conference organization, strategic partnerships, and content creation through Nawah, where he highlights voices driving education and social innovation.

Please welcome “Mohammed Reda” , a changemaker who believes entrepreneurship is more than business—it’s a mindset and a lifelong mission.

In this conversation, we’ll explore how his background, values, and persistence have shaped his path as a social entrepreneur.

I studied Electronics Engineering at Cairo University and began my journey in tech education back in 2014, focusing on teaching programming and robotics. In 2017, I was awarded a scholarship from the U.S.

Embassy in Cairo to study entrepreneurship and project management at Indiana University. After completing the program, I joined Fujisoft, a Japanese company, in 2018, where I worked on organizing robotics competitions for both kids and adults. I also traveled to China for the same purpose, which gave me valuable international exposure.

We teach children and teenagers aged 6 to 18 through specialized programs in programming, game development, robotics, graphic design, artificial intelligence, and more. What sets us apart is the structured, long-term learning path—up to six years—that takes students from beginner to advanced levels.

Our courses are taught by world-class instructors, and the curricula are internationally accredited by STEM. This approach quickly attracted thousands of students, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and today, we serve learners not only in Egypt but also across the Arab world, Europe, and the U.S.

While working in robotics competitions, I noticed how engaged children were and realized there was a huge gap in teaching programming and technology to young people in the Middle East.

To fill this gap, I co-founded iSchool with my partners, Mostafa Abdel-Moneim and Ibrahim Youssef. The idea was born in 2018, and by 2019, we had launched our platform online.

In 2023, I participated in a competition attended by Irish investors. They were impressed with iSchool’s global potential and decided to invest. This led to our expansion into Ireland, where we established a base for our international operations.

We’ve raised $6 million so far. Initially, we grew organically without external funding, but later investments accelerated our growth.

Our first investment was $160,000 from EdVentures in 2021. Then, in 2022, we raised another round, followed by our largest in December 2023: $4.5 million, led by Venture Wave Capital from Ireland, with participation from Oraseya Capital in Dubai.

The platform's success is the result of a great deal of effort. It's not the work of a single individual, but rather the efforts of an entire team, evident in the ongoing success that everyone within the platform strives to sustain and enhance the educational experience for students in the Arab region.

I strongly disagree. Programming remains fundamental, and AI actually increases the need for skilled coders. We need people who can understand both coding and how to apply AI effectively.

Every few years, there’s talk about coding becoming obsolete, but the demand only grows stronger. At iSchool, we not only teach kids how to code but also how to use and build with AI.

Ireland doesn’t have strong EdTech players in this field. Most of the serious competition comes from Asia, especially India, where many EdTech companies focus on the U.S. market. Our focus is on delivering quality, impactful education and learning from the best teaching models worldwide.

iSchool is different in many ways. It targets a specific age group and thus presents curricula in a way that this group can understand. While other existing platforms offer short-term education plans, iSchool has long-term education plans that extend up to six years of continuous learning, where students complete one level and then participate in another advanced level. The courses are delivered by the world's best programming instructors, and the platform's curricula are internationally accredited, having been recognized by the STEM Foundation as one of the most important education technology platforms in Africa.

The platform also provides the skills needed for the most in-demand jobs in the market today, including artificial intelligence and machine learning. What iSchool is doing aligns with the visions of many countries. Egypt's Vision 2030 aims to reach one million programmers, which requires teaching current generations programming now so they can become programmers by 2030. He added that the platform has helped some of its students start earning an income through freelance work.

The platform has provided its services to more than 131,000 students from various countries. It has also become known as an influential player in the education sector, having won numerous competitions, including being selected to participate in the Plug and Play Middle East program in 2022, with the support and sponsorship of the Egyptian Ministry of Communications and the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA).

I visited the Plug and Play Center in Silicon Valley, USA, and was also awarded the Founder of the Year award for the North Africa region at the Global Startups Awards 2021 in South Africa. iSchool also received the WSA 2023 award from the United Nations, which recognizes educational platforms that have impacted the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically the goal of quality education.

We aim to expand into six Gulf countries in the coming period: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait. No company specializing in programming education has entered these markets, so I believe there are significant opportunities within them.

We aim to expand through a business model that provides services to institutions (B2B) or governments (B2G), by forming partnerships with schools, educational institutions, or government agencies, in addition to continuing to attract students from around the world. Our goals also include continuing to train thousands of students from Egypt through the company's partnership with the Egyptian Ministry of Communications to provide its services as part of a free initiative to teach programming to students. The platform aims to be the first in the field of teaching children programming in the region.

Education has always been my passion, and I have a knack for simplifying complex ideas. In 2023, I decided to share my expertise on social media, focusing on management and entrepreneurship advice. That journey has grown to over 3 million followers and more than 2 billion views across platforms.

Saudi Arabia’s vision for AI education is historic. At iSchool, we’re proud not just to expand in the Kingdom but also to contribute to a national movement that will reshape how children learn, create, and lead in a tech-driven future. Our experience shows that with the right tools, kids don’t just use technology—they innovate with it.

The most important factors for success are maintaining the company's continuity without cash flow issues, maintaining good customer service and treatment, and carefully selecting the work team. Avoid relying on personal relationships or referrals from others. Selection is done after experience to ensure the employees' skills.