Edusuite, a two-year-old DOST-funded technology startup founded by school administrators and technology consultants, met its angel investment target of P12 million after only six months of fundraising, bringing its valuation to P68 million.
Edusuite is the first school management system to utilize artificial intelligence in generating recommendations to school administrators. For example, it can predict the demand for each subject a college will offer in the following school term, so that the school can open the right number of sections and hire the right number of faculty, drastically improving the quality and profitability of the school. Also, it automatically generates an optimized schedule to minimize conflicts between students, faculty, and room availabilities. Edusuite’s software was launched commercially last year and already has seven schools in its client portfolio, including Ateneo High School and CIIT College.
Among the participants in the funding round include seasoned angel investors from the Manila Angel Investors Network (MAIN) and two of Edusuite’s clients: Batangas Eastern Colleges (BEC) and Sumulong College of Arts and Sciences. The startup is also backed by the Department of Science and Technology.
“I invested in Edusuite because I saw that the company solves real problems for schools, especially in increasing revenue. I did not see others in this space doing so,” said Jay Chan from MAIN. “The management has a proven track record of executing on time and on budget and a reputation for integrity.”
Eunil Castillo, school administrator of BEC said Edusuite complements their institution’s thrust to be globally competitive by blending education with new technologies. “Edusuite can match the needs of a growing institution like ours, so we saw us growing together with many mutual opportunities.”
Edusuite was founded by Niel Dagondon, CEO, and Calen Legaspi, CTO. Niel is a four-time serial entrepreneur, with a prominent exit from Anino Games, at the time the largest game development firm in the Philippines. Calen is co-founder and CEO of Orange and Bronze Software Labs, a technology consulting firm that has implemented large critical projects for the Philippines’ largest telcos and banks, as well as for technology companies in eleven other countries.
Myka Sumulong, a director of Sumulong College, mentions, “When I met Niel during their demo at our campus, I saw his clear vision and dedication to modernize the Philippine education sector.” Mia Sumulong, also a director of Sumulong College, adds that their investment “expresses our faith in the Filipino potential to innovate: that we can excel and compete globally even within the confines of our Inang Bayan.”
