Meet An Entrepreneur
Looking for extra income and experience, university student Hossam Taher noticed a lack of part-time job opportunities for young people who are studying full-time. He saw a need for a place where parents could easily find qualified and trusted tutors for their offspring. So Orcas came into being.
EG: Why did you start Orcas? What’s the passion behind it?
HT: I founded Orcas in 2018. Orcas’ goal is to help youth make more money through personalised learning for students and to help parents get the support they deserve and need. I’ve always been passionate about entrepreneurship and wanted to start my own business.
EG: What is your background?
HT: I graduated from the German school in Cairo, the Deutsche Evangelische Oberschule, then I studied medicine at Cairo University.
EG: What are the issues you are solving? What is your value proposition?
HT: As a double-sided platform, Orcas is here to help both the tutors and the parents and students.
Our aim is to offer anyone interested in a part-time job in education the chance to find a job, earn extra income and gain valuable experience. We make this process easy and legal for all our tutors by connecting them to parents who are looking for tutors.
Knowing the hassle and problems parents and students face to find the right tutor to help them with their schoolwork, we aspire to make this process easier for them.
Orcas mobile app has more than 2,000 profiles for experienced and trusted tutors in all subjects from KG to Grade 12 both online and in-person. Parents can see prices, ratings and reviews of the tutor and filter them based on their experience and school system.
EG: Tell us more about the process, users and business model.
HT: We have more than 140K users signed up on our application that can search, find and book the right tutor for their needs. We cater for parents and students in private and international schools in all school systems.
Users download the mobile application then search tutors based on the subject, school system and the area (or online).
Users can compare the profiles of each tutor that highlight their educational background, work experience, price, rating and reviews.
After choosing the right tutor, users chat with him or her to agree on all the details and set expectations for the sessions.
After both parties agree on the session details and the schedule, the user can select a payment plan and a payment method and start learning.
Orcas charges a commission for each hour that takes place on the platform.
EG: What are your main challenges?
HT: We aim to become the go-to-platform for private tutors and personalised learning in the MENA and SSA.
Our main challenge in that area is acquiring new users en masse. Parents and students need to hear about us from trusted sources who tried our services before in order to try it for themselves.
EG: What are your
achievements and plans
for the future?
HT: We’re proud to say that we’ve grown 200 per cent since 2017 and building a scalable, easy to use product.
This year we’re on our way to grow fivefold and expand to different markets in the MENA region.
EG: Do you think the ecosystem supports you?
HT: Orcas has been growing with the help of the ecosystem and the support of its investors.
Laws and regulations have become more flexible and accommodating to tech startups and online platforms, which make our operations easier.
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