Teach Me 2 enters Time EdTech top 100

South African tutoring platform Teach Me 2 has been ranked 79th in Time’s World’s Top EdTech Companies 2026.

Time and data company Statista evaluated thousands of education technology businesses on their financial performance and industry impact. The resulting list comprises 500 companies, led by language-learning platform Duolingo.

Teach Me 2, founded in Cape Town in 2006, matches learners with tutors for subjects from primary school through to university. Lessons can take place online or in person, depending on location.

The company says it has provided more than 1-million hours of tutoring and supported more than 50,000 families. The platform handles tutor screening and matching, scheduling, feedback, payments and lesson administration.

“We have exceptional people in this country who can solve difficult problems, build enduring businesses and compete internationally,” says Nick Miller, Teach Me 2 founder and CEO. “The environment isn’t always easy, but globally relevant education technology can absolutely be built from South Africa.”

Technology behind the tutoring

Miller says two decisions changed the company’s direction. Around 2017, Teach Me 2 began investing heavily in technology intended to improve how tutors and learners are matched, support customers and allow the service to grow without sacrificing quality.

The company also started developing online tutoring capabilities before the Covid-19 pandemic. When face-to-face lessons came to a halt, the existing infrastructure allowed the business to move lessons online and expand into more than 50 countries.

“We always begin with the underlying problem rather than simply following whatever technology is fashionable,” says Miller. “We ask what will genuinely help a learner improve, then consider how technology can make that experience better, more accessible, consistent and scalable.”

Teach Me 2 assesses tutor applicants for subject knowledge, teaching style, personality and their potential to serve as role models. Matching takes the learner, subject, tutor and practical requirements of each lesson into account.

“Academic ability matters, but so does character, reliability and the ability to connect with a learner. A tutor isn’t simply delivering information. They are being invited into a family’s life and can become an important role model. Taking that responsibility seriously has helped us earn trust, retain customers and grow through referrals.”

Tutoring in the AI era

The rise of generative AI has renewed debate about the future of teachers and tutors. Miller argues that access to information alone does not produce effective learning.

“Learners also need someone who can identify where they are struggling, adapt to them, encourage them and hold them accountable,” he says. “The human relationship can change a learner’s confidence and behaviour in a way that content alone cannot.”

Teach Me 2 sees AI as a tool that could help educators work more effectively and make personalised support more accessible and affordable, rather than as a replacement for human tutors.

“We feel that being recognised by Time is an extraordinary milestone, but it doesn’t feel like a finish line. As a team, we are excited about using everything we have learnt to build the next generation of Teach Me 2.”

* Visit the Teach Me 2 website here.