[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n this episode of the TechCentral podcast, Duncan McLeod chats via Skype to Sam Paddock, co-founder and CEO of GetSmarter, the Cape Town-based online education specialist that has just been acquired by Nasdaq-listed 2U in a deal valued at US$103m, or about R1.3bn.
The deal, which closed two weeks ago, is one of the biggest acquisitions by an international company in South Africa’s technology space in years.
In the podcast, Paddock talks about how he and his brother, with support from their family, boot-strapped the business, and how they engaged first with local universities and then later secured partnerships with some of the world’s leading educational institutions, including Harvard, Cambridge and MIT.
Paddock talks about how the 2U deal came about — through a chance meeting — and why the online education market has become a huge global opportunity.
Paddock also shares his his views on what South African start-ups, encouraged by GetSmarter’s success, should be doing if they want to be as successful. It’s a great interview — don’t miss it!
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