Business Plan

30-day survival plan for solo founder launching Hogwarts in MENA market. Incubators, accelerators, client acquisition, and actionable templates.

Current Situation

Product: 95% complete K-12 school management platform
Stack: Next.js 15, React 19, Prisma, TypeScript (enterprise-grade)
Target Clients: ALL K-12 schools in MENA region
Special Angle: Sudanese diaspora schools abroad (Egypt, Saudi, Gulf)
Support Base: Sudan-based incubators/investors/partners

MENA Market Opportunity

Saudi Arabia

$13.26B → $23.63B

292 international schools, only 15% private = huge growth

UAE

$10.34B → $17.35B

725 international schools, Dubai: 387K students

Egypt

23M students

279 international schools, 10.6% private, growing 6.3%/year

GCC Total

2,264 schools

9.6M students, 7.47% CAGR growth

Our Advantage: Arabic-first, RTL native, affordable pricing for emerging markets

30-Day Survival Plan

Week 1: Connect + Research (Days 1-7)

Email 249Startups (ahmed@249startups.com, hiba@249startups.com)
Follow 249Startups on LinkedIn, engage with posts
Research 20 private schools in MENA (use directories below)
Join LinkedIn groups for school administrators
Create simple demo video (Loom, 2 min, Arabic + English)
Apply: Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship

Week 2: Outreach (Days 8-14)

Send 20 cold emails/LinkedIn messages to schools
Follow up on 249Startups response
Post on LinkedIn: "Building school management for MENA"
Apply: Orange Corners Sudan (if open)
Join Sudanese diaspora Facebook groups as backup channel

Week 3: First Pilot (Days 15-21)

Get 1 school (ANY MENA school) to agree to pilot
Remote onboarding call (Zoom/WhatsApp video)
Setup their school in system
Collect first feedback
Apply: EdVentures Egypt, WISE Accelerator

Week 4: Validate + Revenue Path (Days 22-30)

Get video testimonial from pilot school
Use testimonial to reach 5 more schools
Discuss pricing: "$50-100/month" or "$0.50/student"
Connect with co-founder/partner from 249Startups network
Submit 3 more accelerator applications

Incubators & Accelerators

Program	Funding	Fit
Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship	Grants + support	EdTech focused
EdVentures Egypt	Seed funding	Egypt-based
WISE EdTech Accelerator	Non-equity	Global EdTech
Masar Accelerator مسار	Seed to growth	Saudi Vision 2030
Flat6Labs Cairo	$50K+	MENA early stage
Google for Startups Africa	$350K cloud credits	Equity-free
Orange Corners Sudan	€5K + €50K growth	Sudan-focused

Sudan Ecosystem

249Startups - ahmed@249startups.com, hiba@249startups.com
Savannah Innovation Labs
Impact Hub Khartoum
مسار (Masar Sudan) - Search on Facebook

Find Clients: School Directories

Search Strategy

Google: "private school" + city (Cairo, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dubai)
Google: "international school" + country
Search: "مدرسة خاصة" (private school Arabic) + country
LinkedIn: "school principal" or "school director" + MENA countries

Potential Clients: Sudanese Schools Abroad (20 Schools)

These schools serve Sudanese communities outside Sudan and are prime targets for Hogwarts.

Tier 1: High Priority (Verified, Stable Operations)

School	Location	Contact	Size	Status
المدرسة السودانية بنين بنات (Qatar)	Doha, Abu Hamour	info@sudaneseschool.edu.qa	1,800+	✅ Since 1998
Khartoum American School	Alexandria, Egypt	kas@krtams.org / +201507881183	PreK-12	✅ Relocated
مدرسة الصداقة السودانية	Cairo/Alex/Aswan	elsadagaschool@gmail.com	K-12	✅ Embassy
مدارس شبه الجزيرة الأهلية	Riyadh, Saudi	jazeeera@yahoo.com / 0114468991	K-12	✅ Operating
Sudanese School London	London, UK	sudanese-school.org	235	✅ Gold Award
Manchester Sudanese School	Manchester, UK	manchestersudaneseschool.com	100+	✅ 30 years

Tier 2: Egypt - Licensed Schools

School	Location	Contact	Grades	Status
مدارس النخبة السودانية	Cairo	alnukhbaschools.com	K-12	✅ Operating
مدارس د. أبوذر الكودة	Cairo (Faisal) + Alex	01066535194 / 01110706032	K-12	✅ Operating
مدارس المهندسين العالمية	Cairo (Mohandessin)	00201155743932	K-12	✅ Licensed
مدارس بخيت الراضة	Alexandria	01500501284 / 01068725765	K-12	✅ Operating
مدرسة جميلة أبوحريد	Alexandria	01555161548 / 01011375038	K-12	✅ Operating
مدارس بشير جداع	Alexandria	01062925204	K-12	✅ Operating

Tier 3: Egypt - Emerging (Post-War Growth)

School	Location	Contact	Grades	Status
مدارس القمة	Cairo (Faisal)	01126218450	K-12	⚠️ Licensing
مدارس وادي النيل	Cairo (Faisal)	01155549575 / 01554952930	K-12	⚠️ Licensing
مدارس الفنار النموذجية	Cairo	Visit website	K-12	⚠️ Licensing
مركز المستقبل السوداني	New Cairo	01129031846 / 01001275629	K-12	⚠️ Licensing
مدرسة المجتمع الأفريقي	New Cairo	01121144016 / 01068108832	K-12	⚠️ Licensing

Tier 4: Saudi Arabia & Online

School	Location	Contact	Grades	Status
مدارس المجد الأهلية	Riyadh (Nimar)	saudischoolsguide.com	K-12	✅ Sudanese path
المدرسة الإلكترونية السودانية	Online (Global)	ses.edu.sd	K-12	✅ Ministry-approved
Sudanese Community Victoria	Melbourne, Australia	Community language school	K-12	✅ Accredited

Priority Outreach Order

Qatar School - Largest (1,800+ students), official website, stable operations since 1998
KAS Alexandria - US-accredited, embassy-backed, professional staff, relocated from Khartoum
مدرسة الصداقة - Embassy-run, multiple branches (Cairo/Alex/Aswan), just reopened
شبه الجزيرة الأهلية - Riyadh-based, multi-curriculum, established
UK Schools - London + Manchester, stable operations, community-run

Market Context

Egypt Post-War

100+ schools

Unlicensed Sudanese schools emerged post-war (potential clients after licensing)

Qatar Community

60,000+

Sudanese expatriates, one of the earliest migrant communities

UAE Presence

Top nationality

Sudanese are the largest nationality at some international schools

Global Reach

19 schools

Sudanese schools across 16 countries worldwide

Email Template: Cold Outreach to Schools

Subject: Free 3-Month Pilot - School Management System

Dear [Principal/Administrator Name],

I'm reaching out because [School Name] appears to be a growing
private school in [City], and I believe we can help you save
significant time on administrative work.

Problem: Most schools still manage students, attendance, grades,
and timetables using Excel, paper, and WhatsApp.

Solution: I built a complete cloud-based school management system
specifically for schools in the Middle East.

Features:
✓ Student & teacher management
✓ Attendance tracking (QR, manual, bulk)
✓ Exam scheduling & grading
✓ Timetable builder
✓ Parent portal
✓ Arabic/English, RTL support

Offer: FREE 3-month pilot with hands-on setup support.

Would you be open to a 15-minute call this week?

Best regards,
[Your Name]
[WhatsApp Number]
Demo: https://ed.databayt.org

Arabic Post Template

السلام عليكم

أنا مبرمج بنيت نظام إدارة مدارس كامل للمدارس الخاصة في المنطقة
(مصر، السعودية، الخليج، وكل الدول العربية).

النظام يشمل:
✅ إدارة الطلاب والمعلمين
✅ الحضور والغياب
✅ الجداول الدراسية
✅ الامتحانات والدرجات
✅ التقديم والقبول
✅ التقارير

أبحث عن مدرسة تجرب النظام مجاناً لمدة 3 شهور

لو تعرف أي مدرسة خاصة محتاجة نظام إدارة، رجاءً تواصل معي.

واتساب: [Your Number]

Email Template: 249Startups

Subject: School Management Platform for Sudanese Diaspora - Need Support

السلام عليكم،

My name is [Your Name]. I'm a solo founder from Sudan who built
a complete school management platform (Hogwarts) targeting schools
in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf.

What I built:
- 95% complete platform (Next.js, React, TypeScript)
- Arabic-first, RTL support
- Student management, attendance, grades, timetables, admissions
- Multi-tenant (each school gets their own subdomain)
- Open source

What I need:
- Help finding first pilot schools
- Access to your entrepreneur network
- Guidance on incubator programs (Orange Corners, etc.)
- Potential co-founder/partner introduction

I have limited runway and am committed to making this work.
Can we schedule a 20-minute call this week?

Demo: https://ed.databayt.org

شكراً جزيلاً،
[Your Name]
[WhatsApp Number]

Emergency Backup Plans

If no response after 2 weeks:

Offer to build custom features for 1 school in exchange for paid contract
Pivot to consulting: "I'll digitize your school for $500" (one-time setup)
Freelance on Upwork/Mostaql while continuing outreach

If need immediate income:

Freelance development (your skills are valuable)
Offer Next.js/React training to developers
Sell school management setup as service (not SaaS)

Target Investors (When Ready)

Investor	Focus	Stage
EdVentures	Egypt EdTech	Seed
Flat6Labs	MENA	Early stage
Ingressive Capital	Africa	$50K-500K
Acasia Ventures	MENA	Pre-seed to pre-Series A
COTU Ventures	MENA	Seed

Metrics to Track

Schools contacted: ___
Responses received: ___
Pilots started: ___
Paying customers: ___
MRR: $___
Accelerator applications submitted: ___

Pitch Deck - Full investor presentation
Business Model - SaaS pricing and revenue model
Sales Strategy - B2B school sales approach
PRD - Product requirements
Roadmap - Development timeline

Sources

30-day survival plan for solo founder launching Hogwarts school management platform in MENA.

Benchmark Business Model