KARACHI
Pakistani cricket team captain Babar Azam join hands with the social learning platform Noon Academy as its brand ambassador and as an investor to help promote the company’s mission of providing free education in Pakistan. He joins a list of growing cricketing and non-cricketing stars and teachers who have invested in the start-up. With these investments, Noon becomes the most funded start-up from Pakistani investors.
Noon Academy is one of the largest EdTech firms in the MENAP region offering local curriculum for grades K-12 and entrance exams. It has served more than 13 million students across the Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan. In Pakistan they offer classes for all leading broads including Punjab, Sindh, KPK and Cambridge (O&A levels). Since its Pakistan launch in September 2020, the organization has registered over 2 million local students in less than a year.
This is something that caught the attention and interest of Pakistani skipper, Babar Azam; “I am absolutely honoured and delighted to be associating with an Education Technology company which has students’ needs at the core of what they do. Noon’s mission and resolve matches with my personal vision to work for the betterment of the future generations.”
Access to quality education is one of the areas in Pakistan that requires major focus from all sides. According to UNICEF 22.8 million of Pakistan’s over 70 million children are out of school. “Noon’s focus on providing free quality education by creating holistic learning solutions that go beyond traditional forms of education has helped the organization to radically change the way people learn.” He further added that, “My core reason for partnering with Noon is the values that the brand has been built on. Their belief on putting the students’ needs at the forefront of their strategy is what differentiates them from other players in the industry.”
In his message to fellow countrymen, the skipper said, “Cricket in Pakistan is a medium that unifies the entire nation but also gives us cricketers invaluable lessons which can help individuals in any walk of life. Given the right platform I would love to share my experiences of the game with students to inspire them to be the best versions of themselves.”
Sharing his thoughts, Umair Babar Chishti, General Manager Noon Pakistan, said, “Babar’s formidable rise to success backed by his work ethic, grit and determination makes him the perfect role model for kids across Pakistan. With him on board, we are confident of strengthening the engagement with our consumers and building greater visibility for Noon across Pakistan. Having Babar Azam as Noon’s brand ambassador and now, an investor elevates the brand proposition and shows students that through hard work, mentorship and right set of work only the sky is the limit.”