EverybodyCounts: The Maths Startup Scaling Across Borders
Fixing the Maths Gap
At last week’s K2MATCH Investor Lounge in Monaco, Scottish EdTech startup EverybodyCounts pitched a bold but refreshingly practical idea to investors: make high-quality maths education accessible, affordable, and localised for every country.
Founded by former headteacher Andy Ridgway and co-founder Judy Hornigold, EverybodyCounts tackles a global problem hiding in plain sight. Global numeracy rates are declining, and education systems often struggle to keep pace with technology-driven change. The OECD has stated that only 12% of adults demonstrate competency in maths, and 62% of children fail to meet minimum proficiency levels. Where you’re born, Ridgway argues, still functions like an educational lottery.
From Local Classrooms to Global Scale: The Multilingual Platform
Their answer is a bespoke, multilingual learning platform designed to be taught anywhere in the world. Maths specialists author lesson content and teacher guides, and students learn through interactive lessons in and outside the classroom. Characters, animation, interaction, and gamification bring traditional learning to life, while anonymised feedback drives continuous improvement.
The model is subscription-based, with a family app that helps parents follow progress and support learning at home. Teachers are trained via a blend of pre-recorded materials, live Zoom sessions, and in-person training. Importantly, localisation is done with local maths teachers (not machines), with AI used to support learning insights and reduce teacher workload (for example, automating lesson planning and marking).
Market Traction and Investor Synergy
The traction story is already international, with contracts and expansion mentioned across Asia, parts of the UK, certain US states, Cambodia, South Africa, and Latin America. The American market, in particular, is highlighted as a major growth driver due to scale and price dynamics. Ridgway claims the platform can deliver high quality at a fraction of textbook costs, including teacher support and at-home reinforcement.
At the Monaco event, Ridgway delivered a live pitch with Q&A and came away with several investor conversations, aiming to form a syndicate. He also praised the organisers for significantly improving post-event follow-up support compared to prior editions.
Summary: Education for the "Test of Life"
The philosophy behind the product is not exam-drilling, but real numeracy: “We prepare children for the test of life, not a life of tests.”
Read the full Monaco Tribune interview by Sheila McCarron here: EverybodyCounts, mastering maths one country at a time
