Introduction
With decades of global experience in paving the way for quality education programs, Andre Nudelman, chairman of ICA and Entrepreneur in Residence at Stanford Graduate School of Education, is the former co-owner and President of Maple Bear Schools Latin America, with headquarters in Canada.

ICA is the result of this successful experience, combined with a vision to reshape education and the solid expertise of his other company, Digital Media Academy, founded in 1999 in Silicon Valley. As a brand new yet experienced education company, ICA offers a unique education model in partnership with the Canadian Public Education System, through Richmond School District, and with Digital Media Academy, the top quality STEM program offered at DMA's Tech Camps at Stanford,  Harvard, NYU, UCLA, and other leading universities in North America.  ICA schools are also authorized to use the International Comprehensive (IC) competency-driven learning framework focusing on the lifelong growth of every learner through an inquiry-based approach.

Canadian Education

Canada is recognized worldwide for its remarkable quality of education, and it is the top-ranked English-speaking country on international testing, especially the OECD PISA. They offer the local curriculum with the most effective Canadian and International practices. However, ICA schools are not international schools.

In addition to bilingual education, ICA offers a state-of-the-art tech curriculum from Digital Media Academy, a top STEM provider from Silicon Valley, and another company from the same group.

The opportunity

The International Canadian Academy (ICA) identifies South Africa as one key country to offer its franchise and aims to operate through franchises and/or master franchisees. 

In this first stage, ICA is looking for qualified investors for either a franchise or a master franchise that will develop the South African market by granting new franchises. Our master franchisees and franchisees must be committed to quality education, although an education background is not required.

ICA has a curriculum for all ages from 6 months to 18 years. This spans early childhood education (ECE) and primary and secondary schools. The business case for South Africa was built on the premise that the master franchisee will start with ECE centres and grow into primary and secondary schools. However, there is also the opportunity to convert existing private schools to the ICA model and brand. 

Education is a vast market, and families are eager for quality education. We estimate that there is market potential for more than 50 schools in South Africa.

Benefits of being a franchisee

Besides the academic support, the ICA franchise is structured with manuals, training, and processes to support a new franchisee venture. The onboarding and supporting procedures are structured around asynchronous and synchronous training opportunities on TeacherWit, an online community platform where teachers worldwide can share ideas and resources, ask questions, build relationships and develop projects.

Franchise information:
Establishment cost (range):

R2 000 000– R3 000 000

This investment excludes establishing the first school, which is an additional requirement.

Recommended Working Capital:
R880 000 - R1 739 000

Upfront Fee:
R320 000 (Franchisee)

USD 125 000 (Master Franchise)

Total Investment Amount:

R3 000 000 - R4 500 000

Note: The total investment may vary depending on the infrastructure. All costs exclude VAT. The master franchise agreement term is twenty years. The franchise agreement term is 10 years, this may differ for a master franchise.

Management service fee/Royalty:
The royalty is 150 US Dollars per student per year (estimated at R2 400 per student per year) for the master franchise. 

Direct Franchisees will pay a royalty of R5 600 (based on 400 USD) per student per year and 1.5% of gross revenue towards marketing