A former head teacher behind an Aberdeenshire company teaching 68,500 children maths around the world has won contracts worth £2.8 million.
Andy Ridgway is the founder of Laurencekirk firm Everybody Counts, which delivers “high quality” education for a fraction of traditional costs.
The former Isle of Bute head teacher left to work in Malaysia as an educational advisor, when he spotted a gap in the market.
Now, his software, which uses artificial intelligence, is supplied to students across 10 countries including Thailand and Cambodia and USA.
Andy revealed how the firm plans to reach turnover of £22m within the next five years.
‘It was never about the money’
Andy said the idea was first born out of his time as a head teacher, where he struggled to afford high-quality maths tools for his pupils.
He believes his platform’s adaptive technology and market-specific pricing models make it more viable for rural Scottish schools.
Andy said: “When I left Scotland I went to work in Malaysia and was asked advice on improving the education.
“I spoke with five CEOs of maths companies and realised there was a real gap in the market – on volume alone.
“The area we were looking at was 8,500 primary schools and millions of children.
“I set up the business and we were charging $2 in Cambodia. It helped us raise £2.5m onto the valuation of the company.”
Andy said his time as an entrepreneur so far is “night and day” from life while a head teacher.
He added: “It’s an entirely different level of responsibility. I have to find the money and the salaries to continue.
“Life was much easier as a head teacher and I was on a bigger salary than I give myself now.
“I’m not in it for the money, it’s pure resilience to keep going until we succeed.”
Will we see Everybody Counts in Aberdeenshire?
Andy admitted despite the recent success of his Aberdeenshire company Everybody Counts, he has struggled with the lack of uptake across Scotland.
Recent data shows only 40.1% of Scottish fourth-year pupils passed National 5 mathematics in 2024.
Education experts described the nation’s STEM pass rates as “very worrying”.
Andy said: “I’m frustrated from the take off in Scotland, we absolutely want into the market.
“I’ve raised £15m from around the world and not one pence has come from here.
“With a failing education system, certainly the maths figures speak for themselves.
“It needs to improve and we feel we can help, we can support the teachers.
“We’re a north-east Aberdeenshire company, but we aren’t in one Scottish school.”
Rapid expansion in future
However, Andy is feeling good about what the future holds, with “rapid expansion” expected.
The Laurencekirk firm has already beat its year one targets.
He said: “We’re looking at a big jump in revenue, taking us to £1.2m before April and then in the next 12 months up to £6.5m.
“Then doubling it again, before up to £22m. It’s a scalable product which is sold at the click of a button.”
The platform features dyslexia-friendly fonts and specialised backgrounds for students with dyscalculia.
It also incorporates offline capabilities crucial for areas with limited internet connectivity.
Conversation