Ricardo Allen comes from very humble beginnings. He grew up in Rio Bueno, Trelawny but spent most of his time in Jackson Town, Trelawny and was deemed an exceptional student throughout his primary school education. Many of his teachers and peers didn’t know though that he often went to school without food or money because his mother couldn’t afford it. However, he never used his circumstances as an excuse. Instead, he used them as the motivation he needed to excel.
Two scholarships and a devoted aunt led him to pursue his high school education at Jamaica College (JC). It was there that his love for education and entrepreneurship blossomed. Fast forward to 2013 when he decided to form One On One Educational Services as a way to offer tutoring to students at his alma mater and UWI who were struggling with mathematics.
Ricardo and his tiny team of two would sit under a fruit tree at JC and give these students the personalised attention they needed to excel. It wasn’t long before the students under their tutelage emerged with grade ones from their CSEC exams thus creating a buzz and demand from other students who wanted similar results.
The tiny (but mighty) One On One team needed to find a way to replicate the personalised tutoring they were offering in-person so that more students could benefit. That’s when One On One morphed into a technology platform that offered tutoring sessions and digital courses students could use to excel. The key was identifying the skill gaps of each learner and offering training solutions that filled them.
“The problem isn’t revolutionising education. We need an evolution of education in terms of how we think and how we approach learning.” ~Ricardo Allen
What’re We Doing With $358 Million?
One On One is no longer a three-person team tutoring students towards academic excellence. The company has grown significantly to over 60 employees offering training solutions for governments, businesses, professionals, and students in over 10 Caribbean countries. Over 150,000 learners use the platform to level up their skills and elevate their lives.
Learn more about how we helped the Pan American Development Fund (PADF) and LASCO Financial Services upgrade the skills of the people they serve.
On August 12, members of the public invested in the future of One On One. Our IPO was oversubscribed and the $358 raised will:
Fuel our efforts to invest in next generation learning in both the Caribbean and Latin America
Help us further personalise the online learning experience using machine learning and artificial intelligence
We won’t stop until more people in the Caribbean and Latin America can upgrade their skills in a way that ignites their growth. When our people succeed, the region will excel and become a force to be reckoned with.
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