Discover how Jody Basson’s vision for accessible business school-styled education led to the creation of MasterStart. According to Jody, this platform democratises executive learning for all management levels, transforming the way leaders grow.
A desire to make business school-quality education more accessible to a broader range of people, compared to the usual audience of top management, was one aspect that led Jody Basson to launch MasterStart in March 2014. He realised the skills taught in those courses can benefit an entire company and all levels of leadership.
Jody, in his current capacity as the Chief Growth Officer, explains that MasterStart followed on the back of the successful acquisition of SAcamera, a business he ran with his MasterStart co-founder, Jesse Hemson-Struthers, by internet giant Naspers. This business was eventually absorbed into Takealot.com. The initial idea for MasterStart was to provide training to entrepreneurs in ecommerce and digital skills.
Another aspect of what inspired Jody was his exposure to executive education during his time working in a large corporate business. These programmes were offered to individuals at the executive and senior levels and were priced outside of the range of accessibility of staff members at other levels within an organisation.
“What struck me was the skills taught in these programmes are equally, if not in high, demand across the mid and junior management levels, which just seemed counterintuitive that it was exclusive in a sense. This was really that light bulb or aha moment.”
That was how MasterStart came into being, initially becoming a reseller of USB-Ed online courses, then developing its own, and finally forming partnerships with key educational institutions. “What prepared me for starting and growing MasterStart was really hands-on, practical learning, and led me to want to develop this confidence in others.”
Today MasterStart has grown into a leading B2B edtech business that creates, builds and delivers scalable and innovative competency-based learning solutions for forward-thinking businesses which include the likes of Absa, EOH and Liberty amongst others. Their current academic partners include the likes of UCT GSB, GIBS Business School, Wits Business School, Richfield, and Coventry University.
“In the past our parents could study for 5 years and work for 50, times have changed, today consistent upskilling is the name of the game. We have to stay ahead of the curve as change has become exponential yet constant,” he said, and goes on to add that it’s important for MasterStart to remain dynamic, ensuring that the learning solutions provide value and relevance not only for their client, but for the learner as well.
When looking to the future, Jody emphasises that “MasterStart’s portfolio is about quality over quantity, we are very intentional about how we can enhance courses, to keep them relevant and applicable to the sectors we service. We constantly ask ourselves how we can make sure the organisations we work with are sustainable and how we are supporting them in building a learning culture that enables the learner to grow and advance their career. At the end of the day, there is no point in developing a set of skills that’s not relevant to anybody.”
What makes MasterStart different is their courses are more than just educational programmes; they are personalised learning experiences that bring together leading industry content, academic certification, and live collaborative learning, all within an accessible and flexible online platform. It’s all about creating that unique lightbulb moment for each learner on a course.
MasterStart’s mission is to empower their learners by fostering confidence, competence, curiosity, and character, thus enabling them to thrive at work and in their professional journey.
