Inside the Rise of Noon Academy with Mohammed Aldhalaan & Aziz AlSaeed

What if the next great education revolution wasn’t led by schools or ministries, but by students themselves? That’s the thesis behind Noon Academy, the Riyadh-born edtech platform co-founded by Mohammed Aldhalaan and Aziz Alsaeed, that has reimagined tutoring as a peer-powered, teacher-guided social experience.

From Riyadh to 16M Learners

Founded by Mohammed Aldhalaan and Aziz Alsaeed in 2013, Noon Academy now serves more than 16 million students across eight countries. The startup, part of the Saudi Unicorns Program, is making global strides with a hybrid learning model that blends digital efficiency with classroom engagement. Its mission aligns directly with Vision 2030: making high-quality education accessible, motivating, and scalable.

While traditional edtech platforms focused on digitizing the lecture hall, Noon Academy focused on something else: connection. Their insight was simple but profound: students learn best not just from great teachers, but from each other.

A Shared Frustration Becomes a Lifelong Mission

Mohammed and Aziz didn’t set out to disrupt education, they were shaped by it. Both grew up in Saudi Arabia experiencing the same structural gap: great students, underwhelming access to inspirational teachers. That gap, common across the region, became personal.

“Our goal was never just to teach. It was to motivate, connect, and unlock confidence. We believed tech could deliver that.”
— Mohammad Aldhalaan, CEO.

Abdulaziz, now COO, had seen this challenge firsthand. With both parents being teachers, and having taught students himself during his PhD, he understood that education was not a product, but a service shaped by empathy.

“Education is not an instant pleasure, but it builds confidence and character. I wanted to leave a positive mark on as many lives as possible. Noon became the platform to do that."
— Abdulaziz Alsaeed, COO.

Their shared mission, to democratize access to quality education, was never abstract. It was grounded in memory, frustration, and ambition. Noon was their answer to a problem they once lived.

How Social Learning Changed Everything

Noon began modestly: a test prep website built to tap into the region’s thriving private tutoring demand. But as student behavior patterns emerged, so did deeper insights. They realized students weren’t just looking for answers, they were looking for belonging. That realization sparked a strategic shift: education needed to become more social.

In 2017, Noon pioneered social learning at scale in the region. Students could form digital study groups, join mass classes taught by "star teachers," and compete through gamified quizzes. They weren’t passive recipients, but active participants. Engagement soared. Test scores improved.

The company now operates on two core models:

1. Noon Online Courses
   Live, interactive online classes with high-performing teachers, built around critical exams.
2. Noon Hybrid Learning
   A blended approach that links physical spaces (labs, schools, centers) with digital classrooms, extending reach even into underserved areas.

A Story from Pakistan that Shaped Their Mission

The model’s cultural relevance came into sharp focus through a single story. A high school girl from a remote province in Pakistan reached out repeatedly, requesting her regional curriculum be added to Noon’s platform. Initially not a priority, her emails persisted. Then the team discovered she had registered as a teacher on the platform, teaching younger girls in her community who lacked access.

That moved the team. They gave up their Eid holiday to launch support for her province just weeks before final exams. She passed with flying colors and earned a place in university.

“That’s why we build,” says Aldhalaan.

Two Founders, One Mission

The strength of Noon’s leadership lies in its co-founder dynamic.

Aldhalaan, with a background in computer science and executive education from institutions like MIT Sloan, Stanford GSB, and Berkeley Haas, drives vision, growth, and strategic partnerships. Abdulaziz, deeply embedded in operations, earned his PhD in Computer Science from Newcastle University, holds an MSc in Computer Security and Resilience, and has completed executive programs at MIT, INSEAD, and Harvard Business School Online. He led the company’s expansion into India and oversees scale with precision and care.

“We’ve known each other for years. Trust, communication, and accountability make our partnership work,” says Abdulaziz.

Their strengths are deliberately complementary. Where

Their strengths are deliberately complementary. Where Aldhalaan obsesses over product-market fit and IPO pathways, Abdulaziz ensures execution is grounded in empathy and sustainability. One founder dreams big; the other builds the bridge.

A Workplace Built for Momentum

Noon’s team, now more than 150 people, spans offices in Riyadh, London, and remote hubs across emerging markets. Yet the company culture remains intentionally tight-knit.

“Company culture is everything,” Abdulaziz says. “Hire for mindset, not just skillset. Fit matters more than function.”

Their hiring approach is founder-led. They bring in top engineering leaders first, knowing that great talent follows great mentorship. They prioritize psychological safety, original thinking, and mission alignment. Internal innovation is not just encouraged, it’s expected.

“People aren’t just building features here,” says Aldhalaan. “They’re building futures.”

Data, AI, and a $50B Saudi Opportunity

At its core, Noon is a learning innovation company. Its platform analyzes patterns from millions of learning interactions to inspire each student’s growth. This enables Noon to create personalized, AI-enhanced learning paths that respect privacy while unlocking potential, connecting learners with the right teacher, peers, and content at the right time.

India, where Noon launched in 2021, is already their fastest-growing market. With just 30 team members on the ground, they grew from 0 to 2 million students and reached $1M ARR (annual recurring revenue) in under a year. The key insight? 92% of those students had never used any other edtech platform before. For Noon Academy, that wasn’t just market entry. It was market creation.

Recognized by Saudi Unicorns

Under the leadership of Mohammed Aldhalaan and Abdulaziz AlSaeed, Noon Academy’s rise to join the Saudi Unicorns Program in 2023 was a statement. Their vision, discipline, and relentless execution had positioned Noon Academy among the Kingdom’s most promising high-growth companies.

Once in the program, the results spoke for themselves. Ministerial visits, public endorsements, and AI project sponsorships followed, directly reflecting the credibility they had built as leaders. Strategic partnerships accelerated, top-tier teachers joined, and Noon’s story reached new audiences both in Saudi Arabia and abroad.

“Operating in an environment that champions entrepreneurship has been key. It’s made the next chapter not just possible, but inevitable.” — Mohammad Aldhalaan, CEO.

That next chapter? IPO. Global brand recognition. And becoming the region’s first decacorn in edtech.

Building a Classroom Without Borders

In fall 2025, Noon will launch its first full-day hybrid school in Saudi Arabia, a major milestone that will test the platform’s model in a physical, scalable format. The plan is to roll out Noon-powered schools across the Kingdom and eventually the wider region. But the vision is even bigger: to reimagine what school means for the next generation.

“We’re building something that can outlast us. That’s what beyond self means to us. Education that scales. Opportunity that endures.” — Mohammad Aldhalaan, CEO.

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