Prateek Suri was visiting a university campus in Zambia when he noticed something that didn’t add up. Dropout rates were climbing, but not for the usual reasons. Students weren’t failing academically—they were exhausted. Many lived miles from campus because rent nearby was unaffordable. Some were sleeping on floors. Others had quit entirely.
“It wasn’t about intelligence,” Suri said quietly. “It was about distance — and the cost of proximity.”
That observation led to one of MDR Investments’ more unusual projects: working with the Zambian government to build affordable student housing, solar-powered, with libraries and Wi-Fi included. MDR has secured a memorandum of understanding from the Zambia Development Authority to explore joint initiatives in student housing, mining, and infrastructure development. When the first students got their keys, Suri says something shifted in how he thought about the business.