Nexus backed WhiteHat Jr Acquired by BYJU's in a $300 Mn all cash deal

WhiteHat Jr, India’s fastest growing EdTech startup today announced its acquisition by BYJU’s in a $300 million all cash deal. The move will combine WhiteHat Jr’s strong leadership in live online teaching with BYJU’s and mark the coming together of two leading players in the EdTech space. Beyond the secondary exit, BYJU’S will make significant investments in WhiteHat Jr’s technology platform, product innovation while expanding the teacher base to cater to demand from new markets.

WhiteHat Jr. Founder, Karan Bajaj will continue to lead and scale this business in India and the US.  WhiteHat has grown to record revenues in just 18 months of launch and in this time.

“We started WhiteHat Jr. to make kids creators instead of consumers of technology,” explains Karan Bajaj, Founder, WhiteHat Jr. “Technology is at the centre of every human interaction today and we had set out to create a coding curriculum that was being delivered live and connected students and teachers like never before. Integration with a visionary company such as BYJU’S will help take this idea to new heights and help unleash the remarkable creative potential of kids at a global scale.”

“WhiteHat Jr is the leader in the live online coding space. Karan has proven his mettle as an exceptional founder and the credit goes to him and his team for creating coding programs that are loved by kids. Under his leadership the company has achieved phenomenal growth in India and the US in a short span of time.” said Byju Raveendran, Founder and CEO, BYJU’S

Anup Gupta, Managing Director, Nexus Venture Partners said “It has been our privilege to partner with Karan and Team WhiteHat Jr from the concept stage to a category creating company.  WhiteHat Jr has done a path breaking job in scaling a platform to teach kids to code online with quality learning outcomes, which was seen as a very difficult endeavour when the company started.  This deal represents another milestone in the Indian consumer technology landscape.  Congratulations to Karan, Byju and teams on this partnership and wish them continued success.”

WhiteHat Jr had recently announced their plans to expand in other global markets like Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) after a stellar growth in the US for its one-to-one online coding classes. After launching their courses in the US since February this year, the company is growing at 160% MoM in the country.

With this acquisition, existing investors Nexus Venture Partners and co-investors will be exiting their investments in tranches. Nexus Venture Partners had led the seed funding in WhiteHat Jr at a concept stage in November 2018 and co-led Series A round last year.

Founded in November 2018, WhiteHat Jr. helps kids aged 6 to 14 years build commercial-ready games, animations and apps online using the fundamentals of coding. WhiteHat Jr. offers four levels of courses – Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and Professional – for students in grades 1-9. Kids create complex games, animations and apps using logic, structure, sequence, commands and algorithmic thinking—in a live 1:1 online classroom. Early graduates of the course have created professional-ready apps downloadable on the App Store at ages as young as seven years old.

About WhiteHat Jr.

Founded in 2018 by ex-Discovery Networks CEO Karan Bajaj, WhiteHat Jr. makes kids creators in the new world with the world’s first structured coding curriculum for early childhood. The platform harnesses the natural creativity of kids with coding tools to help them create professional-ready digital products of global impact. All classes are taught Live 1:1 online in the comfort of your home by Top 99.9^th percentile of certified teachers.   

upGrad Appoints Ex-Byju's CBO Arjun Mohan as CEO - India

upGrad, India’s leading online higher education company has brought on board Arjun Mohan, ex-Byju’s Chief Business Officer (CBO), as CEO - India for the company. Arjun brings over a decade of experience in the edtech sector and was one of the early employees of Think & Learn Pvt Ltd, commonly known as Byju’s.

Arjun started his career in Byju’s as a teacher and moved up the ranks into a leadership role. He ran most of the Sales and Marketing in the company’s early years and was until recently running its International Business. He held several leadership positions throughout his tenure including Vice President - Marketing and most recently, Chief Business Officer (CBO).

Prior to Byju’s, Arjun drove Sales and Operations at Titan Industries and did his stints with Tata Motors, Tata Realty And Infrastructure Ltd. (TRIL) and Sir Dorabji Tata and Allied Trusts. He started his career as a Tata Administrative Services Manager after graduating from IIM Kozhikode with Gold Medal.

The position of the CEO - India at upGrad was unoccupied since its inception. On welcoming the new leader at the helm of the company, Mayank Kumar, Co-Founder & MD, upGrad, said, “Arjun brings with him a rich understanding of the online education space, the evolving consumer landscape and keen business acumen. I’m glad to have him on board as upGrad establishes a leadership position in the 50M+ working professional ecosystem in India. We have only scratched the surface of this large addressable market and with Arjun coming on board, I am certain that we will push towards further cementing our leadership position in the online higher education market."

Talking about his new role, Arjun Mohan said, “upGrad has charted an exciting growth journey since its inception. There is a solid product and an incredible team who are committed to bringing the best on the table, contributing towards the company’s success. From where I see, there is a huge potential in the online higher education space, and upGrad with its unique proposition is set to win the market. Being part of the core team that drove exponential business growth in my previous organization, I am confident of leveraging my experience to further accelerate upGrad’s growth journey."

upGrad, the edtech major, confirmed the on-boarding of Arjun Mohan as CEO - India in the early hours of Wednesday and is set to bring significant changes into their system.

When asked about strengthening the leadership team amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayank said, “The current environment is a net positive for online education. We have witnessed a rise in our leads with a spike of 50%, more than the usual. As we march forward and create new business benchmarks, we are excited to introduce the dynamic changes into our system to revitalize our success story."

About upGrad:

Founded in early 2015, upGrad offers online programs for working professionals. In a short span of around 5 years, upGrad on-boarded over 21.5K paid learners and impacted more than 370K individuals globally, making it India’s largest online higher-education company, basis gross revenue generated from the Indian market in FY18-19.

upGrad provides programs in the areas of Data Science, Technology, Management and MBA to college students, working-class and enterprises. These programs are designed and delivered in collaboration with top-notch universities like IIT Madras, IIIT-B, BITS Pilani, MICA, NMIMS Global Access, Duke CE, Deakin University, Liverpool John Moores University and others. To further enhance the learning experience, a comprehensive ecosystem has been built which includes one-on-one mentoring, peer-to-peer learning, industry networking and most importantly expert career guidance providing learners holistic support to elevate their careers to the next level.

The company has been awarded the title of ‘Best Tech for Education’ by IAMAI in 2019. The company received the ‘Best Education Brands’ award by Economic Times and has made it to LinkedIn’s ‘Top 25 Startups’ two years in a row in 2018 and 2019.

EdTech Report - BYJU's Leads the Segment with Highest Amount of Capital Raised at $969+ Mn

EdTech startups are on the rise all over the world with the US leading the way with 43% of the world’s EdTech enterprises’ headquarters located there. The country’s population size, large economy, and tech and innovation hubs, such as Silicon Valley, are likely to contribute to its success.

Just under one third (31%) of EdTech companies have successfully attracted venture capital funding with 1,019 enterprises in the industry attracting a total of $14 billion.

RS Components has analysed Crunchbase data on EdTech companies to reveal who is investing in EdTech the most. The report looks at the countries that are home to the most EdTech companies, as well as those that have raised the highest capital, are receiving the most funding and have made the most acquisitions.

• Sweden tops the list for EdTech company funding with 57% of companies successfully securing venture capital, followed by China at 55% and Italy at 50%.


• The UK comes in at 13th place for funding success with only 33% of EdTech companies securing capital.


• EdTech acquisitions are on the rise with almost 200 acquisitions in the EdTech space since 2003.


• The most notable acquisition in the space was LinkedIn’s $1.5 billion purchase of Lynda in 2015.


• Indian owned EdTech start-up company BYJU is leading the way with the highest amount of capital raised at $969 million.


• EdTech acquisitions are on the rise with almost 200 acquisitions in the EdTech space since 2003.

Which countries are leading the way in EdTech enterprises?

With a predicted market value set to reach $252 billion in 2020, EdTech startups are on the rise all over the world. At the heart of this surge is the US, with an overwhelming majority of 43% of the world’s EdTech enterprises having their headquarters located in the United States. The country’s population size, large economy, and tech and innovation hubs, such as Silicon Valley, are likely to contribute to its success.

India has the second-highest number of EdTech startups, with 10% being located in the country. Brazil (9%), the UK (8%), and China (3%) all make it into the top 5 countries leading the way in EdTech.

The countries home to the highest number of EdTech company headquarters:

Which countries are top for venture capital (VC) funding in EdTech?

When it comes to the success rates of the world’s EdTech companies in securing funding, it’s countries like Sweden, China and Italy that come to the fore, with over half of their EdTech startups successfully securing funding.

Sweden leads the way, with 57% of its EdTech startups being successfully funded, and with organisations like Swedish EdTech Industry claiming that: “Sweden will become the leading country in the world in exploiting the opportunities and effects of digitalisation in the education system” it’s clear that there is significant confidence in the industry.

Sweden is also home to key initiatives in the EdTech field, such as EdTech Sweden - an annual event, hosted in Stockholm, that is a combination of a conference, exhibition and a networking event where experts in the field share and discuss best practices and new digital solutions that promote learning.

The countries where the highest proportion of EdTech companies are securing funding:

Which EdTech companies are leading the way?

India is home to the EdTech startup, BYJU’s, which has raised the highest amount of capital, at $969 million. Following shortly behind are China’s Yuanfudao at $544m and Zhangmen at $499m.

Seven of the highest funded companies are based in the US, with the likes of Coursera, Laureate Education and 2U Inc. attracting a total of $313.1 million, $400 million and $426.8 million, respectively.

Have EdTech acquisitions increased?

According to Crunchbase, there have been almost 200 acquisitions in the EdTech space since 2003. While few were made between 2003 and 2009, acquisitions have been on a steady rise since the early 2010s, with 37 acquisitions in 2018, 36 in 2017 and 33 in 2016.

The most notable acquisition in the space was LinkedIn’s $1.5 billion purchase of Lynda in 2015. The company, now known as LinkedIn Learning, is a provider of online video courses taught by industry experts in software, creative, and business skills.

A spokesperson from RS Components comments:, "EdTech is clearly seeing a huge boom at the moment, with acquisitions on the rise and its market value set to hit $252 billion this year, so it’s great to see tech entrepreneurs all over the world bringing their talents to the industry.

“With more than 40% of EdTech companies setting up their headquarters in the US, it looks like the country is becoming a hub for EdTech startups. However, with companies in China and Luxembourg receiving the highest proportion of funding and the likes of Sweden, Italy and Austria being home to the most companies that are successfully securing funding, it’s clear that there are opportunities for EdTech startups all over the world."

Report: 

View the full report here

Byju’s Raises Fresh $400 Mn at Valuation of $4 Billion

Within just three months after raising $100 million, Byju’s, the largest edtech firm in India, has raised fresh $400 million in a new round of funding from Canada’s CPP Investment Board, Naspers Ventures, General Atlantic and some existing investors, according to documents filed with the Registrar of Companies (RoC), accessed through data intelligence platform Paper.vc and a person familiar with the transaction.

With this new funding Byju's, the new valuation of the startup values touches nearly $4 billion, making it the fourth most valuable startup in India after digital payments firm Paytm (One97 Communications Pvt. Ltd), cab-hailing service Ola, and budget hotel chain Oyo Rooms.

Since its inception in 2008, BYJU’S has raised a total of $666 million in funding over nine rounds including this one.

“A direct investment of a big pension fund into the Indian venture ecosystem is a positive sign and opens up international markets for Byju’s,” said Vinod Murali, managing partner at venture debt firm Alteria Capital. “Byju’s style and the way the business has been built—it is transferable globally—and I expect them to use the new funds to fuel their overseas expansion plans.”

The investment in Byju’s comes at a time when investors are writing big cheques, indicating a return of a funding boom in India’s start-up ecosystem. Other companies in the space include online tutoring platform Vedantu which raised $11 million last month in a funding round led by Omidyar Network.

Since its founding in 2008, Byju’s has raised more than $240 million from Tencent, Verlinvest, Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, Sequoia Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Aarin Capital among others.

In July last year, the company raised about $40 million from Tencent, months after it raised $30 million from Verlinvest.

According to Crunchbase data, BYJU’S has $219.3 million in revenue annually and it competes with Career Launcher, TestFunda.com, and meritnation.com among others. Unacademy, another online learning platform, raised $21 million in a Series C round from Sequoia India, SAIF Partners and others.

Byju’s attained the coveted unicorn status in its previous funding round which saw the participation of Tencent.

In the past three years, Byju’s has exceeded investor expectations. The company, which started out as an offline teaching centre in Bengaluru, launched an app in 2015 to increase user base. It currently offers two separate learning apps—its flagship app caters to students from Classes VI to XII, while the second targets students of Classes IV and V.

The move to a digital education platform has been lucrative for the company. In June, Byju’s said that it touched ₹100 crore in monthly revenue and raised its annual revenue target for this year to ₹1,400 crore. The company claims it is among the few profitable unicorns in the country.

Byju's Raises Fresh $100 Mn from General Atlantic at New Valuation of $2 Bn

India's largest education technology company Byju's, which is reinventing how students learn through mobile app, has raised a fresh $100 million in a funding from private equity player General Atlantic India for a 5% stake in the startup, which comes in a single tranche , reported Business Standard today.

With this, Byju’s valuation has reached $2 billion, which is more than double the company’s value from its previous round, and certainly marks its status as one of the emerging startups from India in the past five years.

With investment in Byju's, General Atlantic marks its first investment in the education space. The New York-based growth equity firm known for its investment in AirBnB, Slack and Snapchat among 115 other investments. The firm usually invests in four global sectors -- Consumer, Finance, Healthcare and Technology. Byju's however is an exception in a pool of its investment portfolio companies. The firm has its office in Mumbai.

Founded in 2008, by Byju Raveendran and Divya Gokulnath, BYJU’S has raised a total of $344 million in funding over eight rounds including this one. Prior to this, the startup had raised $40 million from Tencent Holdings.

In May this year, Byju’s claimed that it is one of the few India-based billion-dollar startups that has become profitable. The startup posted revenue of more than Rs 100 crore ($1 billion) that pushed the edtech firm to revise its annual revenue guidance to Rs 1,400 crore. The startup posted revenue of Rs 45 crore in 2014-15, Rs 110 crore in 2015-16 and Rs 240 crore in 2016-17.

The startup has also made few acquisition in short period of time. In July this year, Byju's acquired of Bengaluru-based Math Adventures, a math learning startup, for undisclosed amount. Prior to this, in 2017, it has acquired
TutorVista.com and Vidyartha (SPAN Thoughtworks Pvt. Ltd.), both based out of Bengaluru.

BYJU's is backed by investors such as Tencent, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg), Belgian family office Verlinvest and the World Bank’s private sector arm, the International Finance Corporation.

Edtech Startup BYJU’S Raises Investment from Tencent

BYJU’S, India’s largest education company announced a new round of funding from Tencent Holdings Limited (Tencent), a leading provider of Internet value added services in China. This latest round of funding will help BYJU’S accelerate product development for new markets and enable inorganic growth through acquisitions.

Launched in 2015, BYJU’S Learning App has pioneered the personalised learning space for school students across the country. With 9 million students learning from the app and over 450,000 annual paid subscribers, BYJU’S has seen more than 100% growth, with revenue growing from Rs. 115 crores (FY 15-16) to Rs. 260 (FY 16-17) crores. The company also turned profitable last quarter.

Byju Raveendran, Founder & CEO, BYJU’S said, “We are excited to have Tencent on board with us. This makes our strong investor portfolio even more diverse. At BYJU’S, we have been fortunate to have investors who have always played a crucial role as partners in our growth story. With increased brand awareness and strong adoption amongst students, this year we expect the revenue to double again and we will be profitable on a full year basis. This round of funding will help us leverage our expertise in creating highly effective tech-enabled learning programs to cater to the learning requirements in new markets.”

"BYJU’S has emerged as the clear leader in the Indian education-tech sector. We share BYJU’S mission of transforming education by creating personalized learning experiences for students. We are excited to be partnering with Byju on this exciting journey" said Hongwei Chen, Executive Director of Investment and M&A at Tencent

Brand BYJU’S has been at the fore front of offering engaging and effective learning experiences for students in the K-12 segment (Classes 4-12). From test prep classes to a world class learning app, BYJU’S today is the most loved K-12 learning app in the country. The app creates personalized learning programs for individual students based on their proficiency levels and capabilities which help them learn at their own pace and style. The learning app has seen a high annual renewal rate of 90%, which is a validation of its effectiveness.

In March 2017, Verlinvest, a large Belgian family-owned, consumer-focused, diversification investment holding company announced its investment in BYJU’S of $30 million. Recently, the company acquired TutorVista and Edurite from Pearson. Earlier in January 2017, BYJU’S had acquired Bengaluru-based Vidyartha, a data-driven platform offering customised learning guidance to students.

Edtech Startup BYJU’S Raises Investment from Tencent

BYJU’S, India’s largest education company announced a new round of funding from Tencent Holdings Limited (Tencent), a leading provider of Internet value added services in China. This latest round of funding will help BYJU’S accelerate product development for new markets and enable inorganic growth through acquisitions.

Launched in 2015, BYJU’S Learning App has pioneered the personalised learning space for school students across the country. With 9 million students learning from the app and over 450,000 annual paid subscribers, BYJU’S has seen more than 100% growth, with revenue growing from Rs. 115 crores (FY 15-16) to Rs. 260 (FY 16-17) crores. The company also turned profitable last quarter.

Byju Raveendran, Founder & CEO, BYJU’S said, “We are excited to have Tencent on board with us. This makes our strong investor portfolio even more diverse. At BYJU’S, we have been fortunate to have investors who have always played a crucial role as partners in our growth story. With increased brand awareness and strong adoption amongst students, this year we expect the revenue to double again and we will be profitable on a full year basis. This round of funding will help us leverage our expertise in creating highly effective tech-enabled learning programs to cater to the learning requirements in new markets.”

"BYJU’S has emerged as the clear leader in the Indian education-tech sector. We share BYJU’S mission of transforming education by creating personalized learning experiences for students. We are excited to be partnering with Byju on this exciting journey" said Hongwei Chen, Executive Director of Investment and M&A at Tencent

Brand BYJU’S has been at the fore front of offering engaging and effective learning experiences for students in the K-12 segment (Classes 4-12). From test prep classes to a world class learning app, BYJU’S today is the most loved K-12 learning app in the country. The app creates personalized learning programs for individual students based on their proficiency levels and capabilities which help them learn at their own pace and style. The learning app has seen a high annual renewal rate of 90%, which is a validation of its effectiveness.

In March 2017, Verlinvest, a large Belgian family-owned, consumer-focused, diversification investment holding company announced its investment in BYJU’S of $30 million. Recently, the company acquired TutorVista and Edurite from Pearson. Earlier in January 2017, BYJU’S had acquired Bengaluru-based Vidyartha, a data-driven platform offering customised learning guidance to students.

10 Must Know Startup News From The Week Gone By [03 - 08 July]

Missed the happening of startup world? Here is the recap for you. Mentioned below are the 10 news which made buzz during in the week gone by.

Homegrown E-commerce Giant Snapdeal Rejects Flipkart’s $850 Mn Buyout Offer

Flipkart, Snapdeal merger is taking twist and turns with time. Recently, Jasper Infotech owned Snapdeal’s board has refused the initial offer by Flipkart. E-commerce major, Flipkart has completed the due diligence process and has made an offer of $800-850 million to buy Snapdeal. But Snapdeal’s board felt that offer made by Flipkart undervalued the company. Snapdeal’s largest investor, SoftBank has been proactively mediating the sale for the past few months.

India, Israel Launches 5 Year Technology Fund

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel has become the buzz of the town. The PM visit to Israel has further strengthen the relation between two nation by announcing the launch of a technology fund, the Israel India Innovation Initiative Fund, or I4F. The fund will focus towards growing the two countries’ business relations. In addition to the tech fund, the two countries also signed a total of seven accords aimed at boosting India and Israel’s cooperation in a number of crucial sectors right from agriculture and water to space research etc.

Not only this, the two countries have unveiled a bilateral innovation challenge that will see Indian and Israeli startups coming together to conceive solutions to fight some of the most critical challenges that the world is facing right now like water, agriculture and digital healthcare etc. The bilateral innovation challenge will be hosted on a new online platform called the India-Israel Innovation Bridge.

VC Investments in Startups Lowest in Last 3 Years, Decline By 25%

As per a report by Venture Intelligence, a research firm led by media entrepreneur Arun Natarajan, the quarter ending June saw venture capital investments in Indian startups decreasing by 25 percent from the figure locked in a year ago. The report highlighted that the venture capital investment amount in startups in India has decreased to $275 million in 78 investments from last year’s figure of #309 million in 104 deals. Venture Intelligence, which is considered as a leading source of information and analysis on private company financials, transactions and their valuations in India, also revealed that the June quarter was the lowest VC investment quarter seen by the Indian startup ecosystem in the last three years period.

WeWork Launches First Collaborative Work Space in Bengaluru

New York-based collaborative workspace, WeWork has launched its first community workspace in Bengaluru – ‘WeWork Galaxy’. WeWork targets two new centers’ in Koramangala and Whitefield respectively. The Bangalore launch also coincides with the opening of first location in Brazil (Sao Palo).

WorkSpace is well equipped to cater to 2200 members, powered by beautiful, functional work spaces, swimming pool and gym. The company is aiming to reach out to entrepreneurs, freelancers, SMEs and SMBs, startups across e-commerce, IT/ITES, retail, FMCG, healthcare, legal, and marketing segments amongst others.

Numaligarh Refinery To Assist Startups in Assam

Assam-based Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) has decided to promote startups in Northeast India region. If we talk of the funds, initially, to assist startups, company has come up with a fund of Rs 10 Crore which will come as a grant for startup venture. Commenting on the development, P.Padmanabhan, Managing Director, NRL said, “We want to create entrepreneurship ecosystem in Northeast India. Once the ideas are submitted, jury will evaluate the same. We will evaluate if the project requires seed funding, scale up funding or any other assistance. We will tie up with incubation Centre.”

Flipkart Executives To Deliver Packages To Customers

E-commerce major, Flipkart has recently flagged off a program where its employees will visit customers across the Indian subcontinent in the month of July as a part of the company’s 10th anniversary celebrations. As a part of the program, Flipkart’s top executives, which includes its CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy, and its employees across business functions will get an opportunity to personally visit a customer, especially in tier 2, 3 and 4 towns like Bhopal, Patna, Amritsar, Vijaywada, Guwahati, Cuttack, Nashik and Jamnagar to thank them for supporting the company for ten long years.

Shamik Sharma To Join pi Ventures As Venture Partner

Early stage venture fund, pi Ventures has appointed Shamik as a Venture Partner. He was previously the Chief Product and Technology officer at Myntra where he was responsible for driving technology strategy and culture. At pi Ventures, Sharma will work with portfolio founders to help them get past critical hurdles, design their product roadmaps and hire specialised talent. His role will involve supporting pi Ventures in deep understanding of technology and IP via technology deep dives of prospective portfolio companies and support in bringing interesting startups aligned with pi Ventures’ investment theme to their deal pipeline.

Capsula.Studio to Set Up a Startup Accelerator

Capsula.Studio at Tel Aviv University has partnered with a commercial vehicles seating and interiors company, Pinnacle Industries, to establish a startup accelerator, Pinnacle Capsula.Studio in Pune. The partnership aims to accelerate innovative entrepreneurs to market through Capsula’s proven ‘Mentored Customer Validation’ program and knowledge center which connect entrepreneurs with global value network players and the research community.

The Studio has been conceived as a not-for-profit entity which will be located at The BHAU Institute which is a part of the College of Engineering. It will act as a bridge between Indian and Israeli entrepreneurs and will allow novel ideas rapidly gain market traction.

Housing’s Rahul Yadav Joins ANAROCK Property Consultants

ANAROCK Property Consultants, which prominent real estate industry stalwart Anuj Puri launched last month has appointed Housing.com’s co-founder and ex-CEO Rahul Yadav as Chief Product & Technology Officer. Yadav’s experience in harnessing the consumer housing market at via technology will add the key element to the business.

Yadav, who will be based out of ANAROCK’s Mumbai offices in Bandra-Kurla Complex, assumes his new role from July first week and is already building his team of product and technology experts.

Edtech Startup BYJU’S Acquires TutorVista And Edurite

The creator of K-12 app, BYJU’S has acquired TutorVista and Edurite from Pearson. The partnership is focused on expanding international reach and creating a diverse product portfolio. Launched in 2015, BYJU’s has become one of the preferred education app for students across age groups with 8 million users and 4,00,000 annual paid subscriptions. With an average time of 40 minutes being spent by a student on the app every day from 1700+ cities and towns, the BYJU’S app is making learning enjoyable and effective. BYJU’S is making learning contextual and visual, and not just theoretical.

BYJU’S Acquires TutorVista And Edurite; Eye To Expand Its International Reach

Education company and the creator of K-12 app, BYJU’S has acquired TutorVista and Edurite from Pearson. The partnership is focused on expanding international reach and creating a diverse product portfolio. TutorVista is an online tutoring brands catering to school and college students in the US and gets millions of visitors every month on its website from across the globe (70% from USA).

Commenting on the development, Byju Raveendran, Founder and CEO, BYJU’S said, “This partnership will enhance our product offerings and give us access in some of the new markets when we launch our international products. We are excited to work with the talented and experienced team who will come onboard as a part of this acquisition.”

BYJU’S learning app offers adaptive, engaging and effective learning programs for students in classes 4-12 (K-12) and competitive exams like JEE, NEET, CAT, IAS, GRE and GMAT. Launched in 2015, BYJU’s has become one of the preferred education app for students across age groups with 8 million users and 4,00,000 annual paid subscriptions. With an average time of 40 minutes being spent by a student on the app every day from 1700+ cities and towns, the BYJU’S app is making learning enjoyable and effective. BYJU’S is making learning contextual and visual, and not just theoretical. The learning app is paving the way for new-age, geography-agnostic learning tools that sit at the cross section of mobile, interactive content and adaptive learning methodologies.

“With increased brand awareness, our core offering - BYJU’S The Learning App has witnessed massive adoption amongst students across grades (classes 4-12). We strongly believe that a product like ours can change the way students learn all across the world. Today, with a wider bandwidth, we have started creating similar products for the international markets that further boost our reach as well as product portfolio,” said Raveendran.

Founded in 1844, Pearson is learning company, with 40,000 employees in more than 70 countries. From school education, test preparation and higher education to professional qualifications, Pearson’s publications, curriculum materials, multimedia learning tools, assessment programs and integrated services help people of all ages make measurable progress in their lives through learning. Established in India since 1998, Pearson has introduced its wide range of products and services in educational institutes as well as directly to the learners.

“Edurite and TutorVista are pioneer brands in their respective spaces and enjoy great customer goodwill. We are pleased that a leading online education company in India sees value in the Edurite and TutorVista businesses, brands and employees. We hope that the businesses and employees thrive under the new ownership and wish them all the very best,” said Deepak Mehrotra, Managing Director of Pearson India.

Earlier in January 2017, BYJU’S had acquired Bengaluru-based Vidyartha, a data-driven platform offering customised learning guidance to students.

BYJU’S Launches Parent Connect App, Offers Real Time Update On Child's Learning Progress

Edtech startup, BYJU’S has launched a new version of its learning app to enhance personalised learning experiences for its users. Featuring unique learning journeys, guided paths, actionable feedback and intelligent recommendations, this version of the app will be very interactive in nature.

Taking personalised learning to a whole new level, BYJU’S has leveraged big data analytics to trace the learning fingerprint of every student and create a personalised learning experience on its platform. The app creates personalised learning journeys for individual students based on their proficiency levels and capabilities which help them learn at their own pace and style.

Commenting on the development, Byju Raveendran, Founder and CEO, BYJU’S said, “At BYJU’S, we have successfully transformed the one-to-many learning model to one-on-one personalised learning experiences through our app. With high engagement and renewal rates, we have set a new benchmark in education technology nationally as well as globally. In this upgrade, we have personalised the app interface to determine every student’s capability and recommend the right ‘Learn Journey’. Based on the level of understanding, ‘Learn Journeys’ will be tailor-made to every student’s individual requirements to ensure a seamless learning experience. We are also creating learning products in local languages to reach out to students across regions.”

Not only this, BYJU’S has also launched ‘Parent Connect’ app that offers a real-time update on every student’s progress. This app will help parents stay up-to-date and be more involved in their child’s learning journey.

Byju, Parent Connect app will allow parents to get regular updates via the app which will enable every parent to play a proactive role in appreciating the child. Team BYJU’S comprises of an in-house team of engineers, data scientists, animators, artists and teachers who have studied and consolidated behavioural learning patterns of students to create this enhanced application.

Talking about the technology and product prowess at BYJU’S, Ranjit Radhakrishnan, Chief Product Officer, BYJU’S said, “This new update has added a whole new personality to the application. We have created unique learning journeys for students which will offer them a completely personalised learning experience. We are able to build an extensive learning profile for every student. With an in-depth understanding of their learning gaps and strengths, we provide actionable feedback along with highly personalised learning journeys and recommendations tuned specifically for each student. Technology and data are being utilised to build a truly digital personal teacher who understands the student intricately and crafts the best learning experience automatically.”

Across subjects, grades and chapters, Byju’s claim that they have created a powerful knowledge graph with over 50,000 concepts and relationships. With a reach of over 1700+ towns and cities, the team at BYJU’S is also working on learning products in local languages to expand and reach out to students across regions.

Launched in 2015, BYJU’s is the creator of K-12 learning app which offers learning programs for students in classes 4-12 (K-12) and competitive exams like JEE, NEET, CAT, IAS, GRE and GMAT.it boost to have become the most loved and preferred education app for students across age groups with 8 million users and 4,00,000 annual paid subscriptions.

Earlier in March 2017, Startup had raised $30 million from Verlinvest, a large Belgian family-owned, consumer-focused, diversification investment holding company.

BYJU’S Launches Parent Connect App, Offers Real Time Update On Child's Learning Progress

Edtech startup, BYJU’S has launched a new version of its learning app to enhance personalised learning experiences for its users. Featuring unique learning journeys, guided paths, actionable feedback and intelligent recommendations, this version of the app will be very interactive in nature.

Taking personalised learning to a whole new level, BYJU’S has leveraged big data analytics to trace the learning fingerprint of every student and create a personalised learning experience on its platform. The app creates personalised learning journeys for individual students based on their proficiency levels and capabilities which help them learn at their own pace and style.

Commenting on the development, Byju Raveendran, Founder and CEO, BYJU’S said, “At BYJU’S, we have successfully transformed the one-to-many learning model to one-on-one personalised learning experiences through our app. With high engagement and renewal rates, we have set a new benchmark in education technology nationally as well as globally. In this upgrade, we have personalised the app interface to determine every student’s capability and recommend the right ‘Learn Journey’. Based on the level of understanding, ‘Learn Journeys’ will be tailor-made to every student’s individual requirements to ensure a seamless learning experience. We are also creating learning products in local languages to reach out to students across regions.”

Not only this, BYJU’S has also launched ‘Parent Connect’ app that offers a real-time update on every student’s progress. This app will help parents stay up-to-date and be more involved in their child’s learning journey.

Byju, Parent Connect app will allow parents to get regular updates via the app which will enable every parent to play a proactive role in appreciating the child. Team BYJU’S comprises of an in-house team of engineers, data scientists, animators, artists and teachers who have studied and consolidated behavioural learning patterns of students to create this enhanced application.

Talking about the technology and product prowess at BYJU’S, Ranjit Radhakrishnan, Chief Product Officer, BYJU’S said, “This new update has added a whole new personality to the application. We have created unique learning journeys for students which will offer them a completely personalised learning experience. We are able to build an extensive learning profile for every student. With an in-depth understanding of their learning gaps and strengths, we provide actionable feedback along with highly personalised learning journeys and recommendations tuned specifically for each student. Technology and data are being utilised to build a truly digital personal teacher who understands the student intricately and crafts the best learning experience automatically.”

Across subjects, grades and chapters, Byju’s claim that they have created a powerful knowledge graph with over 50,000 concepts and relationships. With a reach of over 1700+ towns and cities, the team at BYJU’S is also working on learning products in local languages to expand and reach out to students across regions.

Launched in 2015, BYJU’s is the creator of K-12 learning app which offers learning programs for students in classes 4-12 (K-12) and competitive exams like JEE, NEET, CAT, IAS, GRE and GMAT.it boost to have become the most loved and preferred education app for students across age groups with 8 million users and 4,00,000 annual paid subscriptions.

Earlier in March 2017, Startup had raised $30 million from Verlinvest, a large Belgian family-owned, consumer-focused, diversification investment holding company.

Edtech Startup BYJU’S Raises $30M from Verlinvest

Verlinvest, a large Belgian family-owned, consumer-focused, diversification investment holding company announced its investment in BYJU’S, India’s largest ed-tech company today. This new round will help boost BYJU’S international expansion & acquisition plans.

Creator of the largest K-12 learning app, 8 million students are learning from the BYJU’S app today. With close to 4,00,000 paid annual subscriptions till date, the newly launched version of the app has taken learning to the next level through personalized learning journeys and access to quality content and top teachers for students across classes 4-12.

Commenting on this investment, Frederic de Mevius, Chairman of the Board, Verlinvest said, “We are excited to join hands with Byju Raveendran on his inspiring journey to bring effective learning online. We believe online learning has great potential globally and the BYJU’S product addresses this with an innovative and compelling proposition. Verlinvest prides itself on being a daring investor in the consumer world and enabling entrepreneurs through inspiring journeys. Byju fits well within this vision.”

Nicholas Cator, Executive Director, Verlinvest added, “We are very happy to partner with the talented team at BYJU’S to expand in India and abroad. A 1:1 learning experience is a dream ratio, and it is very encouraging to see that an Indian company has created a product which closely addresses this need by offering engaging and personalized learning experiences enabled by technology. We have seen a lot of edtech companies, but BYJU’S offers personalized learning to an extent which we haven’t seen in any product across the globe. We look forward to supporting the management team to expand to new markets and to further build the brand.”

Byju Raveendran, Founder & CEO, BYJU’S said, “Our partnership with Verlinvest will further boost our aspiration to change the way students learn across the globe. In the last 18 months, we have witnessed exponential growth in India. While these numbers are very exciting, there is a long way to go before we can call it a revolution. The fact that we are still reaching to less than 1% of the student population, shows the immense potential and the impact we can create. In fact, our teams are continuously working towards creating learning products that will enable our efforts to make learning more accessible, engaging and personalized for students.”

From test prep classes to a world class learning app –brand BYJU’S is redefining learning by using technology as an enabler; in fact, all the products are completely made in-house. Offering personalized learning experiences based on pace and style of learning of every student through technology, BYJU’S is creating new learning experiences for students across grades. The learning app has seen a high annual renewal rate of 90%, which is a big validation of its effectiveness.

BYJU’s Gets $50M from Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, Sequoia, Sofina, Lightspeed & Times Internet

Indian education technology company today announced that it has raised $50 million to expand its learning app to more students. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), which was founded by Mark Zuckerberg and Dr. Priscilla Chan co-led the investment with Sequoia Capital, along with Sofina, Lightspeed Ventures & Times Internet Ltd. This is the first investment from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative in Asia.

BYJU’S, creator of India’s largest K-12 learning app, is reinventing how students learn in the age of mobile devices. BYJU’s learning approach combines world-class teachers, proven pedagogical methods, innovative technology and data science to deliver personalized learning, feedback and assessment for students in classes 4-12.

“The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative supports innovative models of learning wherever they are around the world,” said Vivian Wu at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, who will join BYJU’s board. “Education can give young people and their families a path to a better future, and families in India work hard to give their children that chance. BYJU's represents an opportunity to help even more students develop a love for learning and unlock their potential.”

BYJU’s is using original content, engaging video lessons and interactive activities to personalize learning for each student. It has been designed to adapt to the unique learning style and pace of every student. In a survey, 79 percent of parents said using BYJU's app improved their children’s learning dramatically, and another 17 percent said it improved their learning significantly.

“We are excited to partner with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to usher in the next stage of growth at BYJU's. Our vision closely aligns with their vision of advancing human potential and promoting equality,” says Founder and CEO, Byju Raveendran.

In a sector where the use of technology is still growing, BYJU’s has stood out with its phenomenal growth. To date, BYJU’s app has been downloaded more than 5.5 million times and reached 250,000 annual subscribers all across India. With an average engagement rate of 40 minutes per day and 90 percent of users renewing their subscription, BYJU’s is proving to be effective at improving learning outcomes and engaging India’s students.

BYJU’s founder, Byju Raveendran, was born to parents who were both teachers and hails from Azhikode, a small village in Kerala. His love for numbers began early and he learnt math and science mostly on his own. He realizes the importance of children getting the fundamentals right in their formative years. “Once children fall in love with learning, they will start learning on their own. That’s why BYJU’s products are built in ways that inspire children to take initiative and learn on their own,” Byju said.

Newly-raised funds will be deployed to fuel international expansion and inspire additional funding investments from leading companies around the world.

GV Ravishankar, Managing Director, Sequoia Capital India Advisors and BYJU’s board member, said, “We are delighted to have CZI and other companies partner with us to help BYJU’s expand opportunity for more young people. Over the last few years, the team has worked hard to make high-quality education accessible across the country, and we are proud to have students from across 1400+ towns learning through the product. We are amazed by their continued growth and are excited to be part of their journey.”

“We are really excited to welcome an investment from Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative into BYJU, as the company continues on its mission of empowering everyone who aspires to learn. Together, the platforms will enable greater reach for a high quality product developed by a great team” said Satyan Gajwani, Vice Chairman, Times Internet

“Lightspeed has invested in education technology companies in the US, China and India,” said Dev Khare, Managing Director, Lightspeed India Partners Advisors. “Amongst all these companies globally, Byju’s market leading education offering is unique and transformational because it is specifically geared with a differentiated pedagogy to the needs of India’s 250 million students.”

Byju Raveendran founded BYJU’s because he believes that the right kind of learning can be a game-changer, as “education is still the best way for most people to improve their lives. In a high impact segment like education, the real satisfaction is not in creating a multi-million dollar company, but in changing the way millions think and learn.”