Lingokids Partners with Dream Centres in India to Address Digital Divide

Lingokids, a curriculum-based English learning app for children between two and eight years old, has partnered with the Dream Centres in India, an educational institution that offers, quality, affordable education to underprivileged children. Featuring content from the Oxford University Press, Lingokids is present in more than 190 countries and has over 20 million subscribers worldwide.

There has been a dramatic impact on education by COVID-19, given that millions of students (90% of total students worldwide) have been forced to study from home due to school closures. Technology and education have merged even more than before the pandemic due to worldwide stay at home mandates, but only a handful of private schools have been able to adopt online teaching methods. The low-income private and government school counterparts, on the other hand, have completely shut down, as they lack access to e-learning solutions.

Mr. Cristobal Viedma, Founder and CEO of Lingokids

According to UNESCO, 1.9 billion learners in 150 countries, particularly students in pre-primary to upper-secondary courses (over 830 million), have been affected. This has forced parents, teachers, and students to use and adapt to e-learning tools. Centuries-old teaching models are now driven by technology and there is an urgent need to tackle the digital divide with inclusive learning solutions, especially for the most vulnerable and marginalized groups. Lingokids has collaborated with NGOs and foundations around the world and has donated over 30,000 licenses of the app to schools and NGOs to help address the digital divide. In India, Lingokids has donated over 600 licenses to the Dream Centres schools, enabling students to continue their learning during the lockdown.

Commenting on this initiative, Cristobal Viedma, Founder and CEO of Lingokids, explains, "The pandemic has changed the future of education and this new normal is here to stay. We need to adapt and ensure that these challenges are turned into opportunities and that we leverage technology to make education more accessible and inclusive for all. E-learning will be able to democratize and personalize education for every student at the same level, thereby eliminating the digital gap. Our association with the Dream Centres is an effort to contribute to the cause of education and to work towards a world of equal opportunity for everyone."

Naomi Hendricks, Co-founder of the Dream Centres

Naomi Hendricks Co-founder of the Dream Centres said, "Lingokids has been an invaluable APP that has enabled us to leverage technology, making early learning fun and accessible to the hundreds of marginalized children we serve. During this Pandemic, we have pivoted our children to digital learning by the licenses that have been so generously given by Lingokids. We live and learn in community, this has, therefore, enabled many siblings and neighbors of our children, to also enjoy digital learning via a single license. 'One by Two' has been adapted to 'One by Four.' Education is a tool that lifts people out of poverty and digital equality is an important factor in building a more equitable world for the next generation."

Lingokids' playlearning™ method is simple: the more kids enjoy playing, the more they'll learn. It enables children to expand their vocabulary, improve their writing skills, and get involved in a safe game-based learning experience. The app offers engaging content and games that teach words, colors, numbers, animals, fruits, and everyday language, while exposing young kids to 21st-century skills and topics, such as creativity, caring for the environment, critical thinking, collaboration, and empathy. Lingokids' online platform also offers weekly plans, blog posts, videos, and several tiers of programming that include a parent community.

To learn more about how Lingokids utilizes technology, safety, and activities to promote the development of 21st-century skills, please visit www.lingokids.com.

About Lingokids

Lingokids is the English learning app for children between two and eight years old. It is currently present in more than 190 countries, with 20 million families using the platform. Lingokids collaborates with NGOs and foundations around the world, such as UNICEF in Latin America, UNHCR and Cruz Roja in Spain, Pies Descalzos in Colombia (driven by Shakira), and the Queen Rania Foundation in Jordan, to break down language barriers and promote equal opportunities for all children. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lingokids donated over 30,000 licenses of the app to schools and NGOs. It has also collaborated with companies such as the Spanish Ministry of Education, Vodafone, Iberia, and Amazon Prime Video. The company has raised $10 million in funds to date from Holtzbrinck Ventures, JME Venture Capital, Sabadell Ventures, BigSur, Reach Capital, All Iron Ventures, Athos, Dave McClures 500 startups, K-Funds founding partners, SHO-zemi Innovation Ventures (a branch of Japans leading network of tutoring schools, SHO-zemi), Incuvest of Singapore, and business angels like Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX. Lingokids received an award for the startup with the greatest social impact in education at the South Summit's enlightED in 2018.

For more information, please visit: www.lingokids.com.

Next 10 Ventures Launches First Global EduCreator Incubator in Learning and Education

Next 10 Ventures, a global venture group focused on the Creator economy, today announced the launch of its global EduCreator Incubator. This first-of-its-kind program aims to support emerging video creators who produce education and learning content, with seed investments ranging from 25,000 USD to 75,000 USD, programmatic support and mentorship. Next 10 Ventures is led by Founder & CEO Benjamin Grubbs, the former Head of Global Creator Partnerships at YouTube. The EduCreator Incubator is led by Vice President of Marketing Cynthia So Schroeder, who brings with her the experience of leading eBay’s Global Community Development and Engagement group. The inaugural EduCreator Advisory Council includes top creators like Jay Shetty, Shaun & Mindy McKnight (CuteGirlsHairstyles) and WeCreateEdu founder Jacklyn Duff.

This year, 25 to 40 applicants will be selected to join the 2019 EduCreator Incubator cohort. The 12-month program is designed to support each EduCreator holistically on four pillars: Programming, Mentorship, Community, and Creator Wellness. This program will provide each EduCreator with advice, expert support, and business planning to sharpen their management and technical skills, as well as highlight the importance of Creator well-being. Next 10 Ventures will finance the growth of their first cohort’s business pursuits for sustainability and scalability. The company will focus on meaningful content and follow a creator-centric approach. Next 10 Ventures’ goal is to grow the total number of full-time EduCreators in India. The company is looking at long-term opportunities as it plans to reinvest its share of revenue back into its EduCreator Growth Fund to nurture the incubator program for years to come.



Next 10 Ventures is excited about Indian EduCreators and foresees great opportunities in the education sector with rising young population, with an increase in internet usage and online learning emerging as a cost-effective channel. Online education has been constantly growing over the last couple of years because of its low costs, rise in the internet population and easy access through mobile phone.

Many online education startups offer original and interesting content for young children and students via videos and rich and interactive animations. This type of e-learning complements existing curriculum and extends concepts beyond the traditional classroom teaching making learning easy-to-understand.

Enthused about expanding the playing field for global digital learning and focus on Indian market, Cynthia Schroeder, Vice President, Marketing, Next 10 Ventures’ EduCreator Incubator, said, “I’m beyond thrilled to join such a mission-driven team who has a deep passion for ensuring that the world, and countries like India, have access to quality online educational content. We know that India is home to many of the most followed and viewed South East Asia EduCreators. For the next 10 years and beyond, we are fully committed to supporting diverse educators and their topics that inspire children and young adults to learn, seek and discover more about the world around them.”

“Creators today have influence and an ability to inspire the imagination of kids in a positive way. We have seen firsthand how impactful Creators can be in supplementing and strengthening classroom instruction,” explained Benjamin Grubbs, CEO of Next 10 Ventures. “Through investment, mentorship, and wellness support, we are helping Creators transform their passion for creating inspiring and entertaining education content into full-time careers and inspire kids around the world to seek out fields of study across social sciences, arts, humanities, STEM and more”, he further added.

The application period closes November 17, 2018. EduCreators selected for the 2019 Cohort will be announced in early February 2019. Interested parties may apply here: www.next10ventures.com/educreator/apply

About Next 10 Ventures, it is a new kind of venture group, which is both a global investment and operating company focused on the Creator economy with offices in Culver City, CA and Singapore. Its team consists of an uncommon mix of marketers, brand managers, engineers, and education advocates from the likes of YouTube, Google, Warner Bros., eBay, Yahoo!, Turner Broadcasting and Accenture -- that have scaled products and services to billions of people worldwide.

Next 10 Ventures is focused on the long-term growth and sustainability of the global Creator ecosystem, and takes a vertically integrated approach to build and scale businesses ranging from concept incubation to startup capital, and joint ventures. We’re passionate about finding and empowering artists and entrepreneurs of all ages, from anywhere in the world, who are building great content and brands on social media platforms.

Next 10 Ventures Launches First Global EduCreator Incubator in Learning and Education

Next 10 Ventures, a global venture group focused on the Creator economy, today announced the launch of its global EduCreator Incubator. This first-of-its-kind program aims to support emerging video creators who produce education and learning content, with seed investments ranging from 25,000 USD to 75,000 USD, programmatic support and mentorship. Next 10 Ventures is led by Founder & CEO Benjamin Grubbs, the former Head of Global Creator Partnerships at YouTube. The EduCreator Incubator is led by Vice President of Marketing Cynthia So Schroeder, who brings with her the experience of leading eBay’s Global Community Development and Engagement group. The inaugural EduCreator Advisory Council includes top creators like Jay Shetty, Shaun & Mindy McKnight (CuteGirlsHairstyles) and WeCreateEdu founder Jacklyn Duff.

This year, 25 to 40 applicants will be selected to join the 2019 EduCreator Incubator cohort. The 12-month program is designed to support each EduCreator holistically on four pillars: Programming, Mentorship, Community, and Creator Wellness. This program will provide each EduCreator with advice, expert support, and business planning to sharpen their management and technical skills, as well as highlight the importance of Creator well-being. Next 10 Ventures will finance the growth of their first cohort’s business pursuits for sustainability and scalability. The company will focus on meaningful content and follow a creator-centric approach. Next 10 Ventures’ goal is to grow the total number of full-time EduCreators in India. The company is looking at long-term opportunities as it plans to reinvest its share of revenue back into its EduCreator Growth Fund to nurture the incubator program for years to come.



Next 10 Ventures is excited about Indian EduCreators and foresees great opportunities in the education sector with rising young population, with an increase in internet usage and online learning emerging as a cost-effective channel. Online education has been constantly growing over the last couple of years because of its low costs, rise in the internet population and easy access through mobile phone.

Many online education startups offer original and interesting content for young children and students via videos and rich and interactive animations. This type of e-learning complements existing curriculum and extends concepts beyond the traditional classroom teaching making learning easy-to-understand.

Enthused about expanding the playing field for global digital learning and focus on Indian market, Cynthia Schroeder, Vice President, Marketing, Next 10 Ventures’ EduCreator Incubator, said, “I’m beyond thrilled to join such a mission-driven team who has a deep passion for ensuring that the world, and countries like India, have access to quality online educational content. We know that India is home to many of the most followed and viewed South East Asia EduCreators. For the next 10 years and beyond, we are fully committed to supporting diverse educators and their topics that inspire children and young adults to learn, seek and discover more about the world around them.”

“Creators today have influence and an ability to inspire the imagination of kids in a positive way. We have seen firsthand how impactful Creators can be in supplementing and strengthening classroom instruction,” explained Benjamin Grubbs, CEO of Next 10 Ventures. “Through investment, mentorship, and wellness support, we are helping Creators transform their passion for creating inspiring and entertaining education content into full-time careers and inspire kids around the world to seek out fields of study across social sciences, arts, humanities, STEM and more”, he further added.

The application period closes November 17, 2018. EduCreators selected for the 2019 Cohort will be announced in early February 2019. Interested parties may apply here: www.next10ventures.com/educreator/apply

About Next 10 Ventures, it is a new kind of venture group, which is both a global investment and operating company focused on the Creator economy with offices in Culver City, CA and Singapore. Its team consists of an uncommon mix of marketers, brand managers, engineers, and education advocates from the likes of YouTube, Google, Warner Bros., eBay, Yahoo!, Turner Broadcasting and Accenture -- that have scaled products and services to billions of people worldwide.

Next 10 Ventures is focused on the long-term growth and sustainability of the global Creator ecosystem, and takes a vertically integrated approach to build and scale businesses ranging from concept incubation to startup capital, and joint ventures. We’re passionate about finding and empowering artists and entrepreneurs of all ages, from anywhere in the world, who are building great content and brands on social media platforms.

Gray Matters Capital Launches Its Accelerator Program ‘GMC Calibrator’ for Education and Skilling Startups

Gray Matters Capital, an impact investor focused on enterprises working to improve access to affordable quality education and employability in India, has today announced the launch of ‘GMC Calibrator’ -- a 6 month Zero Equity Blended Accelerator Program.

This is India’s first accelerator program focused on improving ‘User Engagement’ on mobile apps and digital platforms of enterprises in the ‘Learning to Earning’ space. The participants will be provided end-user behavioural insights which will enable product improvements leading to improved learning outcomes.

Speaking about the launch of its latest initiative in India, Ragini Chaudhary, India CEO, Gray Matters Capital said, “The GMC Calibrator is aimed at those enterprises with digital solutions which have the disruptive potential to change the paradigm of education and skilling in the country. We are also looking to bridge the gender gap that exists in education and workforce participation with this.”

Gray Matters Capital has partnered with consultancy firm, ZingerLABS; behavioral architecture firm, Final Mile Consulting; Amazon’s AWS Activate and angel investor network, Indian Angel Network (IAN) for this program. It will look to select 8 participants in the first cohort of the GMC Calibrator and will keep the application window open until 5th May,2018.

"Encouraging startups in the 'Learning to Earning’ space will have a huge impact in bridging the skill shortage in India. In addition, the void such startups can fill by nudging learners to complete their education is immense. Indian Angel Network will be actively assisting the GMC Calibrator team to turn these fledgling startups to promising enterprises," said Padmaja Ruparel, President & Co-Founder, Indian Angel Network (IAN) & Founding Partner, IAN Fund

Highlighting the importance of such an accelerator program in the Edtech space, Anurag Vaish, Co-Founder, Final Mile Consulting said, “We see that retention rates on edtech platforms is on an average less than 15% which eventually translate into poor learning outcomes. There is an urgent need to solve this. We see that the GMC Calibrator, with its uniqueness of being focused on applying principles of behavioral design to enhance user engagement on mobile apps and digital platforms, is an attempt in doing so.”

Who Can Apply?

• Gray Matters Capital is receiving applications from India based organizations operating in the education and skill building sector focused on improving access to quality education (Pre-KG, K12, Test prep), imparting 21st century skillsets, preparing learners for the future of work and those facilitating life-long learning.



• Applicants can also be enterprises catering to the growing 'gig economy' as well as those with solutions for women and girls that help bridge gender gaps in education and workforce participation



• Every applicant needs to have a digital / mobile based solution in the above listed categories

Enterprises will go through a rigorous selection process by an esteemed jury led by Archana Priyadarshini, Partner, Unicorn India Ventures; Parag Dhol, Managing Director, Inventus; Savitha Singh, Global IT leader and Retail technologist among others.

Selected enterprises for the cohort can access up to $ 35,000 worth growth voucher based customized one-on-one expertise on user engagement and product strategy. The objective is to solve a specific product challenge in the six months of the program which can help in them scaling up and gain traction of the targeted users.

The top 2 enterprises in the cohort with the highest potential for impact will win a cash prize of $ 30,000 and $ 20,000. At the end of program, the cohort gets to pitch to a network of investors for funding.

“Designing for User Engagement is a deliberate endeavour that can increase both impact and value of products and services. The GMC Calibrator will help enterprises journey beyond user acquisition to ‘User Engagement’”, said Bhanu Potta, Founding Partner – ZingerLABS, who will serve as a mentor to the cohort.

The GMC Calibrator does not charge any participation fees.

To recall, GMC has recently invested undsiclosed amount in Chennai based EZ Vidya Pvt Ltd, a parent company which runs Chrysalis, an education reform startup

Gray Matters Capital (GMC) is an Atlanta based impact investor with a mission to support "An education leading to a more purposeful life for 100 million women by 2036." In India, it invests in for-profit education ventures with a focus on access to affordable quality education and on employability leading to a future job ready workforce with 21st century skills. Investments in education focused funds; enterprises with break through solutions in education with its edLABS initiative; building markets through ecosystem development and providing value beyond capital through portfolio management constitute the key focus areas of its India strategy.

Gray Matters Capital Launches Its Accelerator Program ‘GMC Calibrator’ for Education and Skilling Startups

Gray Matters Capital, an impact investor focused on enterprises working to improve access to affordable quality education and employability in India, has today announced the launch of ‘GMC Calibrator’ -- a 6 month Zero Equity Blended Accelerator Program.

This is India’s first accelerator program focused on improving ‘User Engagement’ on mobile apps and digital platforms of enterprises in the ‘Learning to Earning’ space. The participants will be provided end-user behavioural insights which will enable product improvements leading to improved learning outcomes.

Speaking about the launch of its latest initiative in India, Ragini Chaudhary, India CEO, Gray Matters Capital said, “The GMC Calibrator is aimed at those enterprises with digital solutions which have the disruptive potential to change the paradigm of education and skilling in the country. We are also looking to bridge the gender gap that exists in education and workforce participation with this.”

Gray Matters Capital has partnered with consultancy firm, ZingerLABS; behavioral architecture firm, Final Mile Consulting; Amazon’s AWS Activate and angel investor network, Indian Angel Network (IAN) for this program. It will look to select 8 participants in the first cohort of the GMC Calibrator and will keep the application window open until 5th May,2018.

"Encouraging startups in the 'Learning to Earning’ space will have a huge impact in bridging the skill shortage in India. In addition, the void such startups can fill by nudging learners to complete their education is immense. Indian Angel Network will be actively assisting the GMC Calibrator team to turn these fledgling startups to promising enterprises," said Padmaja Ruparel, President & Co-Founder, Indian Angel Network (IAN) & Founding Partner, IAN Fund

Highlighting the importance of such an accelerator program in the Edtech space, Anurag Vaish, Co-Founder, Final Mile Consulting said, “We see that retention rates on edtech platforms is on an average less than 15% which eventually translate into poor learning outcomes. There is an urgent need to solve this. We see that the GMC Calibrator, with its uniqueness of being focused on applying principles of behavioral design to enhance user engagement on mobile apps and digital platforms, is an attempt in doing so.”

Who Can Apply?

• Gray Matters Capital is receiving applications from India based organizations operating in the education and skill building sector focused on improving access to quality education (Pre-KG, K12, Test prep), imparting 21st century skillsets, preparing learners for the future of work and those facilitating life-long learning.



• Applicants can also be enterprises catering to the growing 'gig economy' as well as those with solutions for women and girls that help bridge gender gaps in education and workforce participation



• Every applicant needs to have a digital / mobile based solution in the above listed categories

Enterprises will go through a rigorous selection process by an esteemed jury led by Archana Priyadarshini, Partner, Unicorn India Ventures; Parag Dhol, Managing Director, Inventus; Savitha Singh, Global IT leader and Retail technologist among others.

Selected enterprises for the cohort can access up to $ 35,000 worth growth voucher based customized one-on-one expertise on user engagement and product strategy. The objective is to solve a specific product challenge in the six months of the program which can help in them scaling up and gain traction of the targeted users.

The top 2 enterprises in the cohort with the highest potential for impact will win a cash prize of $ 30,000 and $ 20,000. At the end of program, the cohort gets to pitch to a network of investors for funding.

“Designing for User Engagement is a deliberate endeavour that can increase both impact and value of products and services. The GMC Calibrator will help enterprises journey beyond user acquisition to ‘User Engagement’”, said Bhanu Potta, Founding Partner – ZingerLABS, who will serve as a mentor to the cohort.

The GMC Calibrator does not charge any participation fees.

To recall, GMC has recently invested undsiclosed amount in Chennai based EZ Vidya Pvt Ltd, a parent company which runs Chrysalis, an education reform startup

Gray Matters Capital (GMC) is an Atlanta based impact investor with a mission to support "An education leading to a more purposeful life for 100 million women by 2036." In India, it invests in for-profit education ventures with a focus on access to affordable quality education and on employability leading to a future job ready workforce with 21st century skills. Investments in education focused funds; enterprises with break through solutions in education with its edLABS initiative; building markets through ecosystem development and providing value beyond capital through portfolio management constitute the key focus areas of its India strategy.

Infosys Co-Founder Launches Incubator For Education Startups

S. D. Shibulal, better known as Shibulal, who is former CEO and co-founder of Infosys, has launched EduMentum -- an incubator for early-stage startups working in the space of offline education transformation.

EduMentum is launched in partnership between his Advaith Foundation and Mantra4Change, a Bengaluru-based NGO.

The incubator platform will offer funding of Rs 7.5 lakh per annum to each selected organisation or startup along with a series of workshops for the incubatees.

Speaking on the launch of EduMentum, Shibulal said, "EduMentum is designed to promote social entrepreneurs who are working to transform the education ecosystem. EduMentum will encourage development and use of indigenous body of knowledge in the area of school education through ShikshaLokam."

ShikshaLokam is an education leadership platform under Advaith. The Advaith Foundation was set up by Kumari Shibulal and SD Shibulal to promote philanthropic ventures in the field of education and research.

The first cohort of the programme, which has five startups, started in September last year. The startups in this program include Loop Education Foundation, Vidhya Vidhai, Samarthya, Sanjhi Sikhiya and i-Saksham.

During the end of the programme, the startups get to pitch to potential investors. The programme aims to incubate 50 organisations across different parts of the country by 2022. The next batch will start in June.

The development was first reported in Economic Times.

Notably, EduMentum is second such initiative for startups by Shibulal as earlier, In 2014 Shibula co-founded Axilor Ventures, a venture capital service for young entrepreneurs.

To recall, in December last year, Paytm too had announced the launch of startup incubator called 'Build For India' initiative.

Last month, Ratan Tata, in his ₹900 million plan, has also announced that Tata Trusts will be setting up number of lab-style startup incubators across India.

Additionally, in this month, Haryana state government has also announced the plan to set up an startup incubator called ‘Global Start-up Village’, which will be India’s biggest startup hub and will be located in Gurugram in next couple of years.

Prior to that, Kejriwal govt in Delhi has also announced to launch startup incubator in lines of T-Hub.

Chennai based Education Reform Startup Chrysalis Raises Pre Series-A Funding

Chennai based EZ Vidya Pvt Ltd, a parent company which runs Chrysalis, an education reform startup, has raised a pre-series A funding round from Indian education sector focused investor Gray Matters Capital.

The capital raised by the startup will be used to build on its research and development, and to strengthen its multichannel approach leading the company to further target on its goal of improving education in K-12 schools. There are currently 250 million children enrolled in these schools of which 100 million are in the private school segment.

The development was first reported by Economic Times.

According to Chrysalis, "There was a huge and fundamental problem at hand - the education system was killing the human potential in the children in for 15,16,892 private and Government schools in India."

Chrysalis thus designed solutions that were essential for the child, ones that helped bring out the human potential in every child.

Founded 16 years ago by Chitra Ravi, Chrysalis works closely with schools on areas such as teacher empowerment, curriculum development and administrative processes. We lend our expertise in education and pedagogy to leading organizations in their socio-educational initiatives to deliver high-impact interventions in schools.

"Our mission is to stand up for the child, by reforming the Indian education system in a way that every child realizes his/her human potential. In our estimation, we have more than 15,00,000 schools failing in this regard. We have established a roadmap to bring in a fundamental change in the system by engaging 5 principal mediums - policy makers, government schools, private schools, parents and public, by open-sourcing our intellectual property selectively. We are committed to this mission and were seeking investors who were aligned to it. We found the right fit in Gray Matters Capital, which has a vision to transform human lives using education as a medium", said Chitra who is also CEO of the company.

Chrysalis' flagship product is ThinkRoom, a student-centric academic programme based on a 'Human Potential' framework developed through 16 years of pedagogic research.

Chrysalis is operational in schools of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi NCR, Haryana, Orissa and Punjab.

On investment in Chrysalis, Ragini Bajaj Chaudhary, India CEO, Gray Matters Capital, said "We see Chrysalis as one of the most innovative, mission driven and student centric educational enterprises in India, which has the potential of bringing about a tangible change in the way education is imparted in our schools."

In an another funding of education related startup, Ed-tech start up GreyAtom, has raised a $1M funding round led by early-stage fund Pravega Ventures, this month only.

The Educational startups space in India is seeing lot of traction off late, as in recent months number of funding and M&A took place. Just last week, Bengaluru-based enterprise platform for educational institutions CollPoll has raised its pre-series A funding round led by Manipal Global Education Services [MaGE].

In November 2017, AEON Learning Private Limited, which is backed by Kris Gopalkrishnan, acquired Acadgild, an online edtech startup, for $10 million in an all stock deal.

In the same month, an another edtech startup Perspectico raised seed funding from Delhi University and Government of Delhi Incubator.

Additionally, AICTE tied-up with Fourth Ambit, a Kerala-based edtech startup, to connect over 10,000 tech insitutes across India through online portals.

Chennai based Education Reform Startup Chrysalis Raises Pre Series-A Funding

Chennai based EZ Vidya Pvt Ltd, a parent company which runs Chrysalis, an education reform startup, has raised a pre-series A funding round from Indian education sector focused investor Gray Matters Capital.

The capital raised by the startup will be used to build on its research and development, and to strengthen its multichannel approach leading the company to further target on its goal of improving education in K-12 schools. There are currently 250 million children enrolled in these schools of which 100 million are in the private school segment.

The development was first reported by Economic Times.

According to Chrysalis, "There was a huge and fundamental problem at hand - the education system was killing the human potential in the children in for 15,16,892 private and Government schools in India."

Chrysalis thus designed solutions that were essential for the child, ones that helped bring out the human potential in every child.

Founded 16 years ago by Chitra Ravi, Chrysalis works closely with schools on areas such as teacher empowerment, curriculum development and administrative processes. We lend our expertise in education and pedagogy to leading organizations in their socio-educational initiatives to deliver high-impact interventions in schools.

"Our mission is to stand up for the child, by reforming the Indian education system in a way that every child realizes his/her human potential. In our estimation, we have more than 15,00,000 schools failing in this regard. We have established a roadmap to bring in a fundamental change in the system by engaging 5 principal mediums - policy makers, government schools, private schools, parents and public, by open-sourcing our intellectual property selectively. We are committed to this mission and were seeking investors who were aligned to it. We found the right fit in Gray Matters Capital, which has a vision to transform human lives using education as a medium", said Chitra who is also CEO of the company.

Chrysalis' flagship product is ThinkRoom, a student-centric academic programme based on a 'Human Potential' framework developed through 16 years of pedagogic research.

Chrysalis is operational in schools of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi NCR, Haryana, Orissa and Punjab.

On investment in Chrysalis, Ragini Bajaj Chaudhary, India CEO, Gray Matters Capital, said "We see Chrysalis as one of the most innovative, mission driven and student centric educational enterprises in India, which has the potential of bringing about a tangible change in the way education is imparted in our schools."

In an another funding of education related startup, Ed-tech start up GreyAtom, has raised a $1M funding round led by early-stage fund Pravega Ventures, this month only.

The Educational startups space in India is seeing lot of traction off late, as in recent months number of funding and M&A took place. Just last week, Bengaluru-based enterprise platform for educational institutions CollPoll has raised its pre-series A funding round led by Manipal Global Education Services [MaGE].

In November 2017, AEON Learning Private Limited, which is backed by Kris Gopalkrishnan, acquired Acadgild, an online edtech startup, for $10 million in an all stock deal.

In the same month, an another edtech startup Perspectico raised seed funding from Delhi University and Government of Delhi Incubator.

Additionally, AICTE tied-up with Fourth Ambit, a Kerala-based edtech startup, to connect over 10,000 tech insitutes across India through online portals.

Edtech Startup Genext Students Secures $580K In Pre-Series A Funding

Genext Students, hybrid tutoring platform has secured $ 580K in its pre-Series A funding round from undisclosed investors.

Genext Students plans to utilise freshly raised funds to fortify its team, strengthen its tech backbone and expand the services to new cities such as Bengaluru, Lucknow, Jaipur, Hyderabad and Chennai.

Commenting on the development, Ali Asgar Kagzi, Co-founder and Director, Genext Students said, “Genext Students is not only an aggregator of tutors but also an ecosystem that benefits parents, students and tutors equally. In FY 2016-17, we have been able to register over 1000% growth with the optimum blend of offline and online personalised learning services.With our fresh round of funds, we aim to expand our services to more cities across a greater number of geographies and make use of technology in an enhanced manner. With a commendable growth of tutoring sessions witnessed in Mumbai and Pune, Genext Students is on a path of aggressive growth.”

Founded in February 2013, Genext connects parents with the home tutors for their children. Conceptualised by the cousin-duo Ali Asgar Kagzi and Asad Daud, Genext Students one-of-its-kind platform brings quality home tutors along with proprietary content (online & offline) to the doorstep of needy parents/students using technology as a key driver.

With more than 4,000 tutorpreneurs and 75% M-O-M repeat customers, Genext Students have completed 20,000+ tutoring sessions in the last lease year across Pune and Mumbai. It claims to have over 1 million users of its digital study content.

The startup offers a combination of private home tutoring and technology-enabled learning across the curricula of national, international and state level syllabi. It bridges the existing discovery, connection and delivery gap in the K-12 education system. Apart from delivering content in English, Genext Students claims to be first Ed tech company to have launched content for Hindi medium students in India.

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.

Google's Rajan Anandan Invests in Education Startup Stoodnt

Palo Alto-based education start-up Stoodnt – which helps students aspiring to study abroad by connecting them with high-quality college admission counsellors, and providing guidance, insights and online tools – has raised an undisclosed amount in funding from Rajan Anandan, Vice-President, Google, South-East Asia and India.

Anandan has emerged as the most prolific angel investor in India. He primarily invests in early-stage technology companies in sectors like the internet, mobile and software.

The funds will be used to enhance the user experience, for product development and to expand the user and brand base.

Launched in 2016 by Harvard Business School Alumni, Ajay Singh and Yuri Punj, and software entrepreneur Sena Palanisami, Stoodnt recently started operations in India, its first international market. The company recently appointed Ramdas Sunder, another Alumni of Harvard Business School, with more than 20 years’ of experience in engineering, consulting and management roles with companies such as Pitney Bowes, Freescale Semiconductor and McKinsey Consulting, as Managing Director of India and South Asia.

So far, the company has raised seed investment from number of angel investors and senior executives with Fortune 500 companies in India and USA. During the first four months of operation, Stoodnt has engaged thousands of students on its platform from 50 or more countries, and is providing counselling and guidance to tens of students aspiring for undergraduate, graduate and MBA admissions in the US and Canada. Company plans to launch counselling services for UK, Australia and other markets in the near future.

“The college admission market is highly fragmented, low-tech and fraught with fraud, biased advice and quality issues in international markets. The focus of our platform is to provide insights, online help and college admission expert guidance by leveraging data, technology and people. We provide solutions that make life easier for students and parents during the college admission process, and helps them make the best decision and get the best outcome. We are delighted to have someone like Rajan be associated with this opportunity to make a difference in the future of millions of aspiring students,” said co-founder Ajay Singh.

Stoodnt is a global online platform, focusing on helping millions of students fulfil their aspiration of studying abroad. It makes the admission process objective, convenient and productive. It has a rigorous process for on boarding and training college admission counsellors, and tools built in to monitor service quality.

The number of students from India studying abroad is increasing consistently, growing by 10% in 2015. India had approximately 4 lakh students studying abroad in 2015, about 25% of them in US colleges. India has the youngest population in the world, and with growing global aspirations and focus on education, the number of students going abroad for higher studies is expected to double over next few years.

“In today’s world of smartphones, easily accessible Internet technology and global expertise, we believe every student should be able to get quality advice, help and guidance at affordable prices to achieve their college dreams. A technology-enabled platform that makes the process of interaction, communication and collaboration seamless, productive, transparent and of high-quality was the need of the hour,” said Singh.

Housing Cofounder Advitiya Sharma Launches Education Startup Genius

Housing Co-founder Advitiya Sharma, who quit the real estate portal last month, has launched an education start-up, Genius which is backed by Genius Learning Labs Pvt. Ltd and it will offer software for neighbourhood tutors to make learning more effective.

“Right now you have schools, which have a great environment but where learning doesn’t happen well, and you have platforms like Coursera, which have good content but there’s no learning environment. We are taking the hybrid approach,” said Sharma.

Genius will provide neighbourhood tutors content and software that adapt to each child’s learning abilities. It plans to reach 800 teachers and 8,000 students in five metros in the next six months. It will target schoolchildren from kindergarten to Class VIII, but currently it is launching with Classes III-V, and will offer lesson plans in mathematics, science and English. Also the startup plans to make money by taking a cut from the teachers’ income.

Genius will compete with players like Vidyanext (run by Pengala Learning Pvt. Ltd), flipClass (run by Gyankosh Solutions Pvt. Ltd), and Tiger Global-backed Vedantu Innovations Pvt. Ltd, which all try to serve the needs of home tutors with some technology.

Recent deals in ed-tech space include Bengaluru-based Byju, which offers learning programmes for Class VI to XII students and preparation programmes for competitive exams, alone raised $75 million funding in March, compared to the $70 million that all the education start-ups raised last year, according to data from startup tracker Tracxn.

Housing Cofounder Advitiya Sharma Launches Education Startup Genius

Housing Co-founder Advitiya Sharma, who quit the real estate portal last month, has launched an education start-up, Genius which is backed by Genius Learning Labs Pvt. Ltd and it will offer software for neighbourhood tutors to make learning more effective.

“Right now you have schools, which have a great environment but where learning doesn’t happen well, and you have platforms like Coursera, which have good content but there’s no learning environment. We are taking the hybrid approach,” said Sharma.

Genius will provide neighbourhood tutors content and software that adapt to each child’s learning abilities. It plans to reach 800 teachers and 8,000 students in five metros in the next six months. It will target schoolchildren from kindergarten to Class VIII, but currently it is launching with Classes III-V, and will offer lesson plans in mathematics, science and English. Also the startup plans to make money by taking a cut from the teachers’ income.

Genius will compete with players like Vidyanext (run by Pengala Learning Pvt. Ltd), flipClass (run by Gyankosh Solutions Pvt. Ltd), and Tiger Global-backed Vedantu Innovations Pvt. Ltd, which all try to serve the needs of home tutors with some technology.

Recent deals in ed-tech space include Bengaluru-based Byju, which offers learning programmes for Class VI to XII students and preparation programmes for competitive exams, alone raised $75 million funding in March, compared to the $70 million that all the education start-ups raised last year, according to data from startup tracker Tracxn.