Edtech Unicorn LEAD Announces ESOP Liquidation Plan of USD 3 Million

India’s foremost School EdTech Unicorn, LEAD, announced an ESOP Liquidation Plan of close to USD 3 million for its employees. The announcement comes at a time when LEAD is aiming to move towards a high growth trajectory post the recent Series E Fundraise of $100 million led by WestBridge Capital with participation from GSV Ventures. The company attained Unicorn status with this funding at a valuation of $1.1 billion, making it India’s first Edtech Unicorn of 2022.

LEAD is known to have a more broad based ESOP approach with close to 20% of its employees owning ESOPs. It has in the past awarded generous performance ESOPs to reward employees for their results. The current ESOP liquidation plan is a significant opportunity given that LEAD's valuation has doubled in the last nine months on the back of solid growth in its operating and financial metrics.

LEAD Cofounder & CEO, Sumeet Mehta said, “Our success would not have been possible without the relentless efforts of our teams. I'm delighted that we are in a position to offer significant wealth creation opportunities to those who have joined us on our mission to provide an excellent education to every child. We have also included our Alumni in the Liquidation Plan because they continue to remain ambassadors of LEAD.”

Sumeet Mehta CEO and Co-founder LEAD

LEAD has created a niche for itself in the EdTech industry over the years by transforming core schooling in India with its innovative full-stack School EdTech solutions. Over the years, LEAD has been making international standard education accessible and affordable to students, especially in non-metro cities. The curriculum in a LEAD Powered School is at par with the best in the world, including schools in Singapore, Canada, and the USA.

The company envisions transforming the lives of 25 million students in 60,000 schools by 2026 through School EdTech.

About LEAD

LEAD is India's foremost player in the School EdTech category promoted by Leadership Boulevard. LEAD was started in 2012 by Sumeet Mehta and Smita Deorah, with the mission to transform school education in India. It combines technology, curriculum, and pedagogy into an integrated system of teaching and learning, thus improving student learning outcomes and teacher performance in schools across the country. 

Today, LEAD serves 3000+ schools across 400+ cities, reaches 1.2 million+ students, and empowers 25k plus teachers. LEAD's innovative and highly-effective Integrated Learning System significantly strengthens the role of schools, teachers, and parents in advancing the overall growth and development of every child by providing quality education.

School Edtech Major LEAD to Upskill 40,000 Teachers

Announcement made at LEAD Innovation Conference held virtually for 4000+ schools

With an aim to deliver best-in-class affordable education in country, LEAD – India’s foremost School EdTech player – has announced a new initiative to upskill 40,000 teachers across the country & free up 150 teaching hours for each teacher in 2022. The announcement was made at the LEAD Innovation Conference held virtually for 4,000+ schools on November 19.

The LEAD Innovation Conference ’22 was conducted by LEAD to discuss path-breaking innovations for schools, students & teachers which will further disrupt the schooling in India. Through its innovations, LEAD is looking at improving student learning in the classroom, boost student learning at home, and improve teachers lives by giving them super powers. The conference was attended by LEAD partner schools & teachers across the country.

LEAD is constantly upskilling teachers at its partner-schools through the LEAD Academy, a first-of-its-kind initiative in School EdTech. The LEAD Teacher App allows teachers to access 200+ hours of training and certification material about teaching practices, methodologies and soft skills, such as communication, work ethics, interpersonal skills and adaptability. Training is customised to suit the needs & gaps of every teacher.

The School EdTech major also announced the launch of iHomework that will help teachers save 1 hour everyday i.e. 150 hours for each teacher in a year that they can now use for something more productive.

Teachers spend considerable time preparing and evaluating homework on a daily basis. iHomework changes that by allowing teachers to access a variety of ready-made homework options (MCQs, Videos, Quizzes, Fill in the blanks etc.) & send daily instructions with just a click using their app. The innovation helps them track who has completed the homework, who hasn’t & trigger reminders accordingly. It also has the ability to correct objective questions & small word answers by reading almost any handwriting. In other cases, teachers can zoom in to read & correct on the app & give reward students for their performance. The feature also suggest learning gaps in students & gives a remedial plan basis the tasks.

LEAD Co-founder and CEO Sumeet Mehta said, "At LEAD, we are constantly innovating to empower each stakeholder in the School EdTech space - Students with better learning in the classroom & at home, Teachers with relevant skills & resources and schools with the required tools to manage their admissions effectively.

For Teachers , our goal in 2022 is to upskill them with relevant skills & free up 150 hours per teacher which can be used for something much more productive & meaningful. With our upcoming innovations, we hope we are able to empower them to become super teachers and in turn help students become future leaders."

About LEAD

LEAD is India’s foremost player in the School EdTech category promoted by Leadership Boulevard. LEAD was started in 2012 by Sumeet Mehta and Smita Deorah, with the mission to transform school education in India. It combines technology, curriculum and pedagogy into an integrated system of teaching and learning, thus improving student learning outcomes and teacher performance in schools across the country. Today, LEAD serves 2000+ schools across 400+ cities, and reaches 8 Lakh plus students and empowers 10k plus teachers. LEAD’s innovative and highly-effective Integrated Learning System significantly strengthens the role of schools, teachers, and parents in advancing the overall growth and development of every child by providing highest quality education.

SchoolEdTech LEAD to Host a Nationwide Student Championship Event for 10 Lakh+ Students

Top performers of LEAD Championship stand chance to win rewards up to INR 10 lakhs

India’s largest SchoolEdtech Company in K-12 segment, LEAD today announced the launch of LEAD Championships 2021, the country’s biggest student championship. The inaugural session was hosted by Master Entertainer Aditya Narayan. This year, the Championship will have four categories – English Champs, Science Champs, Quiz Champs and Li’l Champs and is open to 10 lakh+ students from 2000+ schools across India.

The competition is designed to provide a national platform to students of all age groups & prepare them for success in the examination of life. By motivating students to demonstrate skills such as speaking, reading, listening, comprehension, application of their science-based concepts, current affairs, etc, LEAD focuses on holistic learning of students instead of only curriculum based assessments.

Students from Senior KG to Class 9 can submit their entries from October 13 to November 10, 2021 on the website here: www.leadschool.in/championships.

LEAD Cofounder & CEO, Sumeet Mehta said, “For a long time, students in small towns and affordable schools have not had the opportunity to demonstrate their talent at the national level. LEAD Championships 2021 is India's biggest national platform. It will provide students with exposure, practice and experiences that will propel them to achieve newer heights.”

English Champs will focus on elocution and public speaking, while Science Champs will provide an opportunity to students to showcase their scientific acumen and create science projects that have a strong real-world connection. Besides, Quiz Champs will test students’ level of knowledge regarding geography, nations, governments, current events and news from around the world. Lastly, a special competition has been designed for pre-primary students called the Li’l Champs which focuses on creating awareness about the surrounding as students will have to dress up as one of the characters from the list of themes and speak a few sentences or dialogues while acting as the character. Once the qualifier round is conducted, the students will compete in the Quarter Final round followed by Semi Finals and Finale round.

LEAD will provide all students qualifying to Quarter Final Round with an exclusive opportunity to interact and learn from experts through a series of exclusive masterclasses.

The winners of the four championships will take home exciting prizes up to INR 10 lakhs in addition to the highly coveted LEAD Championship Trophy.

Link and snapshots of the launch event: 

Tennis Ace Sania Mirza Conducts Masterclass on Fitness and Yoga for 8 Lakh Students at Lead Powered Schools

Mumbai, August 04, 2021: EdTech major in K-12 segment, LEAD initiated its second MasterClass for over 8 lakh students of its partner schools pan India, with Padma Bhushan awardee Sania Mirza motivating students to adopt a healthy lifestyle through Fitness and Yoga. The Tennis champion highlighted the importance of physical and mental exercises for students to combat limited physical activity and anxieties.

With MasterClass, LEAD has launched an industry first initiative to provide school children with an exposure to overall development and growth by partnering with renowned experts to share their knowledge and experience. Prior to the initiative, students from small towns & cities didn’t have access to such opportunities. The first MasterClass on creative writing was held with eminent author Chetan Bhagat.

The MasterClass on ‘Fitness and Yoga’ with the sports icon was enriching for the students and their parents as Sania shared her mantra of ‘building inner core and muscle strengthen to remain fit’. A believer of achieving dreams at any cost, she explained the role of discipline in life to students by sharing anecdotes on how she managed both, sports and academics.

Sania chatted with mothers on their role in supporting their children in remaining mentally and physically strong during the pandemic while also taking care of their own health by indulging in fitness activities.

Sania Mirza taking the second LEAD Masterclass

Padma Bhushan awardee Sania Mirza said,

The pandemic must never come in the way of our commitment to pursue our dreams. Fitness and Yoga is a great way for children today to build on their mental and physical strength. A healthy body and mind is central to overall growth and learning and in the present context it is important that schools provide these opportunities to students.

LEAD Co-founder & CEO Sumeet Mehta said, "MasterClass provides access to an exclusive world that is otherwise unavailable to students and schools from small towns. Our mission is to make excellent education accessible and affordable to every child. Where would children otherwise have a chance to attend a live class from Chetan Bhagat or Sania Mirza? LEAD brings this to them because we believe that children from small towns, if given access and opportunity, can shine as bright as students from metros. And with successful celebrities such as Sania Mirza, students will get a dose of inspiration to take fitness and health seriously in life. Because a fit mind lives in a fit body. In future, we will bring more such Masterclasses to students of LEAD powered schools!”

Each month, LEAD’s MasterClass has skill-based themes such as Yoga, Public Speaking, Mental Maths etc. Every session will be power-packed with inspiring stories, live Q&A sessions with celebrities and instructors, engagement in the form of quizzes, discussion sessions, live fun activities and take-home assignments.

About LEAD

LEAD is promoted by Leadership Boulevard, one of the fastest growing EdTech companies in India. It combines technology, curriculum and pedagogy into an integrated system of teaching and learning, thus improving student learning and teacher performance in schools across the country. LEAD partners with 2000+ schools with an estimated 8 lakh+ students in more than 400 cities, including tier 2 to tier 4 cities, in 20 States.

LEAD Launches MasterClass with Celebrated Subject Experts to Provide Life Skills to Students

First session conducted by renowned author Chetan Bhagat for 8 lakh students at partner schools

Mumbai June 08, 2021: At a time when prolonged school closures have disrupted learning opportunities for students, EdTech major LEAD has launched MasterClass - a unique initiative for students to acquire real life skills from celebrated subject experts. The first such virtual learning session, to prepare students beyond exams, was organised for eight lakh students across 2000+ partner schools with renowned author Chetan Bhagat.

The initiative will provide an opportunity for students to learn from the journey and success of subject experts including celebrities and renowned personalities. LEAD will be regularly hosting such sessions every month for the benefit of students.

During the first session held on June 6, Bhagat shared tips on creative writing, story structure, characterisation, genres, elements of story, art of visualisation of character among others to help students with deeper insights on how these skills can be pursued professionally. He shared tips with students on how they can hone their skills to write, be it for films, documentaries, TV shows as well as publish books.

LEAD Co-founder & CEO Sumeet Mehta said --

With LEAD MasterClass, we want to bring experiences and learning for students in small towns, that otherwise would be inaccessible to them. Our mission to bring equity in education and LEAD MasterClass democratizes exposure and opportunity.

LEAD Chief Marketing Officer Anupam Gurani said, “It is important for schools to engage students and provide them with learning that prepares them not just for exams but also for life. Real life skills have become more critical now as the pandemic has limited the opportunities for students to explore their interests and pursue their passion. LEAD MasterClass will address this gap and not just provide fun learning sessions to engage students but also equip them with skill sets from successful and renowned experts.”

Each month, LEAD’s MasterClass will have skill-based themes such as Yoga, Public Speaking, Mental Maths etc. to name a few currently under consideration. Every session will be power-packed with inspiring stories, live Q&A sessions with celebrity and instructors, engagement in forms of quizzes, discussion sessions, live fun activities and take-home assignments to keep them engaged.

About LEAD School

LEAD School is promoted by Leadership Boulevard, one of the fastest growing EdTech companies in India. It combines technology, curriculum and pedagogy into an integrated system of teaching and learning, thus improving student learning and teacher performance in schools across the country. LEAD partners with 2000+ schools with an estimated 8 lakh+ students in more than 400 cities, including tier 2 to tier 4 cities, in 20 States.

EdTech major LEAD School Secures $30 Mn in Series D Round Fundraise

Sumeet Mehta, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, LEAD School

Funding led by US based VC Fund GSV Ventures and existing investor WestBridge

This is GSV's first major investment in an India-based venture

Mumbai, April 26, 2021 – LEAD School, a major K-12 EdTech player, that transforms affordable private schools via its Integrated System, has raised US $30 million in Series D funding round led by Global VC Fund GSV Ventures along with WestBridge, an existing investor. This is GSV Venture's first major investment in an India-based EdTech firm. The latest funding round will be used by the company to accelerate growth by building a pan India brand, rollout of new product offerings, strategic acquisitions and hiring top talent across domains.

The company's unique Integrated System for schools has driven 3X growth in 2020 by helping schools deliver uninterrupted learning whether online, hybrid or in physical classrooms. Having reached a landmark milestone of 2000+ schools catering to over 800k students, LEAD is well on its way to cater to 25,000 schools in the next five years. This is in line with its mission of making excellent education accessible and affordable to every child in the country.

This funding round follows the Series C funding of $28 million led by WestBridge and Elevar Equity in August 2020 and the acquisition of student assessment startup QuizNext in December 2020. LEAD has grown at a rapid pace over the last 3 years and the current round is its fourth round of institutional funding since its first investment led by Elevar in 2017, who continues to be a major shareholder.

LEAD School Co-founder and CEO Sumeet Mehta said, "Smita and I set up LEAD School to bring excellent education to small towns and affordable schools in India. We are impatient to reach out to the 1.5 million schools and 260 million school going children in India so that we can transform the arc of education in this country. Globally, GSV is known as a specialised EdTech fund that backs innovation oriented education companies. We hope to benefit from their deep insights and leverage their network to bring more innovation to our students in India. WestBridge has been a great partner and their continued support shows their faith in the difference we are making to our schools and students."

GSV Ventures Managing Partner Deborah Quazzo said, "LEAD School is rapidly emerging as a paradigm for transforming K-12 education. Based in India and partnered with affordable school owners (a segment that is larger than the entire US K-12 system), LEAD serves over 800,000 students today. LEAD has experienced tremendous growth because of its consistent delivery of high academic outcomes to students and high 'return on education' to teachers, school owners and parents. GSV is honored to be investing in an organization that is changing the life trajectory of so many students."

WestBridge Capital Co-founder Sandeep Singhal said, "In the last few months, the edtech sector has evolved rapidly, changing the trajectory of the Indian education system. We see great potential in LEAD School, given their innovative and focused approach in ensuring accessible, quality school-level education for all. As a firm, we believe in investing in ventures that have a large scale impact and are convinced LEAD School will create a strong positive impact on the educational outcomes of millions of young minds."

Founded by Sumeet Mehta and Smita Deorah in 2012, the company initially began operations by running affordable schools and teaching middle-school students. The company then built its platform, the LEAD Integrated System, which it began offering in 2017 with a mission to make excellent schools accessible and affordable to every child.

LEAD's Integrated System (IS), a one-of-its-kind solution is known to deliver visible results in student and teacher performance in schools. Besides bringing innovation to schools, LEAD will also look at hiring quality talent that can help the company achieve its long-term vision of providing high quality education to low-fee schools in India.

LEAD has been aggressively strengthening its leadership team with some senior level appointments including Ritwik Khare as Chief Commercial Officer, Harsh Kundra as Chief Technology Officer and Vipul Redey as Chief Excellence Officer amongst others.

Edtech Firm LEAD Appoints Ex-Nykaa CHRO; Strengthens Leadership Team

With more than 20 years of experience, Nirav Jagad will further the company values and promote its growth culture

Mumbai, April 06, 2021: LEAD, a major EdTech player in India's K-12 education segment, today announced the appointment of Nirav Jagad as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO). Nirav joined LEAD from one of India's biggest online destination for beauty & wellness, Nykaa where he was the CHRO since 2017.

In this new role, he will further the company values and promote its growth culture. Nirav will closely work with the leadership team and look after Employee Engagement, Talent Management, Talent Development, Stakeholder Engagement, Internal Communication, Compliance and Health, Safety, Environment at LEAD.

Nirav is a seasoned HR professional with more than 20 years of experience across industries. He has worked with organisations in Education, BFSI, E-commerce and HR consulting. He is a strong communicator and Relationship Manager at all levels with an excellent track record of developing, delivering, and leading transformational solutions and operations. He is seen highly effective in engaging and building relationships with executives, team members, business leaders, and partners to achieve strategic and tactical performance results. He brings to the table a proven ability to lead diverse cross-functional team members to produce quality deliverables within time and budget constraints and is recognized for being highly energetic, result-oriented, creative, and a problem-solver.

LEAD Co-founder & CEO Sumeet Mehta said, "Today, we have a unique opportunity to reimagine how we manage and lead people, especially during the pandemic. We are excited to welcome Nirav to our core leadership team. He brings in a wealth of experience and best practices from global companies that will empower us in achieving our long-term vision of providing high quality education to affordable private schools in India. Nirav's skills and experience give us huge confidence in building a high performance and culture centered organization."

Having begun his career in 2001, Nirav has worked at IL&FS for over five years. He was also associated with Randstad India and Cerberus Consultants before that. As the CHRO at Nykaa, he helped the organization scale its business being part of the Management Team and building a strong talent pipeline. He is an MBA in Human Resources from Welingkar Institute of Management.

Nirav Jagad, CHRO, LEAD said, "I am thrilled to be part of this exciting journey called LEAD. It is a great opportunity to be a part of a fast-evolving industry like EdTech. The problem statement that 'LEAD' is attempting to solve is challenging but a hugely engaging one. I look forward to contribute to the company's growth journey."

LEAD has been aggressively strengthening its leadership team. The company recently announced the appointment of two senior level appointments including Arpit Mundra as Chief Financial Officer and Vipul Redey as Chief Excellence Officer.

About LEAD:

LEAD (formerly known as LEAD School) is promoted by Leadership Boulevard, one of the fastest growing EdTech companies in India. It combines technology, curriculum and pedagogy into an integrated system of teaching and learning, thus improving student learning and teacher performance in schools across the country. LEAD School partners with 1700+ schools with an estimated 6 lakh+ students in more than 400 cities, including tier 2 to tier 4 cities, in 20 States.