Education-technology startup StayQrious India Pvt. Ltd has raised $2 million (about Rs 14.75 crore at current exchange rates) in a seed funding round.
Learnstart, the dedicated seed fund of the San Mateo-based technology and education-focussed investor Learn Capital, led the funding round, StayQrious said in a statement.
This is Learn Capital’s first Indian deal. The investment firm’s portfolio includes marquee global ed-tech companies such as Coursera and Udemy.
Bengaluru-based StayQrious said other participants in the seed round include Draper Associates, Y Combinator and Japan-based Dream Incubator. Lavni Ventures and First Principles founder Nitin Sharma invested as well.
StayQrious was set up earlier this year by Aanand Srinivas, an alumnus of the National Institute of Technology-Tiruchirappalli. He has worked with other ed-tech firms including Byju’s and Khan Academy.
The startup is focussed on providing students with skills in coding, science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The company says its approach is based on the principles of cognitive science and behavioural economics. It includes methods such as experiential learning, social thinking and applicability.
“With our new methodology of social learning guided by a motivating ‘learning coach’, children are learning subjects as if they are playing a team sport,” Srinivas said.
Ed-tech deals
Investments in the education-technology segment show no signs of slowing, especially as domestic unicorns such as Byju’s and Unacademy continue snapping up companies to boost product portfolios and market share.
On Monday, startup incubator and accelerator Venture Catalysts said it had invested in 7Classes, a competitive exams-focussed platform.
Also this month, VCCircle reported that Times Internet Ltd, the digital media arm of Times Group, had invested more money into an existing portfolio company in the ed-tech space.
Classplus, another Times Internet-backed startup, raised a little over Rs 75 crore in a new funding round from investors including Alpha Wave Incubation, RTP Global and Blume Ventures.
