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Tag: #EdTech

  • Farhad Khan appointed as CTO at DataTrained

    Farhad Khan appointed as CTO at DataTrained

    Mumbai: Edtech startup DataTrained has announced the appointment of Farhad Khan as CTO. 

    In his new role, Khan will aim to enable DataTrained to provide the best learning experience to help students seamlessly go through their learning journey, the edtech company said in a statement.

    Khan holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and has been working in the tech world for eight years while achieving familiarity with several programming languages. Being a technology enthusiast, he is always on the lookout for a better solution to push forward the company’s growth.

    On his work and thoughts on his new role at DataTrained, Khan said, “I use tech to solve business problems. Right now, I am focused on revolutionising education in India.”

    He further added, “I am very intrigued with DataTrained’s mission to charge up youth with new generation skills required by the rapidly changing industry requirements. Specialised courses offered at DataTrained are very carefully designed and are equipped with adequate skill sets with help in bridging the gap between the freshers’ skillsets and the demand of the industry. As CTO, I aim to enable DataTrained to provide the best learning experience to help students seamlessly go through their learning journey.”

    Previously, Khan has been a serial entrepreneur where his first venture was an information technology and outsourcing company which he started with an aim to enable Indian businesses with technology and expand online.

  • Dentsu Webchutney bags digital duties for Virender Sehwag’s new venture, Cricuru

    Dentsu Webchutney bags digital duties for Virender Sehwag’s new venture, Cricuru

    MUMBAI: Dentsu Webchutney, the digital-led creative agency from the house of dentsu India, has won the digital creative and media duties for Cricuru, the recently launched learning platform for Cricket.

    While Cricket remains the biggest and the most loved sport in India, what is rather surprising is the level of motivation needed to make it to the highest levels. While many dream of becoming cricketers, most don’t even get a chance. The biggest barriers here tend to be a lack of proper guidance, coaching, and/or the aspirant-to-coach ratio. To make cricketing a reality for millions and to leave them with skills of hard work and excellence, Cricuru has enlisted a star-studded line-up of 30+ masters of International and first-class cricket. These players will now come together to pass on their learnings to every nook and corner of the world, starting with India. Through this initiative, Cricuru aims to bring the ‘+’ advantage for every lover of this game.

    This cricket coaching program is a business venture by ex-Indian cricketer, Virender Sehwag along with Sanjay Bangar, a former assistant coach of the Indian men’s team. Cricuru was born out of their love and passion for the game and the philosophy that world-class cricket coaching should be accessible to everyone.

    Speaking about Cricuru and the upcoming partnership with Dentsu Webchutney, Virender Sehwag said, “With Cricuru, we are reaching talent in every part of the country, especially to the kids in smaller towns who don’t have access to high-class coaching. Our aim is to guide them with their skills and technique and help them get across those mental challenges that we have undergone as players in our careers. Backed with AI and dial-a-coach modules, this innovative and one-of-a-kind program needed the strategic and creative thinking of an agency like Dentsu Webchutney for our long-term success. Together, we hope to give every cricket aspirant an added ‘You+’ advantage.”

    Dentsu Webchutney EVP & National business head Prashant Gopalakrishnan said, “Dentsu Webchutney is thrilled to innovate for this exciting category, where ed-tech and cricket are coming together in a new way. This mandate brings with it a chance to work with the experience of legends across the globe. Their passion is contagious for our die-hard cricket fans at Webchutney. In fact, Viru’s philosophy of learning has played a huge role in helping craft our creative approach.”

    For the record, Perfect Relations – the PR arm of dentsu India, handles the Public Relations mandate for Cricuru. The mandate also included the launch of the brand, nationally.

    Cricuru, launched on 9 June, provides content from Virender Sehwag, Sanjay Bangar, AB de Villiers, and cricketing greats like Muttiah Muralitharan, Brian Lara, Jonty Rhodes. Check out: www.cricuru.com for more!

  • Scaler onboards Rahul Karthikeyan as the CMO

    Scaler onboards Rahul Karthikeyan as the CMO

    MUMBAI: Edtech startup Scaler on Wednesday announced key leadership appointments in its marketing and creative verticals. Rahul Karthikeyan was appointed as the chief marketing officer. Karthikeyan moves from upGrad where he was the head of marketing.

    Arnav Gupta has joined as product and strategy lead. Gupta is a serial entrepreneur and has worked with Zomato in the past. Anu Nair joins as creative head, and Ranjeet Kumar and Manmeet Singh Akali as co-heads of brand and content.

    Scaler and InterviewBit co-founder Abhimanyu Saxena said, “As we prepare ourselves for the next phase of growth, industry knowledge and experience will be even more crucial across all aspects. I am, therefore, extremely delighted to have some of the brightest minds in the business join us as we journey to become a world-class virtual tech university. We are also looking to expand our presence beyond metros, and plan to hire over 100-150 people in the current fiscal across functions to support this expansion.”

    The company, which offers software programming courses, had raised $20 million in Series A funding from Sequoia India, Tiger Global, and Global Founders Capital in January.

    “We want to build a quality education platform that is constantly upgrading based on trends in the market, to ensure that our students are up to date. It is an exciting time for the brand, and I am happy to be part of this journey,” said Karthikeyan on his new role.

  • upGrad acquires Impartus for Rs 150 crore

    upGrad acquires Impartus for Rs 150 crore

    KOLKATA: Ed-tech platform upGrad has acquired the leading video-enabled learning solutions provider Impartus in a bid to bolster its presence in the higher-education space – a market touted to be worth Rs 560 crores. The ed-tech firm has committed over Rs 150 crore for the buyout and to invest in its growth.

    With this acquisition, upGrad, which predominantly focuses on working professionals, will now expand its presence among Higher educational institutions & learners. Given the market opportunity, it will enable upGrad to add 50,000 paid learners in the very first year of the acquisition.

    Founded by three IIT-graduates, Amit Mahensaria, Alok Choudhary, and Manish Kumar, Bengaluru-based Impartus develops cutting-edge, innovative technology solutions for education, with their core feature being virtual classrooms that allow for deep learner-teacher engagement. It was also the front-runner in allowing schools and colleges to migrate online at zero cost when the pandemic broke in 2020. The platform has successfully boarded over 280 higher educational institutes, 50,000 teachers, and six lakh learners within a short span of seven years.

    “One of the major challenges faced by graduates in India is their lack of industry-ready and employable skill sets due to the inadequate curriculum of HigherEd institutions. The synergy of Impartus and upGrad will pave the way for augmenting college education by helping learners upskill with new-age courses, thus elevating their candidature for better career prospects,” said upGrad Campus CEO Amit Mahensaria.

    Impartus, now a 100 per cent subsidiary of upGrad, has been integrated into the ed-tech giant’s ecosystem and rebranded as ‘upGrad Campus’. In its new avatar, upGrad Campus will target HigherEd institutions and college students, with its learning tools and world-class content, in an integrated solution. It is looking to close FY22 with around Rs 85 crore revenue, with the founders continuing to run & grow the business independently.

    upGrad chairman & co-founder Ronnie Screwvala said: “Our M&A strategy is focused on creating a career ecosystem and in helping build the blocks for India to emerge as the teaching capital of the world. Aligned with our vision, upGrad Campus will bolster our presence in the university education space and help the youth of Bharat learn the necessary skill set to become more employable and join the workforce as leaders of tomorrow.”

    upGrad Corporate Development and M&A president Gaurav Kumar said the acquisition opens up a larger target group, as upGrad Campus will enable both HigherEd institutions and its learners to get access to the world-class learning materials. “We welcome the team to the upGrad family,” he said.

  • Brands respond with optimism, as pandemic throws up new challenges

    Brands respond with optimism, as pandemic throws up new challenges

    KOLKATA: The absence of live sports during the pandemic has not only been felt by fans, but by brands and advertisers alike. Even when the games returned, they remained restricted to empty stadiums with players inside a bio-bubble. Despite the challenges, sport is not losing its charm even during these uncertain times, especially cricket.

    So it was no surprise, when the much-awaited Indian Premier League (IPL) broke all viewership records after its return last September. The 13th edition of the cash-rich league breathed life into the distressed advertising sector which was hit hard by the extended lockdowns. Eventually when the tournament returned this year in April, the hopes were high. But they came crashing down, when the league had to be suspended midway amid the worsening situation in the country, battling it’s worst ever health crisis.

    While the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) is still looking for another window to finish the rest of the tournaments, advertisers remain optimistic. If the next window is in September later this year, the consumer sentiment will be at its peak, opined DDB Mudra Group Integrated Media country head, managing partner Rammohan Sundaram. The chances of reaching out to a bigger audience will increase as more people are expected to watch. So, it would be more positive for business compared to March, Sundaram added.

    He was speaking at ‘Brands and live sports in the pandemic times’ organised by Indiantelevision.com, moderated by founder, CEO and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari and attended by Havas Media Group India CEO Mohit Joshi, upGrad India CEO, Arjun Mohan, Mobile Premier League (MPL) corporate development, investors relation SVP Joe Wadakethalakal and DDB Mudra Group Integrated Media country head, managing partner Rammohan Sundaram.

    “It was the right decision to not run IPL 2021 that time, as it would have appeared very tone-deaf,” said upGrad India CEO Arjun Mohan. “By the time it returns, the mood of the nation will change. upGrad can look forward to creating campaigns around it.”

    “Keeping aside the economic situation and the mood of the country in the pandemic, I think the big breach was in regards to the bubble which should not have ideally happened. IPL is not ready to handle the pandemic situation in India,” Sundaram added.

    Havas Media Group India CEO Mohit Joshi also agreed it was a good decision to take off IPL while bio bubble security was already broken. However, he noted that IPL is a very big component of P&L, it builds a strategy for the entire year. Overall, the sports genre is itself important for the agency.

    Mohan also agreed that any brand that is advertising in India cannot ignore sports. Fundamentally, the way upGrad looks at live sports is the reach and width it offers, so it prefers Cricket. The brand has tried multiple other sports too like the English Premier League (EPL) which has very loyal committed fans.

    However, the scale of those sports does not give many reasons for the brand to invest now. When a brand’s objective is to achieve reach through various campaigns, cricket qualifies for now. He also noted that Kabaddi may reach there in the future.

    Mobile Premier League (MPL) corporate development, investors relation SVP Joe Wadakethalakal shared the increasing interest among the e-sports platform to engage with sports that have the broadest reach. So it focuses primarily on cricket for brand-building activities. It also finds value in international cricket if team India is involved.

    Joshi said that he has been fortunate enough to have clients who go beyond Cricket. For example, Tata Motors associated with Kabaddi for its trucks. However, ROI and investment were very different indeed. But even brands invest in other sports, the spends are largely skewed towards cricket.

    “We are planning to launch a sports marketing division. There is a holistic approach that one needs to take to understand what sporting events can deliver,” Sundaram added.

    However, all the experts agreed that brands should be agile in these uncertain times. Rather than planning for the entire year, the agencies and brands should look at a month or even for two weeks. “One has to be short-term focused with a long-term strategy,” Joshi summed up.

  • upGrad introduces online ‘Study Abroad’ program

    upGrad introduces online ‘Study Abroad’ program

    KOLKATA: The Covid-19 pandemic played spoilsport with people’s plans to seek higher education at foreign universities. With the crisis showing no signs of abating soon, would-be-students are re-evaluating their priorities or are in quandary on how to fulfil their desire to “study abroad”. To overcome this challenge,  edtech platform upGrad has unveiled a Study Abroad program to enable learners to experience on-campus learning with renowned international universities.

    The idea of this initiative draws back from a recent survey conducted by the e-learning leader, wherein it was found that a lot of upGrad learners and alumni are still willing to travel and study abroad, to find employment in foreign regions. Responding to such emerging demands, but also keeping affordability in mind, as not everybody in such testing times is willing to make heavier financial commitments, upGrad has designed this unique model offering.

    The program is designed carefully keeping in mind the online cost for one year, which is 1/10th of the offline expenses, thus offering dual benefits of being cost-effective, with an added advantage of mobility. Learners under this arrangement have a chance to study abroad and explore job opportunities in the respective region as per their choice in the coming future, at a cost significantly lesser than what they would have to pay for a fully on-campus foreign course.

    With a target to achieve 50,000 learners by 2026, upGrad has already kicked off two such programs; the first being the pathway to Australian Universities where renowned Australian universities like the  James Cook University, Brisbane Campus are participating, along with the second program, Master’s Degree in Data Science wherein learners will receive dual accreditation from IIIT Bangalore and the International University of Applied Sciences, Germany.

    The newly introduced program is not only applicable for learners in India, but also geographies like the Middle East, southeast Asia, etc. It will also allow them to pursue the program in two parts: one-year online in India or from their respective countries, followed by an opportunity to complete their course on-campus abroad in the subsequent year/s.

    upGrad India CEO Arjun Mohan said, “We have always aimed at providing quality transnational education to our learners who are currently residing across geographies. With the Covid-situation impacting international students’ mobility dramatically, we have now come up with a sustainable solution of the ‘Study Abroad’ program, where the learner spends this year studying online and moves abroad the next year to gain their global exposure or build a career there. With this one-of-a-kind program arrangement & Ankur’s joining us, we look forward to expanding the Bachelor’s market for studying abroad by making it affordable and relevant to the current market situation.”

    He added that the higher learning platform is looking to close at least 20 university tie-ups as part of the initiative in the coming months.

    Both programs are in-build with personalised mentorship from upGrad to offer a continuous handholding throughout the program modules and includes an end-to-end counselling/visa support to make the entire process and learning experience hassle-free for its learners. On the successful completion of the on-campus program in the second year, learners can also apply for a post-study-work visa in the destination country and build a career there.

  • Ajay Dev Singh joins MyCaptain as VP – marketing & customer acquisition

    Ajay Dev Singh joins MyCaptain as VP – marketing & customer acquisition

    NEW DELHI: India-based online learning platform MyCaptain has onboarded Ajay Dev Singh as vice president of marketing and customer acquisition.

    Prior to MyCaptain, Singh was also the head of marketing and digital strategy at Basic First learning where he spearheaded a revenue of Rs 250 crores in 18 months, and then with Reliance as the vice president of media and entertainment. His hiring comes with the appointment of VPs in other departments as well.

    MyCaptain co-founder & chief executive officer Mohammed Zeeshan said, “They join MyCaptain at an exciting time as we continue to drive our strategy forward and build deeper relationships with our customers to fulfil our purpose of helping them decide the career of their choice. The addition of these VP’s complements our team’s skills and experiences, and we are confident they will provide valuable perspectives as we continue to execute our strategy. We look forward to their contributions and are excited they chose MyCaptain.”

    An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Delhi, and Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad, Singh has held leadership roles at Reliance ADA Group, Percept and SVG Media (now Dentsu Aegis Network).

  • With $120 million infusion, UpGrad poised to turn unicorn

    With $120 million infusion, UpGrad poised to turn unicorn

    Kolkata: At a time when edtech platforms are booming in India, higher learning major UpGrad has raised $120 million from Temasek, a global investment company headquartered in Singapore. With this, UpGrad is speeding toward a landmark $1 billion valuation.

    This is the first external funding raised by the edtech major. Since its founding six years ago in 2015, upGrad has been 100 per cent owned, funded, and run by its co-founders as a capital-efficient business.

    The Mumbai-based start-up plans to use the fresh capital to further strengthen its team, scale its global market operations, bolster its technology and product capabilities, pursue M&A opportunities, expand graduate and post-graduate degree portfolio in India, and scale up operations to achieve its $2 billion revenue goal by 2026, thereby reinforcing its position as a global higher-edtech leader emerging from India. 

    upGrad co-founders Ronnie Screwvala, Mayank Kumar and Phalgun Kompalli said in a joint statement, “We welcome Temasek in our mission to power career success for each and every member of the global workforce as their trusted LifeLongLearning partner and drive meaningful career outcomes. This capital will further fuel our commitment towards global expansion as well as deeper India penetration, as we march forward with our goal of making India the teaching capital of the world.”

    Screwvala told Bloomberg that he expects to raise another round of capital in three to six months.

    Credit Suisse acted as the exclusive financial advisor to upGrad, and Rajaram Legal acted as legal advisor.

    UpGrad’s current repertoire includes over 100 courses in subjects like data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, coding, finance and law, in collaboration with universities like Michigan State University and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. About a million learners, mainly from India as well as four dozen other countries, take courses that run from six months to two years.