Competition
India unicorn ecosystem will strengthen in 2021edit
Verdict– Online Web
India is becoming a digital-first economy. The country with a population of 1.3 billion people has a smartphone penetration of 45% and is one of the cheapest countries for mobile internet worldwide. Digital adoption has received a significant boost from the Covid-19 pandemic. With sizeable investments, the Indian unicorns have been thinking globally. Paytm, for example, has established footprints in Canada and Japan. Byju’s, the most valuable edtech startup in the world, has gained the economic muscle to acquire other startups and expand in overseas markets.
Sachin Tendulkar picks up a strategic stake in edtech unicorn Unacademy – will also develop a sports learning category on the platformedit
Business Insider India – Online Web
Sachin Tendulkar will now be a brand ambassador for the startup and also conduct a series of live interactive classes. Tendulkar was already a part of the series ‘Legends on Unacademy’ where he has gone live on the platform to share his experiences and journey with the students. In September 2020, Unacademy had entered the unicorn club with a $150 million cheque from Japanese investment firm SoftBank, after 5 years of starting up.
Industry
In Interview with Amit Bansal, Founder & CEO, WizKlubedit
Tech Story – Online Web
The k-12 market can be largely broken into 2 segments. One segment caters to the curriculum support (Math, Science) and has players like Byju’s, Topper, Vedantu, etc. Most of the parents in this segment start shopping for solutions in grades 7-8. The other segment is the early year’s segment where the parent is looking for programs beyond the school curriculum. This segment is by and large fragmented and suffers from a lack of quality solutions. WizKlub is catering to the early years market and is offering affordable solutions that impart quality experience at scale.
Sustainability: A new focus area for startup fundingedit
Yourstory – Online Web
Building a healthier and more sustainable planet for our future generations has never been felt more urgently than now. Be it agriculture, or sustainable clothing, vegan products, climate change, or environmental startups, investment funds are now focussing on businesses that can be built with the least impact on the environment. According to YourStory Research data, in 2020, a total of $67.29 million was pumped across 18 deals in energy, waste management, and cleantech startups. This year, about $6.46 million has already been invested in these sectors.
Digital Gurukul becomes Asia’s first Edtech institute to accept crypto for the payment feeedit
APN News – Online News
Amid wide uncertainties & controversy on banning crypto in India – In a surprising move, Digital Gurukul – India’s leading Edtech company will begin allowing its customers to use some cryptocurrencies for payment of fees from June 2021, becoming Asia’s first Edtech company that has embraced digital tokens. “We are preparing right now for the future of crypto and payments, announcing that this year Digital Gurukul will start supporting select cryptocurrencies for payment of fees,” said Dr. Raj Padhiyar, Founder & CEO – Digital Gurukul.
EdTech Startups On A Roll, Bet Big On India.edit
Newsgram – Online Web
EdTech space received a total investment of $2.2 billion, according to a new joint report by Indian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (IVCA), and PGA Labs, the market intelligence business of Praxis Global Alliance (PGA), India claimed the second biggest chunk of the global industry whose market value increased from $409 million in 2019 to $1.5 billion in the first nine months of 2020.