Competition
Edtech consolidation: Why market leaders BYJU’S and Unacademy want to redefine growth via M&Asedit
Your Story – Online Web
Edtech’s sensational rise in the pandemic is well-documented by now. But, of late, deals in the sector have become a bit of a ‘blink-and-you-miss-it’. Typically, there have been two to three deals per week, eight to nine per month, and more than 70 in the last 11 months from March 2020 to February 2021, according to YourStory Research. These deals include both funding announcements — edtech was India’s most-funded sector in 2020 fetching a record $2.2 billion in venture capital as per IVCA — as well as mergers and acquisitions (M&As) that have picked up pace in the last two quarters.
Industry
A black mirror for policy makers: Looking at data protection for minorsedit
ET Government – Online Web
As of 2019, the report of the Internet and Mobile Association of India noted that almost two-thirds of the internet users in India fall into the age brackets of 12-29 years. The report found that from a total number of 451 million monthly active internet users, over 66 million were in the age group of 5-11 years and 385 million were above the age of 12 years. The Puttaswamy Judgement in the year 2012 was categorical in stating that “Privacy of children will require special protection not just in the context of the virtual world, but also the real world”. Eight years down the line, we have only begun to scratch the surface.
CxO of the Week: Mr Anand Narayanan, Chief Product Officer, Simplilearnedit
CIOL – Online Web
The edtech market can be broken down into K12 and professional education. Simplilearn is a professional digital skilling platform. Within the digital skilling space, there is a spectrum of engagement and outcome levels provided by various edtech providers from MOOCs, which are primarily self-learning based, to Online Bootcamps which are based on a high level of engagement and outcomes. Simplilearn is primarily an online Bootcamp model. Within the online Bootcamp space, Simplilearn delivers the highest level of interactivity (4-10X more than others in this space) and will continue to drive a higher level of engagement and outcomes.
Amazon Alexa Gets Macmillan Altura Skill to Help Users Improve Their English: How to Useedit
News 18 – Online Web
Amazon is collaborating with the UK-based Macmillan Education to launch Altura English on Amazon Alexa. Through the partnership, Alexa-enabled Echo speakers and smart display owners can learn English with Macmillan’s “interactive” curriculum materials. The Macmillan Altura skill offers curriculum grade English learning content in storytelling format, vocabulary building exercises, interactive quizzes on listening comprehension and English grammar structured in levels 1 to 5. The storytelling and interactive formats aim to help learners improve their English reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills. To get started, just say, “Alexa, open Macmillan Altura” or “Alexa, open my English reader.”
Investors bet big on India’s growth storyedit
Fortune – Online Web
Last year was tough for entrepreneurs worldwide as the Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on businesses everywhere. But it hasn’t stopped global investors from cherrypicking opportunities and parking their money in Indian businesses which offer good returns. The numbers tell a story. In the education technology space, Bengaluru-based Byju’s alone raised over $1 billion in equity funding last year. However, the study also pointed out that the number of exits were lower last year at 148, worth $5.1 billion, down from 197 exits worth $9.2 billion in 2019.