Competition
Unacademy Announces Go-For-Gold Initiative for School Studentsedit
Educrats Web – Online Web
Unacademy, India’s leading learning platform, has announced the Go-For-Gold Initiative for Indian school students participating in the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) 2021. The IOI is one of the most prestigious UNESCO-recognized Olympiads in programming and informatics for school students. The Go-For-Gold Initiative was started by CodeChef in the year 2013 to bridge the gap in talent and train aspiring contestants for the IOI examination. Unacademy took over the custodianship of CodeChef in June 2020. As part of the Go-For-Gold initiative, Unacademy will award a cash prize worth Rs. 15 lakhs, along with a laptop and other rewards to any Indian student winning a gold medal at IOI 2021.
Whitehat Jr partners with EnduroSat to offer Space learningedit
Elets Online – Online Web
“We have always believed in the power of creation through exploration. This partnership is a testament to our mission to empower children to think beyond the obvious and literally chase the stars,” said Karan Bajaj, Founder and CEO of Whitehat Jr., in a statement. .
Byju’s in talks to acquire US-based reading platform Epic: Reportedit
Business Standard – Online Web
Edtech decacorn Byju’s in talks to acquire US-based online reading platform Epic, according to TechCrunch. The acquisition is expected to help the Bengaluru-based Byju’s to deepen its footprint in the US market.
Byju’s raises Series F Round led by MC Global EdTech Investment Holdingsedit
CIOL – Online Web
Edtech decacorn Byju’s has raised Rs 3,328.23 crore or close to $460 million in its ongoing Series F round led by MC Global Edtech Investment Holdings LP, reported Entracker. In the round, the company has alloted 1,40,233 Series F CCPS at a face value of Rs 10 and a premium of Rs 2,37,326 per share to raise the sum.
Industry
How Khan Academy used Zendesk to help remote learners during a global pandemicedit
Yourstory – Online Web
COVID-19 pandemic has elevated some organisations to unique positions for their abilities to bridge enormous gaps caused by widespread shutdowns. Khan Academy is one of them. The eponymous non-profit, created by Salman ‘Sal’ Khan in 2008, has long been known for its free educational offerings in math, science, and the humanities. Teachers and parents use Khan Academy’s free tools to track students’ progress.
Payment companies face tighter RBI normsedit
The Economic Times – Online Web
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has tightened its supervision norms over payment companies storing customer data, amid a slew of cyber-security breaches at Indian tech startups over the last few months. From April 1, all licensed payment system operators (PSOs) will have to submit detailed “compliance certificates” to the central bank twice a year, signed by their CEOs or managing directors, confirming adherence to all RBI regulations around security and storage of payment data.
Start-ups must take quick decisions: Byju’s co-founder Divya Gokulnathedit
India Today – Online Web
In the ed-tech space, there is certainly no playbook for success. For any start-up, it is important to take a call quickly. The time taken between decision and implementation must be minimal, else the idea becomes redundant. During the pandemic, we saw 35 million students download the app in just six months. Today we have 80 million learners. We had multiple product launches in record times and with the teams working offline. We have valued people over processes. Our top leadership has remained intact. We go together from one level to the next. For a start-up, numbers don’t lie—see the numbers and add a spoonful of intuition and that’s the recipe for success.
Edtech sector set for giant leapedit
The Hans India – Online Web
According to Indian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (IVCA) and PGA Labs data, Indian edtech startups raised over $2.2 billion in 2020 as compared to $553 million in 2019. While K-12 and test preparation companies accounted for the largest share of $1.98 billion, followed by continued learning ($142 million); higher education attracted an investment of $84 million, pre-K at $12 million and B2B edtech companies at $7 million. Out of the $2.2 billion raised last year, $1.35 billion was raised by Byju alone. Similarly, another major edtech player Unacademy joined the unicorn club last year after two rounds of fund raising which put the valuation of the company over $2 billion. Another edtech ...
‘India’s digital transformation even faster than China’edit
The New Indian Express – Bangalore
While a large number of people are using the internet for good, there are some who use it for purposes that are not right, whether it is hate of speech of a certain kind or spreading content that shouldn’t be easily accessible, said Ajit Mohan, VP and MD, Facebook India. Citing the example of WhiteHat Jr, which recently got acquired by BYJU’s, Mohan highlighted the role Facebook plays in online education.