Ronnie Screwvala-backed 21K School to offer Web 3 experience and NFTs

On-line home-schooling start-up 21K College is about to make its edtech platform Net 3-ready. The beginning-up is about to launch metaverse studying expertise, NFTs of scholars’ art work and tasks, and deploying blockchain to safe pupil id, marksheets and experiences ranging from June this 12 months.

The beginning-up can be seeking to elevate round $30-35 million over the following two months, Co-founder and CEO Santosh Kumar instructed BusinessLine. 21K College is backed by UpGrad’s Ronnie Screwvala, who invested round $5 million in a Pre-series A spherical in November 2021.

Based by Kumar and Yeshwanth Raj Parasmal in 2020, the start-up had round 300 college students in its first tutorial 12 months for lessons Nursery to five ^th grade primarily based on Indian curriculum. In 2021, it had round 3500 college students throughout British, American and Indian curriculum and will likely be providing lessons until twelfth grade from 2022.

“We’re at the moment current in 400 cities throughout India, 35 international locations outdoors India with college students from 17 nationalities. It’s a standard classroom expertise delivered on-line, added with AI/ML within the again finish to observe pupil progress in actual time and provide remedial measures accordingly. We’re providing two completely different batches, every of three-four hours,” Parasmal, Co-founder and COO stated.

The scholars becoming a member of this platform have numerous wants. A few of their dad and mom have moved again to tier-II and Tier-III cities through the pandemic and so they need high quality training for his or her college students at affordable prices. NRIs who’re on the lookout for Indian curriculum, college students with disabilities, and sports activities individuals to call a number of. There are 1-2 million college students residence education in India at current, Parasmal stated.

Metaverse expertise

Kumar stated, “Metaverse was thought-about after the scholars and oldsters requested for a means of social interplay. We’re making a 3D house of interplay whereby college students, dad and mom, lecturers and the societies can work together. We’re going to launch all of those in a phased method over the following one 12 months,” Kumar stated referring to the opposite options of NFTs and blockchain as nicely.

He added, “There’s an enormous quantity of artwork being created by our college students, whether or not it’s in textual content, podcast, photographs and we needed to place it in a correct use. So, we determined to create a digital artwork gallery for them and convert them into NFTs. We aren’t stepping into any kind of lively buying and selling; {the marketplace} is just for showcasing the work our college students have accomplished. All proceedings earned on promoting of a specific pupil’s work will go as a scholarship to the coed.”

The blockchain utility will likely be purely to safe and supply verification of pupil’s id, portfolio of labor, marksheets and report playing cards that may be accessed wherever and be offered to universities for future training.

Funding and growth

21K College costs round ₹30,000-40,000 yearly and has round 200 lecturers other than 60 workers members.

Kumar stated, “We’re planning for a $30-35 million fund elevate within the subsequent two months. It will likely be used to spice up our full providing. We wish to provide our programs in 4 completely different time zones and develop globally and improve expertise. With Metaverse coming in, we have to construct numerous digital belongings into it to enhance the expertise.”

This comes at a time when the Indian authorities too has been actively selling on-line platforms for educating college students and digital universities.

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February 27, 2022