Sanat Shrivastava

The edtech industry is facing a challenging time, marked by waning investor interest and reduced demand for online learning in the aftermath of the pandemic. Amid this, Alakh Pandey-led edtech unicorn PhysicsWallah (PW) has bagged $210 million in a Series B funding round led by investment firm Hornbill Capital, with a sizable participation from venture capital firm Lightspeed Venture Partners.   Scaling operations:  With the latest funding round, PW’s post-money valuation has soared to $2.8 billion, making it the third-most valued edtech firm, trailing only Unacademy ($3.4 billion) and Eruditus ($3.2 billion), based on their last valuations. PW will use the funds for market consolidation, with the potential for “one large deal” in the next 12 months, according to Co-founder Prateek Maheshwari. PW, which initially focused on test-prep, has rapidly diversified its educational offerings to encompass everything, from school education to skills training. It has also acquired firms like PrepOnline and Altis Vortex to enhance its NEET, GATE, and related categories. #edtechcompany #funding #equityfunding

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Revolutionizing Assessments in Higher Education Institutes: From Marks to Mastery In the dynamic landscape of Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) in India, assessment practices play a pivotal role in shaping the learning journey of students. Traditionally, the assessment patterns have been largely dominated by in-semester and end-of-semester exams, with limited emphasis on continuous internal evaluation. However, with the advent of the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020),there's a significant paradigm shift towards a more holistic and outcome-based approach to assessment. Let's delve into how this transformation is reshaping the educational landscape. https://lnkd.in/guRXXAge

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Analysis of Allen Institute’s Potential Acquisition of Unacademy The proposed $800 million acquisition of Unacademy by Allen Institute represents a significant milestone in the Indian edtech and test-prep ecosystem. Here’s a crisp analysis from a strategic and financial perspective: Strategic Synergies 1. Complementary Strengths: Allen’s expertise lies in traditional classroom-based test preparation, particularly for medical and engineering entrance exams. Unacademy, on the other hand, thrives in the online learning space with a robust platform for competitive exams like UPSC, GATE, and CAT. This acquisition could enable Allen to leapfrog into the digital domain, combining its strong offline brand equity with Unacademy's tech-enabled scalability. 2. Market Expansion: For Unacademy, this deal provides a chance to stabilize its business model and access Allen’s loyal customer base in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, which are crucial growth markets for edtech. Conversely, Allen can leverage Unacademy’s digital infrastructure to reduce its dependence on physical centers. Financial Challenges 1.Valuation Dynamics: Unacademy’s revenue grew 80% to ₹719 crore in FY22, but its losses also ballooned by 85% to ₹2,848 crore, reflecting unsustainable cash burn. The valuation of $800 million implies a significant markdown from its previous $3.4 billion valuation. 2. Cost Concerns: While Unacademy has implemented cost-cutting measures (e.g., workforce reduction and marketing cuts), its heavy reliance on educator payouts and ESOP liabilities remains a challenge. Allen must carefully integrate operations to prevent these losses from eroding its profitability. Broader Implications for Edtech 1. Consolidation in Edtech: This deal underscores the industry’s shift from growth-at-any-cost to sustainable scaling. It may set a precedent for more M&A activity as players like Byju’s(Aakash) and Vedantu reassess their operations amid funding crunches. 2. Hybrid Learning Models: A successful merger could validate hybrid models combining online and offline approaches, setting the tone for the next wave of education delivery in India. Key Considerations - Can Allen absorb Unacademy’s financial strain without diluting its core profitability? - Will the integration address the growing competition from other edtech giants like Byju’s, or create conflicts in operational strategies? This acquisition has the potential to redefine the test-prep landscape if executed strategically. But as with any merger, the devil lies in the details of integration. thoughts? Unacademy ALLEN #edtech #acquisition #merger #startup #education

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NEET UG 2024 Results: Perfect Scores - Mark Inflation or Higher Performance Standard? NTA's Clarification 🔍 NTA addresses mark inflation concerns, attributing it to higher performance standards and fair exams. 📢 NEET UG 2024 Highlights: ✨ 67 candidates with perfect scores of 720/720! 📊 Increased cut-off: 164 (UR category) vs. 137 in 2023. 🛠️ 1563 candidates received compensatory marks. 📚 Physics answer key revision impacted scores. For detailed information please click on the image below or visit Eduspeed's NewsAlert page. #NEETUG2024 #PerfectScores #NTA #ExamResults #MedicalEntrance #NEET #NEETUGresults2024

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'Unravelling the Future of EdTech in India: Regulation for Growth' blog by Prof Debdutta Choudhury, Associate Dean - Accreditations & Assurance of Learning, Woxsen University. He discusses EdTech, which is booming in #India and says that a regulatory framework is needed to ensure consumer protection and foster innovation.    Read full blog: https://lnkd.in/gGtnXb4N to learn more about the contours of a future-proof regulatory framework for India's EdTech landscape. #EdTech #India #Regulation #Education #Innovation Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

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Survey results reveal that despite the education budget in India seeing a significant boost—an increase of 78% for school education and 125% for higher education from 2014 to 2023—students continue to find basic reading, writing, and comprehension challenging. The budget is still under the target of 6% of GDP, established in 1964–66 and reinforced by the Bharatiya-Janata Party-led government’s New Education Policy in July 2020. As the nation prepares for the 18th Lok Sabha elections, we assess the condition of education in India. A story by Prachi Salve.  https://lnkd.in/djxMaHZW #EducationBudget #India #GDP #SchoolEducation #HigherEducation #LiteracyRates #NewEducationPolicy #BJP #LokSabha #Elections #18thLokSabhaElections #Indiaspend

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Hear from a Mangalam School student about how AcadAlly has improved their learning experience! Discover how real-time, individualized feedback is influencing their studies. #MangalamWorldSchool #AcadallyFeedback #StudentSuccess #InnovativeLearning #EducationExcellence #StudentTestimonials #HappyLearners #FutureLeaders #Acadally #ParentingTips

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Discover how Class 8 students of Vidyodaya International School, Madhya Pradesh explore the intricate details of cell structure. Dive into their detailed analysis and watch them break down the fascinating world of cells. #LEADTheWay #LEADSchoolIndia #LEADSchoolEdtech #DigitalIndia #StudentEngagement #LearnandGrowWithLEAD #LEADWithConfidence #ScienceExperiment #FunLearning #cellstructure

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🚀 Aveti X: Transforming Learning in Odisha 🌍 🌟 Check out the full blog to see how Aveti X is shaping tomorrow's changemakers! 👇

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Shape your educational journey with the power of Academic Bank of Credits today! Scan the QR code to get your APAAR ID and start managing your academic credits digitally. Securely track, transfer, and utilize your credits anytime, anywhere. Digital India Programme

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National Standard Examination – 2024 Leading To INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE OLYMPIAD - 2025 #Olympiads #Class8 #class9 #class10 #class11 #class12 #cbse #icse #stateboard #jee #neet

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In his thought-provoking book ‘Harvard, Oxford, and Cambridge: The Past, Present, and Future of Excellence in Education’ author Rajesh Talwar says that Ed-Tech and AI can help India achieve full literacy. He makes this statement after thoroughly exploring global education standards and offers innovative solutions for education reform, supporting high-quality education and guiding policymakers to enhance India’s global education standards. Talwar draws from his extensive experience to highlight how technology like Ed-Tech and AI can tackle India’s critical educational challenges. Do you agree with this statement? #EdTech #DigitalLearning #IndianEducation #ArtificialIntelligence #Literacy

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A US$300 Billion global Ed-Tech industry is witnessing good VC interest and several mergers and acquisitions, especially in North America and APAC. As education gets commoditized and institutes start playing the volume game (Institutes with high enrollment and offering multiple disciplines enjoy an advantage with NIRF and NEP), Ed-Tech takes center stage. It was so disturbing to hear statements like, 'Our university has so many thousand students, and Ed Tech, therefore, is a must.' It sounds as if you are in a fish market. The Higher Education narrative is slowly losing its core purpose by recklessly increasing the scale with a cookie-cutter approach to education. We blame the students, but are the teachers ready for the new world order? I argued that a successful Ed-Tech implementation has more to do with the generation of learners, the learning lifecycle, accessibility, serious or fun-based experience, personalization, and eliminating the digital divide. The ed-Tech landscape must expand beyond MOOC, Moodle, Smart Boards, and MS Teams, and soft nontech issues must first be addressed! In short, Ed-Tech must be humane first and tech later. Bharathidasan Institute of Management Tiruchirapalli

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Education loans can be a challenging process, especially for first-generation students planning to study abroad. Now, banks are simplifying this journey by offering collateral-free loans for specific universities. Here’s a list of the 100 institutions that State Bank of India is supporting with collateral-free education loans. Stay tuned! I'll be sharing more banks and options for collateral-free loans in the coming days. Follow me for more updates on financing your education abroad #EducationLoan #StudyAbroad #StudentLoans #CollateralFreeLoan #EducationFinance #HigherEducation #GlobalEducation #StudyAbroadTips #InternationalStudents #OverseasEducation #StudentSupport #BankingForStudents #SBI #EducationFunding #FinancialAid

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