Edtech Platform Kyt Raises $2.5 Mn Funding From Surge The company aims to tap into the $200 billion global extracurricular sector
By Prabhjeet Bhatla •
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Educational technology platform Kyt on Monday said to have raised a funding of $2.5 million from Sequoia Capital India's Surge to expand its online-first, global academy for extracurricular learning. The edtech platform is part of the fourth cohort of Surge, a bi-annual rapid scale-up program run by Sequoia Capital India for startups across Southeast Asia and India.
Founded in June 2020, the company leverages technology to provide online-only, live lessons to children from 5-15 years old. To date, more than a thousand students have taken a course or attended workshops with the platform and have more than 20 teachers onboard, with plans to increase this to 500 over the next 12 months.
The establishment plans to add more courses, including chess, various musical instruments, public speaking, creative writing, and how to be a content creator.
"Tripti and I started Kyt to build something for our daughter. After speaking to several parents, we realized that there is a much larger need to provide high-quality courses that focus on the holistic and all-round development of the child, beyond just academics. With a strong team of curriculum designers, pedagogy experts, and education consultants, we embarked on this vision to build an online-first, global academy for extracurricular learning for kids," said Bhavik Rathod, co-founder, and chief executive officer, Kyt.
Children engaging with the online classes are connected to world-leading instructors and global educators, including Indian chess grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi, Philippines' hip-hop legend Ruel Varindani and celebrity yoga instructor Sabrina Merchant.
"The future of education is a hybrid of online and offline learning, and the market size for primary and secondary extracurricular learning is estimated to be $10 billion in India alone and around $200 billion globally. While most learnings used to happen in physical spaces, there will be rapid adoption of online learning even beyond COVID-19, as these well-structured curriculums will build strong global communities, encouraging children to remain engaged over time," Rathod further added.
The platform offers two learning approaches with its exclusive content: Kyt Academy and Kyt Workshops. Kyt Academy courses span up to 12 weeks and are designed for children who are passionate about specific areas of knowledge, outside of traditional curriculums—such as yoga, language, reading, and dance—and want to expand their skills. Kyt Workshops are one-time classes, ideal for children who would like to explore different interests and try multiple classes, including cooking, magic classes, animation, rap, and poetry. All courses cater to both private and small groups.
"I've always wanted to find a way to teach kids and open a dance academy. By exclusively partnering with Kyt, I am thrilled my dream of being part of a global academy where I can teach hip-hop, Bollywood, and more, is coming true. I am extremely excited about helping more children explore their creativity outside of their regular, academic curriculum," remarks celebrity choreographer and hip-hop artist Ruel Varindani, in a statement.
