Edtech startup Kings Learning raises $2.5M from Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, others

Bengaluru-based Kings Learning on Thursday announced that it has raised $2.5 million from Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, Village Capital, along with other US-based tech investors.

Kings Learning, a technology-driven spoken English learning startup, addresses the employability issue in India by providing spoken English classes through its offline and online channels. It provides profession-specific coaching such as those for people in sales, marketing, hoteliering, etc.

Arshan Vakil, Co-founder and CEO, Kings Learning said, “The funding will be used for scaling current offerings like Enguru across the verticals of skill development. We are also strengthening our technology and analytics engine and expanding the Kings Learning team. We plan to take it pan-India through this.”

Enguru, Kings Learning’s mobile-based spoken English app, allows users to self-learn both general spoken English and employability-focused conversational English.

“The focus of Enguru is to help people practice conversational English in a workplace setting. It caters to students and young adults who require English in order to excel at their jobs, or even just require using English socially,” said Arshan.

The platform allows users to learn English in their native language and currently supports 28 different languages. The app has been downloaded about two million times till date, and the company claims to have more than 120,000 active users monthly. The app’s platform is adaptive and gamified with real-time assessments.

In a press statement, Prachi Windlass, Education Director, India, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, said, “English has become a ticket to enter the booming knowledge-driven job economy of India. However, few have access to quality English language training. Almost half of the graduates in India, primarily from underprivileged backgrounds, are considered unemployable in most of the sectors due to lack of spoken English skills. Thankfully, mobile internet explosion, supplemented by exemplary work undertaken by technology-driven organisations like Kings Learning, is helping address this problem. We are excited to support Kings Learning’s efforts in their journey ahead.”

Taking about their USP, Arshan said, “There are other apps that focus on teaching English from the basics, but none of them focus on conversational English practice in the manner that we do. We are bridging the gap between language learning and employment.”