Bootstrapped Eupheus Learning creates ‘glocal solutions’ in the K-12 learning space
Eupheus Learning is an edtech startup that develops hybrid solutions, including textbooks and digital material (in offline and online form) to seamlessly integrate in-class and at-home learning.
At a glance
Startup: Eupheus Learning
Founders: Sarvesh Shrivastava, Rohit Dhar, Ved Prakash Khatri, and Amit Kapoor
Year it was founded: June 2017
Where it is based: New Delhi - NCR
Sector: Edtech
Problem it solves: Creates learning solutions for students through online and offline material
Funding raised: Bootstrapped
After spending over 17 years in education and IT sectors, Sarvesh Shrivastava had witnessed the changing paradigm of the education sector in India. He had always envisioned creating an organisation dedicated to offering pedagogically differentiated, technology-driven solutions that lead to critical thinking and achievement of higher learning outcomes in the K-12 space.
His eureka moment was when he stumbled upon the pain points across the system.
“The gap is felt by many students, parents and educators alike when at-home learning is supplemented with tuition, which may be at variance to the progression or pedagogy or the difficulty level being taught in class,” he explains.
Launched in June 2017, Eupheus Learning is an edtech startup that develops hybrid solutions, including textbooks and digital material (in offline and online form) to seamlessly integrate in-class and at-home learning so that it is much easier for a student to understand a concept.
The services are offered on a subscription basis, and the solutions can be bought as a bundle or as a standalone service.
Sarvesh says, “‘Eupheus’ in Greek means readiness of will to learn, and we have formed Eupheus to foster the will to learn by providing engaging solutions that promote engagement and discovery.”
Working out of coffee shops
Working out of coffee shops initially, the team, which Sarvesh considers to be the biggest strength of the firm, brought in 500 man years of experience in the industry. Now, it is 74 people strong. Initial triumphs included “closing alliances and exclusive partnerships with ten companies from outside India, and creation of local solutions and branding activities.”
The solutions the firm offers—ranging from curriculum solutions, to reference solutions and digital solutions—are designed in such a way that they are applicable at home as much as in the classroom, ensuring there is no discontinuity in the learning process.
Its editorial department works from Pre K-12 standard, using pedagogical principles and instructional methodology to match the latest curricula of various State and Central educational boards.
“While many startups are mainly focusing on maths and science, we are concentrating on promoting coding, reading and learning languages as well. We have partnered with 11 international companies such as Sanako, Fiction Express, World Book and Robo Garden to curate edtech products,” says Sarvesh.
Experienced leadership
Sarvesh, Founder and Managing Director, brings with him over 30 years of experience in education and IT sectors during which he has held progressive leadership positions in organisations such as General Electric, Corning, Telecom Australia, NIIT, Pearson and Encyclopaedia Britannica.
His last stint was as Managing Director at Encyclopaedia Britannica South Asia, Executive Vice President and head of global government business for NIIT, and earlier to that Managing Director, Asia Pacific, for Pearson VUE, a business of Pearson plc. He holds Master of science and Bachelor of science degrees from the University of Illinois, Chicago.
Rohit Dhar, Co-Founder and Director started his career as a teacher after completing his post-graduation in 1988. He started his journey as a sub-editor and worked his way through to become chief-editor and then publishing head in various organisations. Before co-founding Eupheus, Rohit worked as VP, Learning Solutions, Encyclopedia Britannica.
Ved Prakash Khatri, Co-Founder and Director has over 23 years’ sales experience in the K12 publishing industry space. He has held progressive positions with Suman Prakashan, Ratna Sagar and Oxford. Ved in his last assignment was Vice President – K12 at Encyclopaedia Britannica South Asia. He is a graduate from Lucknow University.
Amit Kapoor, Co-Founder and Director, has more than 15 years’ experience in sales and marketing across education, training and entertainment industries covering Indian and international markets. In his last assignment, Amit was Director - Digital Sales at Encyclopaedia Britannica South Asia. He holds PGDM from T.A. Pai Management Institute, Manipal.
All the co-founders have been colleagues in the past.
Bootstrapped so far they have managed to raise close to a million dollars from the promoters, team, friends and family.
Eupheus Learning has clocked revenue of Rs 1.5 crore until December 2017 . With over Rs 7 crore of orders in hand and presence in over 1,500 schools, it is projecting to close March 2018 with a revenue of Rs 20 crore.
Market landscape
According to India Brand Equity Foundation, India holds a very crucial place in the global education ecosystem. It has more than 1.4 million schools with 227 million students enrolled. When it comes to e-learning, India is considered second only to the US. The sector is currently pegged at $2 billion and is expected to touch $5.7 billion by 2020.
Students from primary classes to Class XII are now actively leveraging websites and apps in their search for excellent tutors. In the last few years, the approach of the parent, teacher, and student fraternity in India has been veering towards the online world, especially in urban and semi-urban India. A handful of startups rode high on this behavioural change and succeeded in the online tutoring domain. Some of the prominent names would be BYJU’s, Vedantu, Vidyanext, Flipclass, Eduwizards, and Helloclass.
Talking about its differentiator, Sarvesh says, “A seamless integrated approach is our USP where the solution starts from classroom and ends at home – in turn leading to a higher learning outcome for the learner. Solutions are hybrid in nature - print/digital (online/offline) based on the need that the solution is addressing and not vice versa. For a small town school in a Category C we have offline versions of solutions whereas for a top end school in a metro we may provide the same solution in an online avatar.”
The startup believes that the strength lies in the relationships it has with decision makers in schools across India; “We want to have their trust by offering in-class solutions which will in turn transition into at-home learning solutions,” says Sarvesh.
For the future, Eupheus Learning aims to have presence in over 2,000 schools and reach out to close to 9,00,000 students by March 2018. It plans to craft an impact in more than seven million students’ lives over the next five years. In terms of future investments, it will be raising close to five million dollars in the next 12-18 months.