[TechSparks 2021] How India’s edtech sector continued thriving despite the pandemic

YourStory is back with its flagship startup-tech and leadership conference - TechSparks 2021, to be held from October 25 - 30, 2021. Like the past 12 years, our mission for this year too is to create a meaningful impact for 1.3 billion Indians by enabling content, conversations, and connections that matter and empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs and changemakers from India.

With the theme ‘What’s next - rethinking the future’, TechSparks 2021 will dedicate itself to providing an enabling ground for the most path-breaking innovations and defining conversations on how technology can and will shape our lives post-pandemic. To this end, TechSparks 2021 will bring together a constellation of global leaders, technology startups, large enterprises, and thought leaders from the global innovation ecosystem.

In tune with this year’s theme, SAP brings together a panel of experts to discuss ‘what’s next’ in India’s edtech sector on the topic ‘Discovering the next frontier in edtech’. The sector, while nascent till a few years ago, has grown tremendously during the pandemic. According to transaction advisory firm RBSA Advisors’ report, the sector could reach $30 billion in size in the next 10 years.​​ Today, there are already three unicorns in this space. This boom can be credited to the rise of India’s smartphone users and the paradigm shift in the mode of learning, with more and more students and educators looking for smarter solutions instead of traditional school-bound education. As per a recent LinkedIn study, the edtech sector could also see around 63 percent professionals utilising the lockdown period to upskill, apart from the usual K-12 and post K-12 students. The investor attention to the sector has also increased and the last five years has witnessed private equity investments of $4 billion.

Before the edtech wave, India’s education sector battled with a poor student-teacher ratio. But the pandemic, while causing the physical closure of 15.5 lakh schools and affecting more than 248 million students in India, also offered unique opportunities. It prompted educational institutions, professionals, students and parents to embrace technology, leveraging the current education system and taking it to newer heights. Online learning, digital platforms that enhance educational experiences using voice integration are also facilitating this transition. In the next few months, digitised training, AI/ML-based tools, gamification of education along with tools customised for India’s large Tier II and III segment could draw in further investment. According to a report by PGA Labs and IVCA, India’s education sector is poised to grow from $117 billion in FY21 to $225 billion by FY25.

What to expect

A panel of experts from the current edtech ecosystem will deep-dive into the topic ‘Discovering the next frontier in edtech’, powered by SAP, and discuss their learnings and views about the current education system. From the rise of coding institutions, new-age technologies, smart apps to augmented reality Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) toys and games, the discussion will cover the latest technological advancements and ‘what’s next’ for the thriving sector.

If you are an edtech professional or an edtech entrepreneur, this session will help you decode the current landscape. The key takeaways will be:

• The post-pandemic era educational ecosystem
• The importance of evolving edtech models
• New learning paradigms
• How professionals can upskill in today’s times
• SAP’s role in the growing sector

Speaker lineup

The panel will include Mukul Rustagi, Co-founder & CEO, Classplus; Aditya Bhushan Verma, Co-founder, Prepbytes; Vivek Goyal, Co-founder, Playshifu; Amit Kapoor, Co-founder, Eupheus; and Divya Venkatraghavan, Principal, LightRock.

Catch this insightful discussion only at TechSparks 2021, India’s largest startup-tech conference, coming to your homes in an all-virtual experience from October 25 - 30, 2021. Click here to register.