Existing investors We Founder Circle and Ah Ventures also participated. This brings Geekster’s total funding raised to date to $1.5 million.

The fund raised will be primarily utilized for team expansion. A part of the money will be used to expand the portfolio of offerings, add new programs, and build scalable learning and hiring platforms.

Geekster is an upskilling platform focusing on developing programming skills in students and making them work-ready for aspirational tech jobs. The startup does not charge any fee from the student until they land a well-paying job.

 Ankur Mittal, Co-Founder, Inflection Point Ventures, commented: “Gone are the days when a graduate certificate would be more than enough to secure a job in your respective field. With the growing competition, job seekers are expected to be more skilled to be a cut above the rest. Geekster has successfully designed a tech education platform with its unique skilling model, allowing tech graduates to hone their skills at zero cost until they get a paying job. And at the same time, it engages industry professionals as educators on the platform keeping the content relevant and practical.”

 Ankit Maggu, Co-Founder of Geekster, added: “We are on a mission to democratize quality education and career opportunities; aiming to make a million graduates work ready in next few years. Our offering has witnessed great response from the students and employer partners alike, and we shall be working aggressively to scale our operations in the next few months.”

With a larger emphasis on the holistic development of the students, the company also aims to focus on fundamentals, specialized and advanced curriculum, and soft skill training. Geekster is helping 300+ companies hire the right tech talent for their teams including some top product-based companies, MNCs, and well-funded startups. The platform claims to have achieved 10x growth in the last eight months.

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Exprto, India’s largest experience-sharing and mentorship network for students, has raised Rs 5 crores in a seed round led by GSF and Angel List USA; it also had Agility Ventures, Lets Venture, and Supermorpheus participating in it. Agility Ventures is a start-up investing platform that shares a passion for nurturing and investing in early-stage businesses and technology that are transforming the supply chain.   The funding-round also saw unicorn founders and angel investors participating in it, which included Rishabh Karwa (Go Mechanic), Rahul Jaimini (Swiggy), Sanka Aravind (Rapido), Rajesh Yabaji(Blackbuck), Vikas Bagaria(Pee Safe), Rahul Maroli(Zee5), Nitish MitterSain (Nazara Technologies), Dinesh Gulati (India Mart), Deep Gupta, Sahil Mahaldar and Archana Priyadarshini among others.

Varun Richharia, co-founder of Exprto, stated that the edtech start-up is going after the big whitespace opportunity which is untapped in India. He added, “The total market opportunity for ‘Mentorship as a Service’ (MAAS) in India alone is $11 billion, with $6 billion in the test prep segment only. That’s where we will create coalescence and a massive success network within the Indian student community.The evolution of Exprto continues to build on the belief that every mentor’s voice can transform and accelerate people’s career immensely, and our platform provides them with an entirely new, accessible and engaging way to do so”

The company offers mentorship services that vary in duration between 1 to 12 months range. Currently the platform offers 1-on-1 as well as cohort-based group mentorship sessions. Based on the stage of preparation that the aspirants are at, each service is personalised using their proprietary AI/ML profile-matching tech.

Rajan Chaudhary, co-founder of Exprto, feels that the company’s business model fills the gap of mentorship issues in the student community. He explained, “The Indian edtech market is primarily focused on opportunities for better teaching methodology and academic content. Despite the real advantages that such platforms have brought to students, they still struggle to achieve their exam-related objectives. These include strategies for preparation, revision, and guidance that they mostly get from senior students or from online platforms like Quora/YouTube. There is no structured approach to address the mentorship issue, but there is a clear evidence of a large market gap and the stakes are very real.”

Exprto, in the last eight months, has seen a staggering increase in gross merchandise value (GMV) of more than 23X, as well as over 18X growth in sessions of over 1 million+ minutes of mentorship. It now plans to refine the overall product and accelerate its growth by buildinga stronger team and technology with the newly-acquired funds. Product offerings will also be launched for the new market segments.

While giving reasons for funding Exprto, Rajesh Sawhney, Founder and CEO of GSF, said, “GSF is delighted to back Exprto, a fast-growing mentoring platform. Its unique business model of ‘MaaS – mentoring as a service’ is well-suited to meet the requirements of millions of aspirational students. Besides, Exprto’s founders, Varun and Rajan, are exceptional leaders and have a deep commitment committed to building a sustainable and innovative edtech platform.”

Talking about his association with edtech start-up, Dhianu Das, co-founder of Agility Ventures, said, “Exprto distinguishes itself from other edtech companies by focusing solely on an underserved market: providing high-quality mentorship to students, which is required by four out of every five students in India.”

Exprto currently has over 1,100 mentors from top Indian colleges on its platform, it plans to onboard over 10,000 new mentors in the coming months and expand into other major competitive exam segments in India.

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In a bid to strengthen its leadership sphere in the hitherto education world, Brilix, the world’s first and largest learning-focused Social Media Community Platform, has unveiled its highly-anticipated application. The application essentially bridges the gap between highly-qualified educators and promising learners to embark on the journey of accessible, affordable and enlightened learning. The content on the app is currently available in five vernacular languages: English, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali and Gujarati. The platform is gearing up to include more languages in the coming two months.

The Brilix application is an industry-first Social Media Learning Community that is backed by blockchain technology and tokenization. It leverages the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) algorithms to ascertain learners’ fields of interest by accumulating information through a small questionnaire. This helps the platform provide better learning suggestions to learners that align with their interests and learning styles. It is a testament to the Brilix app’s effectiveness that in the Beta phase, it had registered 9000+ users. In fact, since its inception, the platform garnered more than 25000 registered users on the app. Brilix is now making provisions for launching the Brilix app on the Apple App Store.

Rohit Agrawal, Co-Founder and CEO, Brilix, said, “Being an educator, we always felt a need for a suitable social platform for educational creators and learners. This need-gap laid the foundation of Brilix, which has now connected more than 25000 users on the app. We have also joined forces with various educational content creators who have finally found the right place to monetize their comprehensive and exclusive content. Our goal is to make learners and educators self-dependent by equipping them with cutting-edge technology and advanced features so that the education-oriented community can survive and thrive together.“

Currently, even with numerous new-age edtech platforms entering the educational space, many high-potential students are unable to avail themselves of these technologies due to language barriers. On the other hand, educators are still underpaid and aren’t equipped to monetize their laborious and diligently prepared educational content. The unique application by Brilix is designed to address these issues and bridge the gap between educators and learners.

The Brilix app enables learners to collaborate, ask questions, follow leading educators, access free of cost content, participate in quizzes and polls, and support educational content creators to earn money simultaneously. It also allows users to send text, images, videos and voice notes in comments so that they can promptly receive solutions to their queries. The app also supports a delta four efficient reading system so that learners can access notes and e-books that can also be saved in the cloud.  

Apart from being incredibly learner-friendly, Brilix has also created a matchless platform for educational content creators. The application allows verified educational content creators to monetize their notes, study material and other informational content by sharing it with other learners on the platform. The platform is simply trying to create another Instagram phenomenon, but with educational content.

It is pertinent to mention that Brilix had raised pre-seed funding of INR 3.3 crore from Delhi and Mumbai-based angel investors earlier this year. The platform envisions to become the world’s first and largest learning-focused social media platform where learners can get together and reach their goals without any hesitation, awkwardness or scepticism. In the next quarter, Brilix aims to create a community of 1 million+ users and set an unparalleled benchmark. 

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They recently took over India’s largest YouTube channel ‘TS Madaan’ an edtech skilling platform which has 11 million subscribers.

This year’s goal is to acquire 100 influencers in addition to their already signed up 30 influencers who brought around 20 million subscribers for all the skilling courses.

They had a seed funding which raised $3.1 million (Rs.23 crores), and later in Series A the Edtech Company Entri raised $7 million (about Rs. 53 crores) of funding led by Omidyar Network India, with participation from Boston-based Innospark Ventures and Integrated Capital, a Hong Kong-based private equity which makes a total of $10.1 million (around Rs.75 crores).

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The growing number of job opportunities available on the platform signifies healthy economic growth in the country, post-pandemic. apna enabled over 37 million interviews, accelerating the economic growth of India, by bridging the gap between job seekers and employers.

The professional networking & jobs platform also registered 5 million new users on its app from September-first week of November’21 indicating an increase in job searches during the festivities.

According to apna, hyperlocal opportunities, higher unit pay, and greater efficiencies led to an increase in applications for a variety of roles during the festive season. The ‘jobs in demand’ on the platform were tele-callers, back office personnel, sales executives, computer data entry operators, accounts, finance, marketing/business development executives, admin/office assistants, delivery partners, retail professionals and drivers during this time period.

Leading companies including Byju’s, Teamlease, and Shadowfax, among others, chose apna as their preferred partner to on-board professionals to meet the rising festive demand.

Commenting on growth during the festivities, Manas Singh, Chief Business Officer,– apna, said “The surge in new jobs, users and interviews we witnessed during the festive season affirms India is back on the road to recovery after a difficult year. We will continue our efforts towards #AcceleratingIndia as we  connect more employers with the vast pool of talent across the country”

apna further penetrated into 15+ cities, making jobs accessible to candidates in deep Bharat, during the festive period. Amongst 40+ cities, apna observed an increase in demand for jobs from Metro cities Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata and Tier II cities like Hyderabad, Pune, Lucknow, Patna and Ahmedabad.

apna’s job platform leverages a sophisticated algorithm that matches candidates with employers taking into account their skills, experience and preferences. The app comprises 70+ communities for skilled professionals like carpenters, painters, telecallers, field sales agents, delivery personnel and others. apna communities have enabled users to grow their professional networks, upskill through peer learning and find  gig opportunities.

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Board Infinity has again taken a responsibility to continue the learning process making it extremely reasonable for the professionals who may have either lost their jobs or have faced a salary cut during the pandemic. The campaign #TakeChargewithBI aspires to instil hope in learners by communicating that while they might not be able to control everything around them during these uncertain times, the presence of a mentor can help them cope and make better career decisions. On Board Infinity platform, a learner or professional will be able to opt for any live 1:1 coaching session of their choice with an industry mentor. Whether it’s career advice, mock interviews, resume review or upskilling/reskilling in data science, digital marketing, product management & more, one can connect with distinguished coaches on the platform.

Mentors such as Sandeep Kumar Paul, Data Science Vice President at Morgan Stanley, Anand Kulkarni, President at Yes Bank, Ruble Joseph, Vice President at eClerx Anurag Mukherjee, Data Science Consultant at EXL, Amar Sane, Senior VP at HDFC Life, Ashish Anand, Performance Marketing Director at Oyo, Nipun Batra, Management Consultant at Accenture, Honey Bohare, Senior Consultant at Deloitte, Sonal Sapale, Ex-Senior Consultant at KMPG are part of the platform.

One of the coaches, 40 under 40 Data Scientist and Vice President at eClerx, Ruble Joseph says, ” Now more than ever it’s time to support the learner community and provide them with the guidance and essential skills to beat the unemployment pandemic”.

Abhay Gupta, Co-founder & COO, Board Infinity says, “These are highly unprecedented times, and we as an organization have to come forward in whatever capacity to help our country fight the pandemic and other insecurities that are plaguing us, one of them being job losses”.

For the period of the #TakeChargewithBI campaign, the online education platform has slashed the price of all their live 1:1 coaching sessions from INR 1000 to a nominal amount of INR 50 (limited period offer). While all the sessions are priced at just Rs.50, one can opt to generously contribute more if they liked the session. All the proceeds from this initiative will be donated to the Covid Relief Fund.

You can contribute here- boardinfinity.com/take-charge

“I wasn’t able to crack any placement interviews. I wasn’t sure where I was lagging so I took this mock interview 1-on-1 class with Coach Animesh Prasad, an IIM alumnus who works at Flipkart as a Senior Product Manager. His guidance helped me identify the problems and finally, I was able to get a job!” says Ankit, a learner at Board Infinity.

About Board Infinity

Board Infinity is a one-stop solution to career-based needs. They provide assistance in your career transition, finding jobs, campus placement preparation, and much more. They also connect career aspirants with industry experts for focused learning, guidance, mentoring, and support. With 1400+ top industry experts as coaches on the platform, Board Infinity has hosted more than 5000 sessions in the last one year and guided learners to excel in their careers.

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According to several recent studies, a huge spike in the number of obese individuals has been reported during the lockdown due to decreased levels of physical activities and poor eating habits. To help fight against this adversity, Ucanji, in conjunction with NEP 2020 (National Education Policy), stresses upon integrating physical fitness activities via online classes in the daily lives of all from home.

Commenting on achieving the set target, Divanshi Gupta, Ucanji, Founder, said, “It feels nice to fill in this gap especially in Tier 2/3/4 towns in these testing times as it has allowed us to encourage and engage people of all age groups to practice physical activities in the comfort and safety of their home. We have come a long way to create what we have with Ucanji, and, we will continue to strive to reach out to audiences who are in the need for the best-in-class and latest learning lessons from top professionals in the industry.”

Committed to leading the way to the future of physical and mental growth, and enriching lives by putting learners at the centre of the universe, Ucanji is set to make its mark in the world with its Dance & Fitness courses by enabling users to pursue what their heart wants, because they Can Ji.

Key Highlights:

• Reckoning with the NEP 2020, Ucanji offers carefully curated fun, vibrant courses for skill enhancement and improving overall physical and mental health.
• The EdTech platform is equipped with unique features such as Mirror Screen, See Yourself, Ask an Expert, and more, to uplift the experience.

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Atal Tinkering Lab is being facilitated by Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) of NITI Aayog. AIM, runs other innovation programmes like Atal Incubation Centre, Mentor of Change, Atal Grand Challenge, AtalVikas Challenge. With the establishment of ATL Labs, St. Andrews students can build skills such as design mindset, computational thinking, rapid calculations, measurements etc.

Commenting on this initiative, SarangGangan – CEO, Eduphoria, said, “The move is in line with India’s vision to cultivate children as neoteric innovators, who can impact the world. We are working to implement the vision of Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL).”He added that we are preparing today’s youth for a digital future. We are providing a platform to the school with resources and technology know-how so that students can build solutions and products, thus, fostering a culture of innovation in their minds. 

The Principal of St. Andrews Scots Sr Sec School, Mrs P. L. Rana, said “The establishment of ATL Lab in our school will provide a platform for our students to design and build solutions with hands-on practical knowledge. It will channelize their curiosity to experiment and acquire skills like problem solving and innovation. This initiative by NITI Aayog is likely to revolutionize the education system in our country.”

The company also provides step by step personalized training to empower the teachers in handling the labs and also address students’ queries. The packages offered for the training include Electronics Development, Robotics, Internet of Things and Sensors, Rapid Prototyping Tools, Mechanical, electrical and Measurement Tools and Power Supply & Accessories and Safety Equipment. Every package is defined keeping in mind to easily nurture curiosity and talent among the students,”.

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Abhay Gupta, Co-Founder, Board infinity says, “The corporates appreciate and are eager to employ job seekers who possess not only knowledge but also skills, comprising communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, etc. Our platform helps strengthen skills in and build confidence among them.”

The students will be taught by the industry experts who will learn about Grammar, Reading and Listening Comprehension, Interpersonal Communication, Formal Communication, Public Speaking, Vocabulary, Group Interaction Activities, Presentation Skills, Accent Modulation, Resume Building, LinkedIn & Social Media Profile Building. The highlight of the program is soft skills such as Positive Body language, Professional etiquette, Telephonic etiquette, Negotiation Skills, Persuasion, and Conflict Management. These soft skills are essential to improve lives and enrich relationships

The coaches for this program are Industry expert Trainers, Teachers, Soft Skills trainers, Content Writers who have had a strong career journey working in educational institutions & the corporate world. The Coaches include Mellita Fernandes, Urmi Dutta, Jairam Kshirasagar, Rashmeet Kaur, Aswathy Padmannabhan, Sabah Banau Farooqi, and Kadhiravan Jayachandiran.

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Career building focuses on gaining hard and soft skills. The need of the hour is to focus on ‘hard’ skills and new age disciplines such as Data Science, Digital Marketing, Full Stack Development, etc. Along with that, soft skills such as preparing for interviews, ability to present yourself and communicate within teams matter a lot. Some of the products that could help achieve the same are Mock Interview Preparation, Career Advice Sessions, Resume Review.

Educating in a group setting and through pre-recorded lectures limits the learner’s ability to grasp concepts efficiently. Through live 1-on-1 coaching, the aim is that every learner gets personalized learning, leading to higher concentration levels and better learning results.

The top coaches on the platform have a strong career journey and are IIM, MDI, ISB, SPJIMR alumni. Additionally, Coaches like Punita Parekh, Virali Modi, Sampark Sachdeva, Kamalika Poddar, Anshul Sharma are facilitated as Quora top writers, Tedx Speakers, Linkedin influencers & top voices.

Abhay Gupta, Co-Founder & COO, Board Infinity says, “Coming from a Tier-2 city, I have always felt the need of having a coach in my career but did not have access to the right set of people who could guide me well. This is a universal problem that many students from Tier-2/Tier-3 cities face. Keeping that in mind, we are addressing this issue through our new product – a 1:1 Coaching platform”.

With 1400+ top industry experts as coaches on the platform, Board Infinity has hosted over 3000+ sessions and guided learners to succeed in their career

“I’m a final year college student who was confused about my career choices for months, I’m really happy that I opted for Board Infinity and got connected to a coach who solved all my problems,” said Akaash, one of the initial learners.

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