New Delhi, 8 January 2020: Harappa Education (https://harappa.education) today announced it has completed a round of funding from James Murdoch-led Lupa Systems.
This marks Lupa Systems’ first ever investment in India. The investment will help Harappa accelerate product development, invest in high-quality curriculum creation, build a rich learning experience, and significantly scale its presence across corporates and campuses throughout India. The investment gives Lupa Systems a majority stake in Harappa and secures Harappa’s growth plans for the next three years.
Established in 2018 by founders Pramath Raj Sinha and Shreyasi Singh, who will continue to lead and build the company, Harappa is an online institution that aims to become a necessary and high-quality learning destination for all young professionals, regardless of their area of specialization.
Its unique curriculum of 5 Habits and 25 Skills, delivered through an engaging online-first approach, addresses a core gap in education: the cognitive (how to think, reason and problem-solve), social (how to communicate, influence and build relationships) and behavioral (how to grow, act and lead) skills that employers crave at the workplace. Harappa aims to enable learning of these life skills at scale, leveraging the most innovative digital learning technologies and online pedagogical tools.
Lupa Systems, founded by James Murdoch in 2019, is a private investment vehicle with presence in New York and Mumbai. Since its launch, Lupa Systems has invested in Tribeca Enterprises, Vice Media and The Void, among other investments. Lupa Systems India is headed by former Star Sports CEO, Nitin Kukreja.
Founder, Lupa Systems, James Murdoch said, “The potential in India is as enormous as ever, and it continues to energize me. I am excited to help realize the inspiring vision Harappa has to become a preeminent online learning institution with a curriculum that is both foundational and unique. Pramath’s passion and track record of establishing pioneering higher education institutions sets us up well to build a unique enterprise.”
Founder and Chairman, Harappa Education, Pramath Raj Sinha, shared, “I am looking forward to a strong partnership with James and his team. We have been struck by their belief in and enthusiasm for our mission. Their validation is a tremendous source of strength for us and fuels our passion to drive transformational learning outcomes at scale.”
“We are delighted to partner with Harappa to fulfil a long-standing need in Indian education. Harappa is led by an inspirational and passionate team, and has all the ingredients to become a sought-after learning institution in its own right,” added Nitin Kukreja, Managing Director, Lupa Systems India.
“The Lupa Systems team brings invaluable experience in mainstreaming new content-led ideas and building them into global businesses. We are privileged to have this experience back us. We see great demand for our courses and this investment will help us meet these expectations,” said Founder & CEO, Harappa Education, Shreyasi Singh.
Harappa Education draws inspiration from the ancient Indian civilization that was well ahead of its time. Evocative of the foundational character of the Harappan civilization, Harappa aims to go back to basics in the learning it imparts but combines it with the latest technology to educate at scale. Its pedagogical approach is rooted in academic research, expert insights and behavioral science.
