Braingroom, a multilingual online learning platform providing job-ready technical and skill courses, has raised INR 1.5 crore (over $200k) in a funding round led by Indian Angel Network (IAN), with participation from Social Alpha and Startup Oasis.
The Chennai-based startup said it will use the funding to develop new courses and content in various languages and new product features. The company also plans to expand its operation with a vision to train one million rural students and make them job-ready in the coming three years.
Braingroom was founded in 2017 by three engineering graduates – Madhula Sathyamoorthy, Naliene Ramasamy, and Kalaiarsi Periasamy – after identifying the need to develop impactful EdTech solutions that can bridge the employability gap between urban and rural youth. Through its multilingual online learning platform, the co-founders aspire to create high-impact technical tools to facilitate quality learning outcomes for everyone.
The startup partners with various expert training providers and provides customized online learning solutions for both B2C and B2B markets with a multilingual flavor. It claims to have trained around 35,000 students across India. Braingroom also works with various Corporate CSR teams and NGOs to train rural students across the nation.
Speaking on the development, Madhula Satyamoorthy, Co-founder, Braingroom said,
“Through Braingroom, we are creating high-quality technical and skill training with the right combination of vernacular content, bots, and gamification. These will help us make learning more hands-on, interactive, personalized, and engaging for millions of students from Tier-II and Tier-III cities, and most importantly for those from middle and lower-income families. In the next three years, we are aiming to train one million rural students and make them job-ready.”
The startup follows a hands-on learning approach with a focus on application-oriented learning. It uses AI Chatbots and Gamification to create a completely personalized learning experience.
Pradeep K Jaisingh, Lead Investor, IAN, commented on the funding,
“Around 100 million students from middle- and lower-income families, especially from tier-II and tier-III cities are seeking upskilling and cross-skilling opportunities. Braingroom is the new-age multilingual platform to make online learning more affordable and accessible for students from all backgrounds. All power to Braingroom founders to bring innovative technologies with their educational expertise to make learning personalized and engaging, and contributing to employability in small-town India.”
Manoj Kumar, Founder and CEO of Social Alpha, added, “Braingroom’s model of integrating new-age technology into learning and skilling to uplift a student’s career trajectory and making them job-ready is the need of the hour as we see a huge number of youngsters entering the workforce in the coming years.’’
Braingroom currently offers technical and skill courses including programming, machine learning, data analytics, electronics, robotics, design, personality development, language learning, communication, and relationship management among many others. The startup also provides free placement mock tests and allows students to find jobs on WhatsApp with its AI bot.