Early Steps Academy, the global case-based live learning pioneer for 21st-century knowledge and skills, has raised $1.2 million in a seed funding round from BEENEXT, Whiteboard Capital, and Taurus Ventures.
The round also saw the participation of leading angel investors & entrepreneurs such as Suhail Sumeer (CEO, BharatPe), Akash Saxena (Executive VP & CTO, Disney + Hotstar), Varun Alagh (Co-founder, Mamaearth), among others.
Early Steps Academy will use the funds to deepen investment in research and development of case studies, advancing technology, as well as expanding the team to continue delivering the best learning experience to children worldwide.
Founded in 2021 by a Harvard Business School and IIT Kharagpur alumna Sneha Biswas, Early Steps Academy Academy is a much-needed learning platform for students to develop knowledge in 1000+ essential topics such as space, cryptocurrency, entrepreneurship, climate, and finance. Children learn each subject using a case-based learning technique that helps them master critical thinking and effective communication — the most in-demand skills for the current day and age.
The digital learning platform currently operates in 7 countries already, including India, the United States, and the Middle East. It is the first education platform in the world to have an R&D budget to produce well-researched unique case studies for children and to apply the 100-year-old case study method to learning for students as young as 8-18 years old globally.
Speaking about the company, Sneha Biswas, founder & CEO of Early Steps, said,
“I believe in creating systems that can impact generations to come. My approach is to tackle education – the best way to impact the future. Through Early Steps, our mission is to revolutionise what and how students learn in the 21st century by making education relevant (useful) and engaging (fun). The 21st-century world is changing faster than ever and children around the world are being taught the same subjects (mathematics, physics, chemistry etc.) with little to no modification to curriculum and pedagogy. We at Early Steps believe that those who get early exposure to real-world knowledge & skills do far better in life than those who do not.”
Early Steps Academy operates through small group live online global classrooms providing curated, Harvard-like engaging content that inspires and widens exposure to a wide range of subjects, careers, and leaders. Mentors on the platform are also alumni from highly reputed educational institutions such as Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and IITs, among others.
Commenting on the investment, Hero Choudhary, Managing Partner at BEENEXT, said,
“Through Early Steps Academy, Sneha created a global product from the get-go. In the fast-growing ed-tech space, Early Steps stands out with its unique offering for students. We are excited to be part of this journey with Early Steps in impacting millions of students worldwide.”
According to a statement, Early Steps will also expose students to a network of accomplished individuals across different industries and job roles. “Mentoring children during these formative years can unlock their hidden potential early, allowing them time to intelligently create a path for themselves to become global leaders of the new world. Early Steps Academy is ‘not optional’, but ‘much needed’ for each of the 2 billion+ students in schools worldwide,” Sneha added.
