Bangalore: Maidaan, a social edutainment platform raised an undisclosed amount in a Pre-Seed Round led by Inflection Point Ventures and EvolveX. We, Founder Circle, also participated in the round. The funds will be utilized primarily for driving product development and innovating content, games, and tournament formats.
Maidaan stands as an innovative peer-to-peer edutainment platform, redefining the educational landscape for school children in India. Through its live, bite-sized Olympiads and tournaments, Maidaan aims to let everyone explore education and a peer group beyond regular school. With a vision to make interaction with peers beyond school affordable and accessible, it aspires to empower over 100 million Indian students from an early age. Maidaan’s mission not only broadens horizons but also fosters an environment where learning and growth transcend classroom boundaries, shaping a brighter future for K-12 education in India.
- Maidaan is a peer-to-peer edutainment platform hosting LIVE, bite-sized Olympiads and tournaments for school children.
- The funds will be utilized primarily for driving product development and innovating content, games, and tournament formats.
- Maidaan’s pilot version successfully engaged with students from over 100 schools spanning 25+ cities in India.
- Inflection Point Ventures (IPV) has so far invested over INR 650 Cr across 200+ deals.
Both founders, raised in Indian Army households, underwent schooling in over 10+ cities across India, instilling in them an early appreciation for diverse exposure. Co-Founder Judhajit Bal, a management graduate from MDI, Gurgaon, previously successful with myHQ and with experience from Coca-Cola, shapes Maidaan’s vision. Co-founder Shashank Awasthi, an ISB graduate, brings over a decade of tech expertise from HSBC, Jivox, and Publicis Sapient, driving Maidaan’s product and platform growth.
Rahul Wagh, Managing Director of Inflection Point Ventures, says, “Today when everything is digital, our education still relies on outdated methods and uninspiring textbooks. Maidaan addresses this by integrating learning into interactive games and quizzes, challenging the conventional notion that education is limited to the classroom. By breaking down the boundaries between learning and gaming, With Maidaan, children can seamlessly blend education with play. It shows a bright and promising future not just to kids but to investors as well.”
Commenting on Maidaan’s potential, Bhawna Bhatnagar, Co-Founder of EvolveX, expressed, “For most of the students, the first taste of competition beyond school walls occurs at a national level. Being unprepared for this reality results in an unpleasant shock, fostering self-doubt and a lifelong fear of competition, which hinders progress in a competitive life thereafter. Parents are well aware of this challenge but lack easily accessible means to alleviate this fear. Maidaan seeks to transform this narrative by providing every aspiring individual with a stage to discover themselves. At EvolveX, we are committed to supporting Maidaan in this mission through continuous assistance, mentorship, and guidance.”
Maidaan’s strengths lie in its gaming-centric approach to skill-building, its unwavering commitment to student engagement, and its focus on fostering peer-to-peer interactions through skill-enhancing gaming experiences.
The pilot version of Maidaan has successfully engaged students from over 100 schools spanning across 25+ cities in India. The platform has initiated strategic annual and quarterly collaboration plans with schools, with Pune as its initial focal city for expansion.
Judhajit Bal, Co-Founder & CEO of Maidaan, says, “Beyond the top 5% elite in India, millions of students don’t get a chance to experience a world beyond the walls of their schools before Class 12, reducing the potential of social mobility. The only way to solve this is to make exposure-beyond-school truly accessible and affordable in a language & format that students understand and speak themselves. We’re thrilled to have IPV & EvolveX onboard and backing us to solve this.”
In just nine months, Maidaan achieved remarkable milestones, growing its user base tenfold to over 2000 users. The platform has secured pivotal strategic collaborations with schools on annual and quarterly levels, all while maintaining exceptional engagement and robust user retention rates on the platform.
In Middle-India households, the age group of 5-15 is projected to exceed 100 million children by 2030, indicating a substantial market. Additionally, the supplemental learning segment, encompassing education beyond schooling, is forecasted to reach a significant USD 5 billion market value in India alone by 2030.
About Maidaan:
Maidaan is a peer-to-peer edutainment platform hosting LIVE, bite-sized Olympiads and tournaments for school children. It aims to make exposure to peers beyond school affordable and accessible for 100M+ Indian students from an early age. Founded in October 2022 by Judhajit Bal & Shashank Awasthi, this platform has set out to redefine entertainment for 12.
About Inflection Point Ventures & Physis Capital:
Inflection Point Ventures (IPV) is an angel investing platform with over 9600 CXOs, HNIs, and Professionals to invest together in startups. The firm supports new-age entrepreneurs by providing them with monetary & experiential capital and connecting them with a diverse group of investors. IPV has announced the launch of a $50 million CAT 2 AIF, Physis Capital, to invest in pre-Series A to Series B growth-stage start-ups.
About EvolveX:
EvolveX is an early-stage program founded by We Founder Circle that has been providing high-impact acceleration to early-revenue startups from various sectors since its inception in 2021. The program offers a range of benefits, including one-on-one mentorship sessions with handpicked angel investors and industry experts, upfront funding of $30K, and $200K worth of credits.
