Edtech as a sector holds great promise in the emerging knowledge economies of the world. According to a report by IBEF or India Brand Equity Foundation, the Indian edtech industry was valued at 750 million USD in 2020 and is expected to reach 4 billion USD by 2025 at a CAGR of 39.77 percent. This growth, according to IBEF, is driven by rising demand for non-academic courses from tier II & III cities and the need for personalisation in the edtech space.
The high potential of edtech market in India can encourage many entrepreneurs to venture into. Two years back, Agra-based edtech startup Whiz League, which is being led by the Stanford and Babson alumni duo, Natasha Jain and Sonia Agarwal Bajaj in partnership with Guru Randhawa, garnered a 300K USD seed funding. Here it deserves a mention that Guru Randhawa or Gursharanjot Singh Randhawa is an Indian singer, songwriter and music composer whose work is mainly in Punjabi, Bhangra, Indi-pop and Bollywood music.
The company, which is formally known as Master Whiz Learning Pvt. Ltd. is also focused on non-academic courses and personalisation of edtech space.
Non Conventional e-Learning
Whiz League is not your regular edtech start-up. It can be described as a revolutionary learning and career launching platform that offers courses by celebrities and industry experts.
Whiz League professes to provide an immersive learning experience, where it claims to give the opportunity to learn from some of the best practitioners and industry experts. Whiz League provides access to leaders in their respective fields who teach the nuts and bolts of a specific subject.
It has courses for both individuals and corporates. Each of its courses is meticulously structured into multiple short modules that covers different learning areas. All modules are pre-recorded in HD quality and can be accessed anytime, anywhere. Moreover, Whiz League courses are designed to be self-paced, thereby allowing one to complete them at her/his own convenience.
All the Whiz League courses are pre-recorded with its Whiz masters, who are, according to the website of Whiz League, the best in their industry .They share their secret to success, insights and learnings with students on Whiz League.
Whiz League has courses in culinary, entrepreneurship, performing arts, and in design and beauty. It offers curated programs and personalised counseling.
Moreover, to bridge the gap between the hospitality industry and the skilled workforce, Whiz League has launched its corporate upskilling programs for the hospitality industry. These programmes are also conducted in an online and pre-recorded format so that it is easy for the trainees to learn new skills from the comfort of their home.Â
The Launch Pad
This platform also introduces an exceptional opportunity to work with or get mentored by leading professionals and launch careers with Whiz Launchpad. The deserving applicants who apply and qualify would get the opportunity to work on an assignment with the respective industry expert.
Whiz Launchpad is a paid upgrade to the Whiz Courses. It allows applicants to apply by submitting an assignment pertaining to the course. A board of jury members shortlists applications and selected applicants get the opportunity to collaborate with the Whiz experts in the format described in on the artist specific page.
Applicants must submit the assignment as per the guidelines mentioned on the course page. Selection criteria varies for each course and is shared on the course specific FAQs. The submitted assignment is scored by an in-house jury based on the stated selection criteria.
The industry experts or celebrities associated with Whiz Launchpad include names like Guru Randhawa, celebrity Chef Ranbir Brar, renowned restaurateur Priyank Sukhija, fashion designer Sonakshi Raaj, celebrity make-up artist Mehak Oberoi among other industry experts.
Some of the industry-friendly courses on offer at Whiz League include Online Diploma in Culinary Arts; Certificate in Music Composition, Production and Publishing; Fashion Modeling and Beauty Pageant Grooming; Graphic Designing, DTP and Video Editing; Online Professional Chef Program; Certificate in International Cuisine; Certificate in Desserts and Baking among others.
For the Juniors
There are courses for the juniors too, which are clubbed under the category of Whiz Junior., These celebrity junior modules are targeted towards 6-17 years old and enable curious young minds to get access to knowledge from industry masters.
For example, the course by Jayesh Sachdev titled Learn the Basics of Graphic Design is for children between 8-16 years. Similarly a course by Sonaakshi Raaj titled Learn the Basics of Fashion Designing is for children in the age group of 8-16 years.
The success of Whiz League not only signifies the growth of edtech and e-learning in India, but mirrors the rising and welcome trend of increasing numbers of women entrepreneurs who are making remarkable and rapid strides in business despite continual societal challenges.
