EdtechReview.in is excited to report on the recent success of Indian edutainment platform Maidaan. Founded in October 2022 by Judhajit Bal and Shashank Awasthi, Maidaan has completed a pre-seed round led by investors, such as Inflection Point Ventures and EvolveX, with We Founder Circle participation for an undisclosed sum.
Maidaan is an innovative peer-to-peer edutainment platform, which is redefining the educational landscape for school children in India by providing an avenue for exploring education and building a peer community beyond traditional school boundaries. Through its live, bite-sized Olympiads and tournaments, the platform aims to make interacting with peers beyond school more affordable and accessible, and ultimately, to empower over 100 million Indian students from an early age.
Speaking on the fundraising, co-founder and CEO of Maidaan, Judhajit Bal, said, “Beyond the top 5 per cent 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 genuinely accessible and affordable in a language and format that students understand and speak themselves. We’re thrilled to have IPV & EvolveX onboard backing us to solve this.”
The funds raised will be used mainly to advance product development and create new games, content, and tournament formats. Maidaan’s pilot version has already engaged students from more than 100 schools across more than 25 cities in India, and the startup has initiated strategic annual and quarterly collaboration plans with schools, with Pune being the initial focal city for expansion.
Rahul Wagh, Managing Director of Inflection Point Ventures, believes that Maidaan is addressing a much-needed area of education. “Today, when everything is digital, our education still relies on outdated methods and uninspiring textbooks.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. With Maidaan, children can seamlessly blend education with play by breaking down the boundaries between learning and gaming. It shows a bright and promising future not just for kids but for investors as well.”
Bhawna Bhatnagar, Co-founder of EvolveX, also commented on Maidaan’s potential: “For most students, the first taste of competition beyond school walls occurs nationally. 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 after that. Parents know this challenge but lack easily accessible means to alleviate this fear. Maidaan seeks to transform this narrative by providing aspiring individuals with a stage to discover themselves. At EvolveX, we are committed to supporting Maidaan in this mission through continuous assistance, mentorship, and guidance.”
With an estimated 100 million youngsters in Middle-Indian households between the ages of 5 and 15, and the supplemental learning market—which includes education outside of schools—expected to be worth a substantial $5 billion in India alone by 2030, Maidaan’s strengths lie in its gaming-centric approach to skill-building, unwavering commitment to student engagement, and its focus on fostering peer-to-peer interactions through skill-enhancing gaming experiences.
Teachers everywhere should be incredibly excited about the potential of Maidaan’s edutainment platform. Not only can it provide students with an accessible and affordable way to learn beyond the classroom, but it can also help them build skills and explore their interests. With the help of Maidaan, educators everywhere can ensure that their students have the best opportunity to reach their full potential.
