Vah Vah!, a makeup and beauty training platform, has raised $1.85 million in a seed round led by Sequoia India's Surge accelerator.
The Bengaluru-based startup is one of 23 early-stage startups selected for Surge's fifth cohort, its largest to date, which began on June 30.
Vah Vah! provides live cohort-based courses with the goal of imparting vocational skills that can lead to job opportunities or help youth start their own businesses.
Co-founder Shailesh Daxini said in a statement, "The shortfall of vocational schools means that vocational training is often inaccessible or too costly for many – making it especially challenging for those who live outside of metropolitan areas looking to upskill themselves. With Vah Vah!, anyone with a mobile phone and an internet connection can now access quality vocational education."
"We want to bring the best teachers to every corner of India, and raise the quality of education in overlooked sectors that have the potential to create the next 100 million jobs," he added.
Vah Vah!, which was founded in October 2020, offers courses for those looking to advance their careers or start their own entrepreneurial service business.
They are trained in micro batches by professionals in the beauty industry. Vah Vah! offers courses in three languages and has students from over 250 cities in India. Almost 90 percent of its cohorts are female.
It currently offers Makeup and Hair Styling courses, with plans to expand. Students are given learning kits that contain all of the materials they will need to complete the course.
Co-founder Eashwar Subbiah shared, “The beauty sector is expected to grow at 30 percent CAGR, and workforce requirements have doubled, according to the National Skill Development Council of India. The majority of our students enroll with the ambition to learn new skills to create earning opportunities for themselves. There is a real need in the market from both employees and employers for such services."
The professional makeup course offered by Vah Vah! is a 22-day comprehensive training programme that also includes career counselling and one-on-one Q&As with trainers.
