Around the world, female educators have educated, inspired, and affected millions of people. On this National Education Day, we honour some of India's most influential female entrepreneurs who have made important contributions to the education and development of the nation.
India has produced some exceptional women in fields such as art, literature, and science. A few of them have made a big difference in education. Women of all times have been pushed by their contributions to fight for their rights, further their education, and work toward improving both society and the status of women.
Worldwide, female educators have educated, inspired, and affected millions of people. The list of extraordinary women who have contributed to the betterment of the Indian society is truly limitless. Countless women put in long hours of effort with no expectations and many names go unnoticed. These unheralded heroes are gradually changing the country's face.
On this National Education Day, we honour some of India's most influential female entrepreneurs who have made important contributions to the education and development of the nation.
Divya Gokulnath- Byju's
Co-founder and director of the educational technology firm Byju's is the Indian entrepreneur and educator DivyaGokulnath. Divya and her husband co-founded the online learning platform Byju's in 2011. The business initially provided in-person instruction to supplement classroom instruction before launching an online app with video sessions in 2015. As a teacher, Divya has made appearances in videos. Divya oversaw brand marketing, content, and user experience during the COVID-19 lockdown in India. She oversaw BYJU's free educational content access so that students may continue their studies at home throughout the pandemic. In March and April 2020, Byju's reportedly added 13.5 million users, bringing its total to 50 million. By September 2020, Byju's supposedly had reached 70 million pupils and had 4.5 million subscribers.
The future of education, parenting, and women's involvement in STEM fields are among the topics that Divya writes about online. She has also been an advocate for reducing the gender pay gap in India. Additionally, she discussed issues facing female entrepreneurs in an interview with Mint Startup Diaries and co-authored an opinion piece about Indian educational technology for Vogue India with ByjuRaveendran.
Ruchi Jhawar & Anju Modi - Cogitus
Childhood friends Ruchi Jhawar and AnjuModi co-founded Cogitus in 2017 with the goal of giving kids a more creative and imaginative possibility at learning. The startup has offices in Bengaluru, Pune, Indore, Satna, and Surat in addition to its Ranchi headquarters. Dubai houses a marketing hub for it as well.
Cogitus, according to its co-founders, is an after-school programme for higher order thinking that aims to help kids between the ages of 4 and 14 develop critical, creative, and cognitive thinking skills.
The startup pushes kids to think, analyse, reason, solve issues, and invent since its co-founders consider that understanding the fundamentals of arithmetic, reading, and writing is no longer sufficient.
Lina Ashar- Kangaroo Kids Education Limited
Indian educator, businesswoman, and author Lina Ashar is based out of Mumbai. She serves as the chairman of Kangaroo Kids Education Limited (KKEL), a chain of schools. She also founded Billabong High International School and Kangaroo Kids International Preschool. Lina has won various honours for her achievements. The most important honour she has won is the 2014 Education World Lifetime Award for Achievement in Education.
In Melbourne, Australia, Lina started her work as a secondary school instructor. She took a year off in 1990 and travelled to India, where she got in touch with her ancestors and ultimately accepted a teaching position in a suburb of Mumbai. She opened the first Kangaroo Kids Preschool in Bandra in 650 square feet with a small group of 25 children after being startled by the country's educational system. Today, Kangaroo Kids is a chain of 70 preschools spread throughout India as well as in Dubai, Qatar, and the Maldives. Later, in 2004, she launched the Billabong High International School (BHIS), which today has 23 branches spread across 16 cities in India.
Aditi Avasthi- Embibe
AditiAvasthi is an Indian businesswoman who started and serves as CEO of Embibe, a Bangalore-based provider of educational technologies. In 2017, she was rated among the top 100 women by the BBC. She was selected by Vogue as the "Woman Of The Year" in 2018.
Embibe, a personalised engine for education based on a knowledge graph that connects all grades' curricula and learning context together so students can achieve their targeted learning outcomes, was founded by her in 2012 with funding totaling $700,000 from family and friends. The following year, she received additional investments from Kalaari Capital and Lightbox Ventures. Additionally, services based on the Joint Entrance Examination - Advanced are offered via the site. Later, in 2018, she successfully led a corporate round with Reliance Industries. Reliance Industries Limited declared a $180 million investment in Embibe in April 2018.
Priya Krishnan-Klay Schools
The largest and most reputable pre-school and day care centres in India, KLAY Schools & The Little Company, are proudly under the ownership of Founding Years Learning Solutions India Private Limited.
KLAY is dedicated to taking care of the world, one family at a time. Each youngster receives a high-quality education and care from them. They aid businesses in creating family-friendly workplaces and promote the aspirations of women.
In India, 2000+ KLAY educators across 100+ centres are committed to nurturing each child's gifts and serving as the family's dependable parenting partner.
Suchitra Reddy & Ashwitha Reddy Chinnamail-Level
LevelApp was created by Suchitra Reddy and Ashwitha Reddy Chinnamail with the primary goal of assisting students in locating the most qualified tutors from their own classmates or seniors. The lack of instant peer learning platforms in India led to the creation of the platform. Through online and in-person instruction, students can get their questions answered and learn from their fellow students. Like other educational technology companies like Testbook, Byjus, Vedantu, and others, LevelApp's e-learning platform has established a niche for itself.
Both Suchitra and Ashwitha graduated with a bachelor's degree in computer science and information technology from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University. With courses for K–12, bachelor's, and PhD levels as well as skill-based learning, they have been able to recruit more than 7,000 students from 19 different nations despite having no managerial experience on their CV.
Swetha Subbiah-Sisters in Sweat
Together with former Tottenham and Fulham footballer Tanvie Hans, corporate consultant turned Nike-certified fitness trainer Swetha Subbiah launched a business venture focused on sports and fitness. Over 350 ladies who are fervent about the sport now make up the full-fledged community that began one Sunday through football classes. This close-knit group of people uses their professional expertise to teach yoga and dance as well, creating a sisterhood of women in the process.
Swetha has trained people like tennis player Rohan Bopanna and is one of only four trainers in India with a Nike certification. She also serves as the fitness coach for the Karnataka State Football Association. Her perseverance and hard work earned her a spot in Nike's advertising campaign alongside female athletes and trainers from India.
