Kings Learning, a startup which offers spoken English tutoring services, has managed to secure about ₹16 crore ($2.5 million) from Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, along with a few unnamed angel investors from the US.
Commenting about this, Prachi Windlass, education director, India, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, said in a statement,
English has become a ticket to enter the booming knowledge-driven job economy of India. However, a few have access to quality English language training. Almost half of the graduates in India, primarily from underprivileged backgrounds, are considered unemployable in most sectors due to the lack of spoken English skills.
Kings Learning Co-Founder and CEO Arshan Vakil said,
We are excited to partner our investors as we move into the next phase of growth which will primarily be focused on scaling up our offerings like Enguru, strengthening technology and analytics engine and expanding the Kings Learning team.
Founded in 2014, Kings Learning is an education technology startup aimed at providing employability focused English language & communication skills training through technology products.
The Bangaluru-based company has launched Enguru, a mobile-based spoken English app, which allows users to self-learn both general spoken English and employability- focused conversational English.
The company believes that through its learning methods and technology, it helps institutions, corporates and students match expectations with solutions.
Since 2006, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation has invested more than Rs 1,100 crore in non-profits and social enterprises in India. Recently, the foundation invested in ₹4 crore funding round of NEST Education.
The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation was set up in 1999. As of 2010, the foundation has given more than $650 million to children’s issues and community initiatives in the United States, India, South Africa.