Kutuki raises $2.2 million in seed funding led by Omidyar Network India

Online learning platform for pre-school students, Kutuki has raised $2.2 million in its seed funding round led by Omidyar Network India. AET and existing angel investors Better Capital, First Cheque, and Abhishek Nag also participated.

Founded in 2019, Kutuki will use the funds to expand its content library to cover all major Indian languages, enhance product capabilities and expand its reach, especially in Tier-2 cities.

"India has the largest population of preschoolers globally, yet early learning remains vastly underserved. We will be utilising the funds to enhance and personalise the Kutuki experience, strengthen our technology and content backbone and also provide deeper insights to parents," said co-founder Bharath Bevinahally.


According to Tracxn data, the Pre-K edtech segment saw the highest activity in 2020 both in terms of the number of rounds and total funds infused in the category, which amounted to close to $11 million.

Kutuki offers a rhyme-based curriculum focusing on language (including phonics and foundational literacy), numeracy, life skills, STEM, and general knowledge.

“By making its content available in vernacular languages, Kutuki is catering to a large unserved market of local language speaking families including the 500 million or so users coming online for the first time, often referred to as the Next Half Billion,” said Sarvesh Kanodia, Principal at Omidyar Network India.

Kutuki, a winner of the Aatmanirbhar App Innovation Challenge conducted by the Indian government, was mentioned by PM Narendra Modi in his Mann ki Baat address in August for its India-focused approach to early learning.