Callido Learning raises seed funding from Education Catalyst Fund
Education Catalyst Fund (ECF) is an education-focused fund managed by CBA Capital and backed by Michael and Susan Dell Foundation and Gray Matters Capital
Callido Learning, a homegrown ed-tech company empowering schools to develop 21st-century skills in students, announced today that it has raised seed funding from Education Catalyst Fund (ECF). The fresh capital will be used to strengthen the technology underpinning its products, fuel growth for its recently launched 21st-century skills assessment and launch its first retail offering. Callido has been bootstrapped until this round.
Callido Learning’s digital learning programs enable any English-speaking school to upgrade their curriculum instantly to incorporate critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Its blended learning resources are curriculum aligned and look at explicit development of these 21st-century skills. It is also the only Cambridge-recommended digital resource for 21st-century skills and has enhanced learning for over 100,000 students. In India, Callido counts leading schools such as The Shri Ram School, Shiv Nadar Schools, Cathedral & John Connon School, and The Dhirubhai Ambani International School amongst its clients. Internationally, Callido works with schools in 18 countries.
After its success working with renowned schools globally, the company plans to use the funding to make their resources more accessible to retail audiences directly with the launch of their first retail program – JuniorCXO. The pilot program is expected to launch in May 2020 with 10 partner schools in Mumbai, with plans to scale it to additional locations soon after.
Sriram Subramanian, CEO, Callido Learning says, “Callido Learning has been bootstrapped till date and this is our first external funding. We intend to use the funds for product upgrades and to scale our presence in India and overseas. We also plan to foray into the B2C segment to reach students and parents, to make 21st Century Skills’ development a norm rather than an exception. I look forward to working with ECF together in this journey and helping us realize our vision; it is wonderful to work with people who share the same ambitions and goals.”
Vishal Bharat of CBA Capital says “At ECF, we are looking for 21st-century business ideas run by young ambitious entrepreneurs. Callido meets both of our core requirements. We are excited to fuel Callido’s growth and partner with them in their journey.”
About Callido Learning
Callido Learning offers curriculum-aligned blended learning resources that assess and develop critical thinking in students, and was founded in 2015 with the aim of answering the question – How do we prepare students for a world we haven’t seen? In the past four years, we have grown to become the first-of-its-kind company to have devised a proprietary methodology for developing these skills in a scalable manner, and are rooted in research and using technology to make learning interesting and data-driven. Today, our presence extends to 18 countries, having served more than 100,000 students. We work with leading schools in India and globally, and across curricula like the International Baccalaureate and IGCSE. In India, we also work with schools affiliated with CBSE and ICSE.