Watch: Edtech startups pitch at latest Elevate session in Dubai

Watch: Edtech startups pitch at latest Elevate session in Dubai

Dubai: Elevate, the startup programme of the Indian pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, is making huge strides and is offering a platform to entrepreneurs from the country’s rural regions. One of them is Smitha Sukumaran, a teacher from a Kerala village who is also the CEO of Zyus Educare, a platform that provides affordable education and career guidance to students. Sukumaran’s journey started when she went on an institutional trip a few years ago and met a young boy with ‘extraordinary’ English communication skills. “His parents were daily-wage workers and he was aspiring to pursue higher studies abroad. Later, I was dreaming about how he could become an international media person or an ambassador, but in reality he was not in a position to achieve any of his dreams.” “Being a teacher, that thought haunted me for days and that’s how the idea of Zyus was born,” said Sukumaran. “We spent three years on product development and content research and we started our sales in 2021.” Within six months of its launch, the company had over 13,000 students using its platform and is aiming to reach the 100,000 mark in Kerala alone. India’s edtech sector is thriving and it has