Draft:LEAD School
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Last edited by Qwerfjkl (bot) (talk | contribs) 6 days ago. (Update) |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Educational technology |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founders | Sumeet Mehta Smita Deorah |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | India |
Number of employees | 1123[1] (May, 2025) |
| Website | leadschool |
LEAD School is an Indian school edtech company headquartered in Mumbai, India.[2] The company operates in India's education sector, delivering a learning system that includes curriculum, teacher training and technology-based resources to private schools.[3] LEAD School was founded in 2012 by Sumeet Mehta and Smita Deorah and is currently serving more than 3.5 million students across India.[4]
History
[edit]LEAD School was established in 2012 by Sumeet Mehta and Smita Deorah, who sought to address educational disparities in India’s budget private schools.[5] In 2012, they opened Shantiniketan English School in Areri, a village 35 kilometers from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, starting with 14 students. Over the next few years, four additional schools were set up in small towns across Maharashtra and Gujarat. By 2017, the focus shifted from operating these schools to partnering with existing ones, a change prompted by the scale of India’s affordable private school network, estimated at over 400,000 institutions.[6]
In 2017, LEAD School raised INR 10 crore in a Series A funding round led by Elevar Equity, its initial external investor.[7] In 2019, the name changed from "LEAD Powered Schools" to "LEAD School," and technologies like teacher tablets and smart classrooms were added to its offerings. Additional funding occurred in 2020, with INR 210 crore raised in a Series C round led by WestBridge Capital.[8] In January 2022, a Series E round brought in $100 million, resulting in a valuation of $1.1 billion. This valuation classified LEAD School as a unicorn, a term for a privately held company valued at $1 billion or more, placing it among other Indian edtech companies that had reached this threshold earlier.[9] The round, led by WestBridge Capital with GSV Ventures participating, followed a Series D round of $30 million from nine months prior.[10]
In 2023, LEAD School also acquired Pearson India’s K-12 business, increasing its network by 6,000 schools.[11] During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company provided digital resources to schools from 2020 to 2021, an initiative noted by industry observers for supporting remote learning during nationwide school closures.[12][13] Later, its system included elements tied to the National Education Policy 2020, such as coding skills.[14]
Educational model
[edit]LEAD School operates an integrated learning system covering pre-primary to Grade 10. The system uses offline as well as digital classrooms equipped with smart boards, integrates AI-driven tools for personalised learning and includes regular evaluations and data analysis to monitor student progress.[4] Teacher training is part of the approach, with ongoing professional development provided to educators. The system targets schools with limited resources.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ "LEAD School profile at Tracxn". tracxn.com. 14 May 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ Paul, Binu (15 January 2022). "Mumbai-based Lead School has become India's sixth edtech unicorn after Byju's, Unacademy, Eruditus, UpGrad and Vedantu". www.businesstoday.in. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ Anand, Aditya (10 June 2020). "Hybrid learning essential for reopening of schools". www.thehindu.com. The Hindu. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ a b Arakali, Harichandran (7 November 2022). "Lesson Plan: Inside LEAD School's strategy for quality education in small-town India". www.forbesindia.com. Forbes India. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ Bhargava, Anjuli (1 August 2023). "How EdTech Firm LEAD Schools Plans To Make A Mark In India's Vast Education Sector". www.thecore.in. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "How School Edtech Platform LEAD Is Driving The Learning Outcomes Of 2,000+ Affordable Private Schools". inc42.com. 24 December 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ Arakali, Harichandran (16 December 2022). "Innovating pedagogy for inclusion at LEAD School". www.forbesindia.com. Forbes India. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "LEAD School raises $30 million". www.thehindu.com. 26 April 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ Singh, Manish (12 January 2022). "India's LEAD School becomes unicorn with fresh $100M in funding". techcrunch.com. TechCrunch. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ Bhalla, Tarush (26 April 2021). "EdTech startup LEAD School raises $30 million in Series D round". www.livemint.com. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ Mukul, Pranav (11 January 2023). "Edtech unicorn Lead to acquire Pearson's India K-12 business". economictimes.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ Verma, Mansi (7 August 2023). "Edtech unicorn LEAD narrows losses, revenue nearly doubles in FY23". www.moneycontrol.com. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ Tyagi, Gaurav (11 October 2021). "How LEAD School scaled revenues 2X during COVID hit FY21". entrackr.com. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ Bhatia, Vinita (6 September 2023). "LEAD Partners With Rajasthan Government For Quality Education". www.outlookbusiness.com. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ Raghavan, Ranjani (5 July 2024). "LEAD's Sumeet Mehta has a lesson for founders: Ditch that Plan B". www.livemint.com. Mint. Retrieved 10 June 2025.