Learning Edge Academy of Professionals raises angel funding from Sarthi Angel

Delhi-based Learning Edge Academy of Professionals Pvt Ltd (LEAP), an e-Learning, educational technology platform, has raised an undisclosed amount in an angel round from Sarthi Angel Venture Foundation (SAVF).

It is SAVF's maiden investment, which was launched in August last year by Sarthi Group, a financial services company.

Founded in 2009, Learning Edge facilitates education for professional courses such as CA/CPT, IPC, IITJEE & AIEEE, AIPMT, CAT, IAS and GMAT.

The company was promoted by Bhagwan Kewal Ramani, who has over three-and-a-half decades of experience in management. He has been on the board of the Nelson Group of Companies and has advised the group on its growth strategy.

SAVF comprises high net-worth angels, corporate and PEs/VCs/seed funds and invests in startups operating in sectors like e-commerce, IT, agriculture and food processing, consumer, clean tech, healthcare and media.

The platform can invest at any stage of a startup lifecycle (even in ideation stage companies) and the amount invested can go up to $2 million. In the first year itself, SAVF plans to invest in six-seven companies.

Founded by Deepak Sharma and Anand Lakhotia in 2009, the group provides a complete range of customised solutions to individuals and corporates in various financial service domains. Prior to Sarthi, Sharma was COO and head - wealth business & retail sales at IL&FS Investsmart Ltd. With over 20 years of experience, he had also earlier worked at companies like Centrum Finance Ltd, SPA Capital Services Ltd, Jai Parabolic Springs Ltd and Hitech Drilling Services (India) Ltd.

Lakhotia, who is Chartered Accountant, was the managing partner at Gupta Lakhotia & Associates for over 15 years, prior to launching Sarthi. He also worked at Ernst & Young. The group offers various initiatives in investment banking, merchant banking, advisory services and now the angel-funding network.

Most recently, Bangalore-based education products and services startup Skyfi Labs Pvt Ltd raisedan undisclosed amount in funding from Chennai Angels, with participation from Spark Capital, a full-service investment bank headquartered in Chennai.

Last year, Rajasthan Angel Investor Network also entered the angel investing space in the country and its first investment was in Organicshop.in, an online marketplace for organic products.

(Edited by Joby Puthuparampil Johnson)