Exclusive: Edtech firm WhizKidz Media raises seed round from Lead Angels

WhizKidz Media, which operates kids focused learning platform OckyPocky, has raised fresh capital in an extended seed funding round from new investor Lead Angels, the Gurugram-based firm told TechCircle. 

The fundraise is pegged at around $400,000. Lead Angels declined to comment on the exact amount invested. 

Additionally, returning investors in the company, ah! Ventures and SucSEED Venture Partners, will join the seed funding round with follow-on investments, the company said. 

Founded in 2015 by Amit Agrawal, former head of Youtube content operations in south and southeast Asia, OckyPocky is an interactive learning app that helps preschool kids learn English. The platform has built content on an interactive voice and video platform, accessible in Indian languages, for children under the age of 12 to improve their vocabulary. The product focuses primarily on non-English speaking families.

The company said it will use the fresh funds to increase its team and hire across roles. 

It introduced creative classes for children aged between two and eight during the lockdown and added live classes. 

“With the lockdown, the servers crashed due to increased traffic and we had to downsize to increase the runway. With the funding, we are now monetising the platform and doubling down on revenue every month,” Agrawal said. 

An IIM Bangalore and St Stephen’s College alumnus, Agrawal mastered English later in life as neither of his parents spoke the language. 

“English is not the focus for most schools as long as a student scores well and passes in other subjects. I was lucky to have teachers who helped me go the extra mile. In India, 80% of the grade 2 kids cannot read a sentence in English,” the co-founder told TechCircle.

“We clearly saw the problem statement and a solution with a product-market-fit backed by a founder who had scaled businesses to more than $100 million. We also see increased adoption and crazy growth on the back of Covid,” Manish Johari, senior vice president at investor Lead Angels, said in a statement.

The edtech space has seen increased investor interest as teaching and learning has moved online as Covid-19 has forced institutions to close. 

This month saw Better Capital and Titan Capital investing in Teachmint Technologies and impact investor Unitus announcing a fund infusion in Masai School, a platform to learn coding.