Pearson announced a seed investment of 1.6 Crore INR in Experifun,
a Bangalore-based company that allows teachers and students to
conduct innovative science experiments and activities via affordable
science kits in the classroom.
The investment was made through the Pearson Affordable Learning
Fund (PALF), a fund established in 2012 to support early-stage
education enterprises and entrepreneurs creating innovative
affordable learning solutions.
The investment builds upon PALF’s commitment to Experifun as one
of the two winners of the PALF’s 2013 Edupreneurs programme.
Edupreneurs is business incubator programme that invests in
entrepreneurs focused on innovative products and services, which
improve outcomes and access to education for learners from
economically weaker sections.
Deepak Mehrotra, Managing Director, Pearson India said, “Pearson
is committed to make education affordable, inclusive and accessible
to all. We are glad to invest in an innovative learning set-up like
Experifun, which has taken up the responsible task of making science
learning fun, easy, and outcome driven.”
Experifun designs and develops affordable and curriculum-based
next-generation science exploratory gadgets for use in regular
classroom sessions. The Experifun science kits allow students to
engage in science experiments without the traditional science lab
infrastructure. The kits are designed to empower the teacher to make
the learning process fun and to engage students in a learning process
that simplifies science concepts. The kits are adapted to fit
curricula for grades 5 through 10 such as CBSE, ICSE, Cambridge, IB
and State Boards.
“We are thrilled to invest in another of our Edupreneur
programme winners and excited to see Experifun’s effect on
classrooms and science test results in India. Experifun has continued
to demonstrate a clear understanding of teacher and learner needs and
a commitment to improving learner outcomes. Their product pipeline is
innovative, ground breaking, and can dramatically change the face of
science education in India,” says Amar Kumar, Senior Vice President
at Pearson, who will be joining the Experifun board.
The kits are already being used in more than 70 schools across
India. There are already more than 25 different types of kits with
several more in development, that cover topics ranging from
chemistry, biology, to physical science. In time, Experifun aims to
fully map the science curriculum of India and develop national reach.
This is the PALF’s seventh investment and represents the Fund’s
commitment to high-quality, for-profit education to the low-income
segment of the developing world.
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