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Expanding its footprint in the US, Bengaluru-based edtech decacorn BYJU’S has acquired Epic, a digital reading platform for under-12 children, for $500 million. This acquisition will give BYJU’S access to more than two million teachers and 50 million users who are a part of Epic’s global user base.

Anitha Kishore, Chief Strategy Officer at BYJU’S, told YS, “There are products that focus on learning by watching or learning by playing for different age groups, and Epic is focused on learning by reading. This, we believe, is a lifelong skill.”

The acquisition mirrors the phenomenal rise the sector has seen since the start of the pandemic. According to YS Research, between March 2020 and February 2021, the edtech sector in India witnessed more than 70 deals — becoming the highest-funded sector in 2020, fetching a record $2.2 billion in venture capital.

BYJU’S acquisition of Epic follows other notable M&As that took place recently, hinting at sectoral consolidation. 

These include Unacademy buying out PrepLadder for $50 million, and acquiring a majority stake in Mastree for $5 million; Unacademy acquiring a majority stake in TapChief for an undisclosed amount, and scooping up NeoStencil; Vedantu buying out Instasolv; Unacademy pocketing Coursavy for an undisclosed sum; BYJU’S acquiring LabInApp; upGrad acquiring The Gate Academy and Rekrut India, among other deals.

Read all about how the Indian startup ecosystem is battling the second wave of COVID-19 here.

Here are some useful tools to help you find the nearest vaccine centres in real-time.

You can also share a tribute to COVID-19 warriors, saviours, and survivors here.

The Interview

Recently, Blackstone invested $250 million to acquire a majority stake in Bengaluru-based online digital skilling platform Simplilearn.

In an exclusive interaction with YS, Simplilearn CEO Krishna Kumar talks about the startup’s mission in education, why the platform kept 60 percent of its business free, and how Blackstone will help it in building for the next stage.

Editor’s Pick: Decoding investment in P2P lending

After RBI brought the P2P lending segment under the regulatory purview, it set the tone for P2P lending players to strengthen their business models and scale up, leading many P2P lending startups to raise funding in 2018-19. 

However, the investments have since vanished. YS spoke to players like LenDenClub, Faircent, Finzy, Lendbox, among others, and industry experts to understand the situation. Read more.

Startup Spotlight

Bringing tech and transparency to housing

In India, much of the construction sector is riddled with project delays, cash flow problems, changing client demands, debt burdens, and lack of transparency.

Jayesh Rajpurohit, a civil engineer from IIT Roorkee, observed that the industry suffered from a “severe tech deficit”. Along with Arpit Rajpurohit, he founded Brick&Bolt in 2018 as a tech-enabled construction marketplace to bring trust, predictability, and transparency in housing projects. Read more.

News & Updates

• U GRO Capital said it has launched a Rs 1,000 crore co-lending programme, Pratham, with the Bank of Baroda, which will allow MSMEs to avail customised lending solutions at a competitive rate of interest, with a significant reduction in turnaround time. 

Before you go, stay inspired with… 

“Our mission is to fuel curiosity and make students fall in love with learning. Knowing that Epic and its products are rooted in the same mission, it was a natural fit.”

— Byju Raveendran, Founder and CEO, BYJU’S

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