From running a film production house based in Mumbai, owning a cricket franchise representing Kolkata in the Indian Premier League to investing in Mexican edutainment brand kidZania's first theme park in India, <keyword id="1671" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shah-Rukh-Khan">Shah Rukh Khan</keyword> has not only reigned as the king of Bollywood for decades, but has also emerged as one of the smartest business minds in India’s Hindi film industry over the years. 
 
He is what every start-up should learn from before plunging themselves into running a new business. On his 50th birthday, we urge start-ups to learn from the business empire of the man who is an endorser, producer, promoter, entrepreneur, icon, financial source to being a brand in his own right. 
 
(Image credit: BCCL)

Things that Shah Rukh Khan can teach startups about running a business

<keyword id="265338" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Anand-Lunia">Anand Lunia</keyword> who started India Quotient with his old friend <keyword id="1506956" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Madhukar-Sinha">Madhukar Sinha</keyword>, had been clear from the beginning that he wanted to create a fund that had a close connection with the Indian Consumer and every company in their portfolio reflects that. India Quotient’s portfolio includes around 30 <keyword id="6362513" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Startups">startups</keyword> such as 91Mobiles, Roposo, ShareChat, LendingKart, HolaChef, and PrettySecrets. While a lot of companies in their kitty have shut shop, the investors have successfully exited four investments with many of the companies raising follow-on funding from larger venture capital funds. The fund’s internal rate of return (IRR) is in the range of 30-35 percent, and they are keeping a target IRR of 50 percent for the upcoming fund. Business Insider caught up with Anand <keyword id="3790283" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="lunia">Lunia</keyword>, Founding Partner, India Quotient who has been investing in start-ups since the past ten years.<div type="embedgroup"> <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="58961264" title="Exclusive: Rohan Malhotra , Founding Partner, Investopad Thinks that Building Up Start-ups is Like Managing Sportspeople" rank="1.0" kind="RELATED" publishDate="Jun 02, 2017, 3:55 PM" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div></div>
Consumer Connect “In the last two years, every VC firm is leaning towards SAAS and B2B businesses but we believe that the India story is largely about consumption. We’re stepping up towards consumer space because we feel that we know and wish to perfect this sector as an investment firm,” says Lunia who says that he has been using the money he earns from his previous investments into India Quotient. Lunia revealed that the firm is hoping to invest in 25 startups through its new fund, which should have its first close by October, this year. The target corpus for the new fund, which will be the early-stage investors’ third, is expected to be around $50 million.<div type="embedgroup"> <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="58964132" title="Exclusive: Rohan Malhotra, Partner, Investopad Supports India- specific Businesses that are not copied from other Markets" rank="1.0" kind="RELATED" publishDate="Jun 02, 2017, 6:55 PM" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div></div>
Partners to enable more connections This fund is a little different, as founders Anand Lunia and Madhukar Sinha will be the general partners, and Prerna Bhutani, Gagan Goyal will form the investment team investing across sectors with a focus on social media, fintech, niche marketplaces and smart devices in healthcare and edutainment. <div type="embedgroup"> <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="59070016" title="Exclusive: Anand Lunia, Founding Partner, India Quotient reminisces how he moved on to investing from entrepreneurship" rank="1.0" kind="RELATED" publishDate="Jun 09, 2017, 4:39 PM" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div></div> “Instead of finding entrepreneurs that need mentoring, we try to find companies that don’t need any mentoring and we are just assisting them financially,” says Lunia who sees himself to <keyword id="6391" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tendulkar">Tendulkar</keyword>’s first coach instead of hand-holding the talent to success, which is the case with most investors. Advising start-ups to think back to why they started, instead of pivoting their business after every business meeting, Lunia said that they don’t meddle with their investments as they feel that it limits their growth and head-space, something that stops them from reaching the potential.

Exclusive: Anand Lunia, Partner, India Quotient wants to be entrepreneurs’ first coach instead of handholding them through the end

Bollywood’s King, <keyword id="1671" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shah-Rukh-Khan">Shah Rukh Khan</keyword>, who is Indian film industry's global face and one of the most prominent figures in India, has turned 51 today and in all these years, Shah Rukh has transformed himself from that humble beginner to the king of Hindi cinema. 
 
Apart from his acting, Shah Rukh’s should be lauded for his knack for business also as the actor has made millions through his sharp mind and business skill set. 
Shah Rukh Khan featured among the world's highest-paid celebrities of 2016 by an annual list by Forbes. Shah Rukh Khan banked $33 million–more than Robert Downey Jr. and Brad Pitt–to be the highest-earning star from Bollywood. 
 
But, Shah Rukh’s net worth is $600 million, including his business ventures. 
 
He has many a times proved himself to be an even better businessman than an actor. Here are some instances when the world admired the businessman Shah Rukh more than the actor Shah Rukh. 
 
1. It had barely been 7 years since he had stepped into the industry when Shah Rukh co-founded Dreamz Unlimited, the company that produced three of Shah Rukh's films before being dissolved. These films were Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, Asoka and Chalte Chalte. Having the confidence to produce big budget movies after spending a little time in the industry proved to the world that Shah Rukh Khan was not just an actor but also an inherent businessman. 
 
2. When he transformed Dreamz Unlimited into Red Chillies Entertainment, which became one of India's biggest production houses. After the success of Chalte Chalte, Shah Rukh realized that he could do much more with film production than just being a part of the team. He then took over Dreamz Unlimited and transformed it into Red Chillies Entertainment, which went on to become one of the biggest and most successful film production houses in India. 
 
3. When he forayed into other facets of production, and proved to be the best yet again. Not many people know that India's biggest Visual Effects Studios is owned by Shah Rukh Khan and his wife Gauri Khan. Christened as Red Chillies VFX, the unit handles the special effects of all his home productions and of some other movies as well. The company has won a National Award for its special effects for the 2011 movie Ra.One. He also produces television commercials for various global brands, a strategic move which was much ahead of its time. 
 
4. When he stepped into sports, for cricket and much more. We all know that Kolkata Knight Riders is co-owned by Shah Rukh Khan, but did you know that KKR is the richest and the most financially successful IPL team? He also planned for KKR merchandise, which sold like free cakes, all thanks to his stardom and strategic moves. Other than cricket, he also owns a racing team in the i1 Super Series and plans to buy a football team, areas where he would get the first-mover advantage. 
 
5. Joining Kidzania, the multi-national company based in Latin American country Mexico, Shah Rukh extended his business towards the edutainment sector as well. Shah Rukh has 26% shares in Indian edition of the company, Kidzania India. Shah Rukh’s personal mission by this is to circulate the brand in India. 
 
6. He has 700-800 Cr rupees of asset in real estate which included the residences in Mumbai, London and Dubai.

Here’s how Shah Rukh Khan makes his millions

When you buy through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. <a href="https://www.insider-inc.com/commerce-on-insider-inc/">Learn more.</a><ul class="summary-list"><li>"<a style="font-family: LabGrotesque-Black, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;" href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.edx.org%2Fprofessional-certificate%2Fhumorx-remotely-humoroushumorous" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Remotely Humorous</a>" is a three-part course available on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/edx-overview-faq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">edX</a> focused on using humor and levity to create better workplaces — both in employee satisfaction and in results.</li><li>Designed by two Stanford lecturers and some of the top writers from Funny or Die and Comedy Central, the course is an adaptation of one of Stanford Graduate School of Business's most popular courses.</li><li>Studies show that humor can contribute to more highly connected teams, more creative and effective ideas, more trustworthy leaders, and more persuasive arguments. </li><li>The class practices what it preaches and uses a blend of sketch comedy, lecture, and team-building exercises for a fun learning experience.</li><li>The three-course program is $147, but BI readers can sign up for "<a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.edx.org%2Fprofessional-certificate%2Fhumorx-remotely-humoroushumorous" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored nofollow sponsored">Remotely Humorous"</a> for 20% off now until September 2021 with the code "EDXHUMOR" at checkout.</li></ul>Table of Contents: StaticNaomi Bagdonas and Connor Diemand-Yauman, two Stanford Graduate School of Business Management lecturers, have created an online course on an unconventional aspect of leadership: levity."<a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.edx.org%2Fprofessional-certificate%2Fhumorx-remotely-humoroushumorous" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Remotely Humorous</a>" — a new online specialization offered on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/edx-overview-faq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">edX, the nonprofit education site founded by Harvard and MIT</a> — aims to help leaders create an effective and rewarding company culture, even if it's currently online.According to the duo, by using humor, leaders can create more bonded, creative, and effective teams, and they can seem to employees like more authentic, competent, and trustworthy people. And while many understand this intuitively (<a href="https://hbr.org/2017/01/research-cracking-a-joke-at-work-can-make-you-seem-more-competent" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">science</a> just confirms what they already know), they're less sure how to utilize humor as an effective tool in the workplace. So, in Bagdonas and Diemand-Yauman's class, that's most of what students learn.A course on humor in the workplace isn't a class about how to construct a tight 10-minute set. Nor is it Improv 101. Instead, students learn about the mindset and conditions for lightheartedness to arise naturally. Bagdonas and Diemand-Yauman talk about the "five enablers" that act as precursors to humor and levity. As well as lecturing at Stanford, the pair teaches improv together. Additionally, Bagdonas has coached executives and celebrities before appearances on shows such as SNL and The Today Show, and Diemand-Yauman is the CEO of Philanthropy University, a small company that has a <a href="https://www.greatplacetowork.com/certified-company/7015073" target="_blank" rel="noopener">100% employee approval rating</a> on Great Place to Work. But Bagdonas and Diemand-Yauman didn't just rely on their own impressive backgrounds to develop the content for the class. Not only is the online course adapted from a popular class the two teach at Stanfords GSB with Dr. Jennifer Aaker, but the pair also created a makeshift writers' room made up of top comedy minds from places like Comedy Central and Funny or Die. The end result is an array of engaging content and learning tools that blends sketch comedy, lecture, and team-building exercises. If the point is that coworkers function better in joyful environments with humor and levity, Bagdonas and Diemand-Yauman practice what they preach in creating what Diemand-Yauman refers to as "Hollywood meets Harvard edu-tainment." Bagdonas expanded on the idea behind the class and the process in an interview with Business Insider. "We need to drop this façade that we need to be serious all the time to accomplish very serious, very important things," Bagdonas says. "Not only are we teaching about why humor is powerful, but we're actually doing the thing that we're teaching and embodying it in the content." <h2>How the class is structured</h2><ul><li>Conquering Humor Fundamentals</li></ul>1–2 hours per week for 2 weeksIn the first part of the course, students use professional comedy techniques to discover their sense of humor and how to use it to both bond and increase creativity and positive mental health on virtual teams.<ul><li>Priming Your Remote Team for Humor</li></ul>1–2 hours per week for 2 weeksStudents learn about the five enablers of humor and use team-building techniques to create the ideal conditions for humor to occur in virtual teams.<ul><li>Making Remote Humor Stick</li></ul>1–2 hours per week, for 2 weeksFinally, the class tackles how to use the three facilitators of levity — what the instructors call "legends, rituals, and offers" — to create a long term virtual company culture of "joy, connection, and effectiveness."Note: BI readers can sign up for Remotely Humorous: Build Joyful and Resilient Virtual Teams with Humor for 20% off with the code EDXHUMOR at checkout. <h2>Who should take this course?</h2>While the content is new, much of the foundational points come from the work Diemand-Yauman and Bagdonas do with executive team clients. And, ultimately, there are key takeaways to be learned that are helpful for pretty much everyone. The class can function as a team-building exercise for remote teams who no longer have the option of an offsite event, or provide useful mental health and interpersonal insight for nearly any career. <h2>How does humor create a better work environment and more effective teams?</h2>Gallup, the popular analytics and advisory company, <a href="https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236213/why-need-best-friends-work.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote in 2018</a> that the question "Do you have a best friend at work?" was among the most controversial it had asked in its 30 years of employee engagement research. In part because some workers have a clear delineation between work and play, and because some would prefer — and think it best — that their employees "leave their humanness at the door." On the contrary, Bagdonas, Diemand-Yauman, and <a href="https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236213/why-need-best-friends-work.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gallup research</a> tend to advise the opposite. Humanness — and, more specifically, connection and joy — make workplaces more efficient and satisfying. Members of highly connected teams benefit from feeling that they have meaningful relationships with their colleagues, effectively communicate, and work well together. Scientifically, even talking about shared laughter connects people. Researchers found that having partners reminisce together about moments when they laughed together — as opposed to moments that were merely positive or neutral — <a href="http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.464.5766&amp;rep=rep1&amp;type=pdftype=pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> being more satisfied in their relationships.Gallup also reported that only two out of 10 US employees strongly agreed to having a close friend at work at the time. And, if that ratio increased to six in 10, organizations would see 12 percent higher profit, 7 percent more engaged customers, and 36 percent fewer safety incidents. And that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how humor, and close bonds, can help improve workplaces. Here are a few other significant ways levity can make teams for effective.It helps teams bond. "Neurochemically, laughing together gives us more bang for our buck when it comes to interpersonal connection than just about anything else," Bagdonas, who will <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Humor-Seriously-Secret-Business-harness/dp/0593135288/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&amp;keywords=Humor,+Seriously&amp;qid=1600458716&amp;sr=8-2&amp;linkCode=ll1&amp;tag=biip_092120_how-to-thoroughly-clean-your-kitchen-20&amp;linkId=a627e04aae4cb0d13e0629ff2984ada3&amp;language=en_USf2984ada3&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">publish a book on the subject in 2021</a>, explains. "Our brains release the hormone oxytocin, which makes us more bonded. Whether we're in person or over screens or six feet apart in lawn chairs in our driveways, it works the same way. What we find for leaders, but also just for anyone in our lives, is that humor is a really effective way to build trust, to build bonds."It creates an environment that encourages creativity and positivity, and that can enable better outcomes. <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1987-27192-001" target="_blank" rel="noopener">One study</a> showed that people performed better on two tasks that require "creative ingenuity" after they'd watched a few minutes of comedy or received a small bag of candy. "When we laugh, our brains suppress the release of cortisol. Cortisol is the stress 'fight or flight' hormone. When cortisol is high, [it's like] your fire alarm going off in the background. It's really hard to be creative in that space," Bagdonas says. "We know that when people laugh, it unlocks a broader range of connections. It unlocks more creativity, more innovation. People tend to be more risk-taking."Psychological studies suggest that laughter has all sorts of positive effects, including <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6125057/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">enhanced memory, improved judgment and decision making, and more willingness to take risks</a>. "People remember things more when we're laughing, because our brains flood with dopamine," Bagdonas adds.It helps leaders seem more trustworthy and competent. "Behavioral research suggests that humorous leaders are actually viewed as more trustworthy, confident, and competent," Diemand-Yauman says.It may help you advance in your career — or get hired somewhere new. A Hodge Cronin and Associates survey of over 700 executives <a href="https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/humor-serious-business" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> found that 98 percent of respondents would rather hire someone with a good sense of humor over an equally talented but more serious candidate, and 84 percent thought that people with a sense of humor do better work. In terms of persuasion and negotiation power, <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/3033903" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research</a> has shown that people will pay more for something if the seller uses humor. <h2>Why is humor especially important with virtual work and during a pandemic?</h2>In place of company holiday parties and bagel Fridays, there are narrowing options for creating a highly connected company culture while your team is working virtually. And <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/yale-professor-of-happiness-course-shares-advice-on-how-to-be-happy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">many people in isolation feel disconnected</a> — not just at work. Laughter is a great bang for the proverbial mental health buck. "Teams around the world are starved for a sense of connection," Diemand-Yauman says. "We have far fewer common points of reference; we aren't sitting next to each other and we aren't in the same time zones. We don't have water cooler talk." In the void, laughter can do the heavy lifting. "When we laugh together, we are prompting our brains to fire with the same hormones at the same time, which enables us to trust one another more and to make all of the subsequent, two-dimensional interactions richer," he explains.Diemand-Yauman says he understands that trying a joke in front of 50 muted icons on Zoom can be prohibitive, but he's started playing a laugh track after his own "offers" at levity to neutralize any awkwardness. Ultimately, what matters is that the leader is trying. The threat of a glitch or miscommunication may discourage attempts at humor, but Diemand-Yauman says there are also more opportunities to signal playfulness than ever. And they're simple: change your Zoom background to a funny photo or send a GIF over Slack. And right now may be a particularly good moment to bond. Remote work has removed some of the more standardized boundaries of workplaces. Instead of sterile offices, we find ourselves routinely looking into our coworker's living spaces and confronted with a fuller picture of their humanity (wandering children, barking dogs, the messiness of everyday life). In terms of company culture, remote work can offer its own silver linings, especially if leaders approach it as an opportunity rather than a challenge. <h2>The bottom line</h2>It seems unlikely that "Remotely Humorous" is the silver bullet that can solve all the woes you may be experiencing either as a virtual team or as a human being at the moment. But, it offers surprisingly substantial help for some of them and it can help people carve out a few more opportunities for joy and connection in their lives and the lives of their coworkers.In my own experience, talking with Bagdonas and Diemand-Yauman for this article felt different than many interviews I've conducted. To be frank, it was fun. And, later, writing this now, I relied upon my notes less than normal. I did, for my part, retain the information better. This is not to say that anything particularly magical happened. Instead, I was reminded of the Bill Murray quote: "The more relaxed you are, the better you are at everything — the better you are with your loved ones, the better you are with enemies, the better you are at your job, the better you are with yourself." It's Bagdonas and Diemand-Yauman's hope that, after "Remotely Humorous," you'll agree. <h3><a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=35871X943606&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.edx.org%2Fprofessional-certificate%2Fhumorx-remotely-humoroushumorous" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">You can sign up here for Remotely Humorous: Build Joyful and Resilient Virtual Teams with Humor for 20% off</a> with the code EDXHUMOR at checkout until September 2021</h3>

A new online class developed by Stanford lecturers and professional comedy writers is helping virtual work teams be more creative and effective

Education start-ups in India seem to be the hottest targets right now, going by the kind of <keyword id="6357455" type="EVENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Funding">funding</keyword> they are attracting from local and global investors. A couple of days ago, Delhi-based start-up <keyword id="1974964" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Avanti-Learning-Centres">Avanti Learning Centres</keyword> raised an undisclosed amount in <keyword id="948731" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="seed-funding">seed funding</keyword> from <keyword id="1894311" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Pearson-Affordable-Learning-Fund">Pearson Affordable Learning Fund</keyword> (<keyword id="1954796" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="PALF">PALF</keyword>). Two more <keyword id="6365770" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="angel-investors">angel investors</keyword> also took part in the round. Avanti will use the <keyword id="1974977" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Seed-round">seed round</keyword> to develop an <keyword id="1974975" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Online-offline-learning">online-offline learning</keyword> &amp; monitoring system, create more <keyword id="755302" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="educational-content">educational content</keyword> and build new <keyword id="68244" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Learning-centres">learning centres</keyword>. Currently, the <keyword id="1044076" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="education-start-up">education start-up</keyword> operates stand-alone and in-school centres in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kanpur, Roorkee and Puducherry, besides helping the <keyword id="3216" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="students">students</keyword> in three Tibetan schools in Uttarakhand and Karnataka. 
 
This is the second investment in India that Pearson has made through PALF, and the third overall since the fund was launched in July 2012. 
 In November this year, <keyword id="1954793" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Global-education-leader">Global education leader</keyword> Pearson’s inaugural <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/These-2-Peer-selected-Start-upsShared-150K-Investment-To-Boost-Low-cost-Education/articleshow/26512179.cms">edupreneur programme</a>, jointly launched by PALF and US-based investor Village Capital, came to a close with <keyword id="1954794" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Experifun">Experifun</keyword> and <keyword id="1467859" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Sudiksha-Knowledge-Solutions">Sudiksha Knowledge Solutions</keyword> walking off with a seed funding of $75,000 each. The <keyword id="6362476" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="investments">investments</keyword> will enable the start-ups to further develop their low-cost education ventures and assist underprivileged school children. 
 Pearson launched PALF in July 2012 with a capital of $15 million. Investments are made into private companies that offer <keyword id="1974987" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Affordable-educational-services">affordable educational services</keyword> and schooling in Asia, <keyword id="12925" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="80" keywordseo="Africa">Africa</keyword> and Latin America. 
 Set up as a <keyword id="456748" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="non-profit">non-profit</keyword> in March 2010 by <keyword id="258061" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Akshay-Saxena">Akshay Saxena</keyword> and <keyword id="1974967" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Krishna-Ramkumar">Krishna Ramkumar</keyword>, Avanti Learning Centres supports students from low-income families (those with a family income of $5,000 per annum or below) and prepares them for <keyword id="1974989" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="College-entrance-exams">college entrance exams</keyword>, especially the highly competitive engineering and medical entrance tests. Students can study up to 18 hours a week at a centre and need to pay only $20 per month. Costs are kept low as a large network of volunteers and partners, including universities, public schools, policy makers and private sector businesses, help with teaching and administration. 
 Instead of traditional lectures, Avanti follows a comprehensive programme including <keyword id="1951606" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="book-learning">book learning</keyword>, <keyword id="144248" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Videos">videos</keyword>, <keyword id="1974990" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Peer-learning">peer learning</keyword> (developed by Dr <keyword id="1974994" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Eric-Mazur">Eric Mazur</keyword>, the company’s chief academic advisor and a physics professor at <keyword id="53675" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="harvard">Harvard</keyword>), <keyword id="956032" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Self-study">self study</keyword> &amp; <keyword id="969316" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="group-work">group work</keyword>, <keyword id="1974991" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Recorded-lectures">recorded lectures</keyword>, <keyword id="140811" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="mentoring">mentoring</keyword> and doubt-solving. Students are enrolled after a highly selective two-stage process. 
 “It was the commitment from Akshay and Krishna to focus on improving the <keyword id="1974995" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Education-of-low-income-communities">education of low-income communities</keyword>, combined with an <keyword id="1974993" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Innovative-learning-model">innovative learning model</keyword>, which was the most attractive aspect of the <keyword id="718769" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="investment-opportunity">investment opportunity</keyword>,” said PALF executive director, <keyword id="1974962" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Katelyn-Donnelly">Katelyn Donnelly</keyword>. 
 “Avanti is particularly exciting because it is a non-traditional pedagogy with very strong initial results. Our investment allows us to partner with a mission-led company to bridge a crucial gap between secondary and <keyword id="6375224" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="higher-education">higher education</keyword> for low-income learners. PALF is enthused to support the Avanti team to successfully grow across India, and we look forward to working with them to deliver on their long-term vision,” she added. 
 Commenting on the funding, Saxena said, “Once we decided that a <keyword id="1975001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="For-profit">for-profit</keyword> model was the best way to reach scale, we knew we would need expert strategic insight and advice. We are incredibly excited to be working with the Pearson Affordable Learning Fund as they bring unrivalled education expertise to the table that can help us achieve our long-term objectives. We look forward to building upon the relationship with Pearson as we improve outcomes for low-income learners in the years to come.” 
 
Recent fundraising by education start-ups 
uFaber: Mumbai-based <keyword id="1975002" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="uFaber-Edutech">uFaber Edutech</keyword> (http://www.ufaber.com/), which runs an <keyword id="1975003" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Online-education-marketplace">online education marketplace</keyword> for <keyword id="1975006" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Professional-skill-development">professional skill development</keyword>, hobbies, crafts, academics and vocational training, got Rs 37 lakh from <keyword id="1975007" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ah-Seeders">Ah! Seeders</keyword>, the seed funding network of <keyword id="1975008" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Club-Ah">Club Ah!</keyword> It is the network’s maiden investment in India after its launch in the country. Ah! Seeders puts its money into very early stage companies and typically invests in the range of Rs 25-50 lakh. 
 
<keyword id="1573710" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Meritnation">Meritnation</keyword>: Delhi-based <keyword id="1962741" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Applect-Learning-Systems">Applect Learning Systems</keyword>, which runs the online education and assessment site Meritnation.com (http://www.meritnation.com/), secured Rs 10 crore from <keyword id="80004" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Info-Edge">Info Edge</keyword> (India) Ltd, the biggest consumer Internet company in India by market value. With this fresh round, Info Edge has put in a total of Rs 71.5 crore and holds around 55.81% stake in Applect (on a fully diluted and converted basis). 
 
<keyword id="900714" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="InOpen-Technologies">InOpen Technologies</keyword>: Mumbai-based InOpen Technologies (http://inopen.in/), a start-up developing educational content and <keyword id="1975016" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Teachers-training-solutions">teacher’s training solutions</keyword>, received an undisclosed sum in Series A from <keyword id="1975017" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Japanese-education-firm">Japanese education firm</keyword> Benesse Holdings, Inc. In August 2011, the company raised $500,000 in seed funding from <keyword id="1975018" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ventureast-Tenet-Fund-II">Ventureast Tenet Fund II</keyword>. 
 
MangoSense: The Pune-based edutainment start-up (http://mangosense.com/) got an undisclosed amount from <keyword id="164924" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mumbai-Angels">Mumbai Angels</keyword>. Its products include <keyword id="1975022" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="MangoReader">MangoReader</keyword>, <keyword id="1975023" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="MangoReach">MangoReach</keyword> and <keyword id="1975025" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="MangoSocial">MangoSocial</keyword>, through which users can create a fun and social environment for reading books and sharing them with friends. 
 
<keyword id="1975033" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="K2-Learning">K2 Learning</keyword>: Bangalore-based hybrid (online-offline) start-up K2 (http://k2learning.in/) secured Rs 8 crore in angel funding from <keyword id="244269" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Radheshyam-Agarwal">Radheshyam Agarwal</keyword>, founder and director of <keyword id="1975034" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Calcutta-Tube-India">Calcutta Tube India</keyword>. The start-up specialises in <keyword id="1975035" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Commerce-content">commerce content</keyword> and plans to set up <keyword id="1974968" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Tab-Labs">Tab Labs</keyword> in more than 100 <keyword id="37181" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="colleges">colleges</keyword> that will get special tablets with <keyword id="1975036" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Pre-loaded-commerce-data">pre-loaded commerce data</keyword>. 
 
<keyword id="1309724" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Simplilearn">Simplilearn</keyword>: Bangalore-based <keyword id="1974963" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Simplilearn-Solutions">Simplilearn Solutions</keyword> (www.Simplilearn.com), a company offering <keyword id="1309739" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="professional-certification-courses">professional certification courses</keyword> online, secured $10 million in <keyword id="1095983" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Series-B-funding">Series B funding</keyword> from <keyword id="309606" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Helion-Venture-Partners">Helion Venture Partners</keyword> and existing investor <keyword id="1397792" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Kalaari-Capital">Kalaari Capital</keyword>.

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