- Flintoclass@HOME – A preschool system that delivers structured early learning to the doorstep and focuses on making a child school-ready from the safety and comfort of home during the COVID-19 pandemic
Chennai, NFAPost: Flinto Learning Solutions, the leader in Early Childhood Education in India, has raised $7.2 million in Pre-Series B funding, led by Lightbox Ventures.
Flinto will be using this fresh flow of capital to support its rapid growth in the early learning space and to expand its newly-launched preschool solution during the COVID-19 pandemic — Flintoclass@HOME. This preschool model is set to become a game-changer amid the turbulent COVID-19 environment as it delivers hybrid preschool education to the doorstep, allowing children to learn from the safety of their homes, Flinto said.
Founded in September 2013 by – Arunprasad Durairaj, Vijay Babu Gandhi and Shreenidhi Srirangam, Flinto is built on a mission to change the way children across the world learn and play.
Backed by a research centre on child development, and a passion to impact the lives of future citizens, Flinto has over the years created a difference by addressing the key touchpoints of a child’s life — home and school.
Flintobox, the flagship product that came out of Flinto’s innovation & research centre, has won the hearts of 1 million families across India, providing ample understanding into the engagement & development of children across various age groups.
Based on the immense insights from Flintobox was born Flintoclass ‘Preschool In A Box’, powering children with learning tools and driving passionate entrepreneurs with a robust business model to grow successful preschools. In the last 1.5 years, Flintoclass successfully spread its wings to more than 700 preschools across 8 countries.
Today, the uncertainties of COVID-19 and the closure of schools across the globe have brought with it a new era of digital learning replacing classrooms. Research, however, shows that this could be detrimental to children below the age of 6.
Flinto Learning Solutions CEO and Co-founder Arunprasad Durairaj said, “We don’t want COVID-19 to come in the way of a child’s learning. For children below 6 years of age, monotonous online classes can’t be a substitute for the multi-sensory experiences that they deserve.”
“We wanted to ensure that children continue receiving structured hands-on learning without compromising on their safety. With our expertise in early childhood education over the past 7 years and an already successful preschool model, we came up with Flintoclass@HOME, a blended preschool learning experience. Every month, parents receive at their doorstep an easy-to-use preschool kit with daily hands-on activities for children, along with pre-recorded interactive sessions with our educators,” Arunprasad Durairaj said.
In less than a month, Flinto saw 3,000 enrollments, and the startup will be using the funds to create, expand and distribute this product across the world.
Lightbox Partner Prashant Mehta said, “By kindergarten, 90% of a child’s brain capacity develops, yet only 10-15% of the funding is allocated towards early learning, globally. The resources for early learning are sparse, and a curriculum with a child-centred pedagogy is rare. At Flinto, we see an opportunity to build a global leader in addressing the unique needs of early learning by co-creating products with children, parents and educators.”
He added that they are excited to see that Flinto is becoming more relevant especially during the COVID-19 crisis when the primary place of learning and development is turning out to be home.