Startup Embibe aims to become a top player in India’s test preparation segment
India’s Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) is building a range of learning solutions for the country’s huge education technology (edtech) market. Currently, India’s eductech scene Byju’s and Vedantu dominate the Indian edutech markets scene.
Embibe aims to become a top player in India’s test preparation segment. RIL acquired a 73% stake in the startup in 2018, which is now buiding an AI-backed platform for students.
Jio has launched more than 65 educational channels on JioTV with national and state-specific content, in collaboration with the Union ministry of human resource development, the National Council of Education Research and Training, and seven states through Embibe, Extramarks Education, and Jio Institute, RIL said in its annual report.
Education is the next big segment for RIL, which will not only give it a large user base, but also strengthen Jio’s leadership position in the technology segment. Education is another route for RIL to enter every household and take a wallet share, an analyst tracking the company said on condition of anonymity.
Jio’s online music streaming service, JioSaavn, streams education-related podcasts across 1,100 titles, while the Jio STBs provide access to 21 education-related applications.
Meanwhile, RIL’s Extramarks Education aimed at early childhood, K-12, and competitive examinations platform, is expanding across South Africa, Indonesia and West Asia.
Through our test prep solutions and Go-To-School program, we have already seen the power and potential of digital to transform the way learning happens in the country. In dire situations created by the pandemic, Extramarks students were able to pursue their studies with ease, said Ritvik Kulshrestha, chief executive officer, Extramarks Education.
Last October, Extramarks partnered with realty firm Mahindra Lifespace to provide online learning to its customers, brokers, and employees at a discounted rate. Extramarks has more than six million students spending an average of 97 minutes every day on its platform, it said.
Jio’s strategy of engaging consumers on its platforms is clear from the segments it has ventured into. Though the pandemic has accelerated the adoption of technology, we only see these segments making a material contribution to Jio’s numbers a few years down the line, said the analyst quoted earlier.
Earlier this year, RIL’s rival Amazon started Amazon Academy for helping students join India’s premier engineering colleges.