Latest news with #Chandel


Economic Times
4 hours ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Edtech firm Arivihan raises $4.17 million from Prosus, Accel
ETtech Arivihan, an edtech firm that offers automated, personalised coaching for school students, has raised $4.17 million in a funding round led by Dutch investment firm Prosus and Silicon Valley-based venture capital (VC) firm round also saw participation from GSF Investors. The funds will be used for expansion into three new states, growing its AI research and language support capabilities, and strengthening its on-ground marketing and distribution efforts. 'When we went to tier II cities, we found that 65% of the students were from Hindi-medium backgrounds. There weren't many platforms catering to them, as most didn't offer content or doubt-solving support in Hindi, especially at an affordable price,' cofounder and chief executive Ritesh Singh Chandel told ET. Founded in 2021 by Chandel, Sonu Kumar, and Rushabh Kothari, the Indore, Madhya Pradesh-based company provides a fully automated artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tutoring platform that offers personalised learning through interactive video lessons, instant doubt resolution, and AI-generated study plans in regional languages.'If you use any LLM directly, they are very general. They don't provide answers tailored to our students' syllabus, their level of understanding, or their language. That's why we use our open-source model, which we have fine-tuned with millions of data points derived from our syllabus to suit our students,' he said. The platform answers queries in both Hindi and primarily caters to Class 12 students from tier II and tier III cities and rural areas, offering support for those preparing for State Board exams, CBSE, and NEET. 'We started with the class 12 State Board exam in Madhya Pradesh and received a great response. Then we launched for NEET and saw a similarly positive response,' Chandel said, adding that the company has now begun expanding to Rajasthan and plans to further expand to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and company plans to expand its academic team, bring on board experienced NEET faculty, and strengthen its workforce across product, marketing, and engineering roles. This comes amid a broader push by edtech startups to invest in AI, which is driving personalised learning, adaptive assessments, and automated content creation.'In FY25, we sold around 15,000 subscriptions, which generated a revenue of around Rs 3.25 crore…We are resolving a monthly query of around seven lakh with the help of AI with 97% accuracy,' Chandel added. This year, the startup is targeting between 80,000 and one lakh subscribers. The company had earlier raised $750,000 in a previous round from Accel's seed-stage programme, Atoms. Commenting on the investment, Dhruv Gupta, investor at Prosus, said, 'At Prosus, we've been actively exploring breakthrough applications of AI across sectors, and education remains one of the most compelling frontiers.''Edtech in India has long struggled with cookie-cutter solutions and often unsustainable business models. The advent of GenAI changes both dramatically, which has been visible in Arivihan's traction and student outcomes so far,' said Anagh Prasad, investor at Accel. Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. As rates slide, who will grab the savings pie? MFs, insurers? Is it time for Tim Cook to bid bye to Apple? Regulators promote exchanges; can they stifle one? Watch IEX Stock Radar: Down over 20% from highs! Varun Beverages stock showing signs of trend reversal – time to buy? History tells us 'Hold' is equal to wealth creation: 11 large- and mid-cap stocks from different sectors with upside potential of up to 37% In some cases parentage equals 'management with ability': 5 mid-caps from different sectors, which tick the right box Multibagger or IBC - Part 17: Margins are slim. Promoters are all in. Is this small cap the ultimate contrarian bet?


Time of India
4 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Edtech firm Arivihan raises $4.17 million from Prosus, Accel
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills Arivihan, an edtech firm that offers automated, personalised coaching for school students, has raised $4.17 million in a funding round led by Dutch investment firm Prosus and Silicon Valley-based venture capital (VC) firm Accel The round also saw participation from GSF funds will be used for expansion into three new states, growing its AI research and language support capabilities, and strengthening its on-ground marketing and distribution efforts.'When we went to tier II cities, we found that 65% of the students were from Hindi-medium backgrounds. There weren't many platforms catering to them, as most didn't offer content or doubt-solving support in Hindi, especially at an affordable price,' cofounder and chief executive Ritesh Singh Chandel told in 2021 by Chandel, Sonu Kumar, and Rushabh Kothari, the Indore, Madhya Pradesh-based company provides a fully automated artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tutoring platform that offers personalised learning through interactive video lessons, instant doubt resolution, and AI-generated study plans in regional languages.'If you use any LLM directly, they are very general. They don't provide answers tailored to our students' syllabus, their level of understanding, or their language. That's why we use our open-source model, which we have fine-tuned with millions of data points derived from our syllabus to suit our students,' he said. The platform answers queries in both Hindi and primarily caters to Class 12 students from tier II and tier III cities and rural areas, offering support for those preparing for State Board exams, CBSE, and NEET.'We started with the class 12 State Board exam in Madhya Pradesh and received a great response. Then we launched for NEET and saw a similarly positive response,' Chandel said, adding that the company has now begun expanding to Rajasthan and plans to further expand to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and company plans to expand its academic team, bring on board experienced NEET faculty, and strengthen its workforce across product, marketing, and engineering roles. This comes amid a broader push by edtech startups to invest in AI, which is driving personalised learning, adaptive assessments, and automated content creation.'In FY25, we sold around 15,000 subscriptions, which generated a revenue of around Rs 3.25 crore…We are resolving a monthly query of around seven lakh with the help of AI with 97% accuracy,' Chandel year, the startup is targeting between 80,000 and one lakh company had earlier raised $750,000 in a previous round from Accel 's seed-stage programme, on the investment, Dhruv Gupta, investor at Prosus, said, 'At Prosus, we've been actively exploring breakthrough applications of AI across sectors, and education remains one of the most compelling frontiers.''Edtech in India has long struggled with cookie-cutter solutions and often unsustainable business models. The advent of GenAI changes both dramatically, which has been visible in Arivihan's traction and student outcomes so far,' said Anagh Prasad, investor at Accel.


India Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Video: Raj Thackeray's party workers thrash Mumbai UPSC coach, allege fraud
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers on Monday thrashed a coaching class operator in Mumbai's Kalyan after he was accused of cheating students under the pretext of preparing them for government exams. The man, identified as Siddharth Singh Chandel, was running a coaching centre named 'Siddharth Logic' in a building opposite Kalyan railway to allegations against him, Chandel claimed to be a GST inspector and lured students with promises of quality preparation for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) and Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exams. Around 40 students had enrolled in the classes, each paying a fee of Rs 30,000. advertisementHowever, students soon realised the coaching was substandard. They alleged that the same content was being repeated in every session and that the faculty lacked proper qualifications or experience in handling competitive exam preparation. Dissatisfied and feeling cheated, the students approached local MNS leaders for help. Triggered by the complaint, MNS workers visited the coaching centre to confront Chandel. They questioned Chandel who reportedly failed to give satisfactory answers, which angered Raj Thackeray's party men. They then physically assaulted him and demanded immediate refunds for the somehow managed to return money to some students but reportedly ran out of cash before he could return money to all of them. Following this, the MNS workers handed him over to the local police. MNS officials have accused him of financial fraud and exploiting aspirants preparing for government party also alleged that this incident may be just one example of a wider network, with several such fraudulent institutions operating across the state under the pretext of preparing students for competitive workers also interacted with other students and their parents during their visit and demanded strict action against such educational have now begun an investigation into the matter. Legal proceedings against Siddharth Singh Chandel are expected to follow, based on complaints filed by affected students and the statements and students have urged the administration to crack down on fraudulent coaching centers and ensure proper regulation of educational institutions claiming to prepare candidates for civil service exams.- EndsWith inputs by Mithilesh Kumar B Gupta


Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Raj Thackeray's MNS supporters assault Mumbai coaching centre head
Supporters of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) allegedly assaulted the head of an academic coaching centre in Mumbai's Kalyan suburb. The attackers had alleged that Chandel was charging exorbitant fees for coaching but had not taken classes.(PTI) In a purported video of the incident, three men are seen sitting across the desk from the owner of the centre Siddharth Singh Chandel. Chandel runs the Siddhartha Logic coaching centre, which prepares students for competitive examinations, including for the Indian Administrative Service, NDTV reported. The video shows Chandel on the phone, trying to placate the men. The attackers had alleged that Chandel was charging exorbitant fees for coaching but had not taken classes. One of the MNS supporters in white shirt is seen slapping Chandel, following which the attackers stand around the table in a threatening position. The video also shows one of the men throwing a stainless steel bottle towards the coaching centre head, while another throws a wooden plaque at him. A group of girls are seen standing in the corner of the room, with some of them recording videos on their mobile phones. This is the recent in a slew of such incidents in Maharashtra, wherein MNS workers or supporters were seen indulging in acts of violence. The incident comes a week after MNS workers allegedly assaulted a Marwadi shopkeeper in Mumbai's Vikroli, claiming he had posted a WhatsApp status 'insulting the Marathi community'. The group surrounded the shopkeeper outside his shop and physically assaulted him, forcing him to issue a public apology to the Marathi community. The shopkeeper apologised by holding his ears and folding his hands. MNS members also assaulted a food stall owner in Thane for not speaking in Marathi earlier this month. The men, who were seen wearing MNS scarves, were arrested and granted bail within hours. In a similar incident, another shopkeeper in Mira Road was thrashed after he refused to speak in Marathi. After the incidents came to light, Maharashtra CM Fadnavis had warned that strict action would be taken against those resorting to violence.


News18
2 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Raj Thackeray's MNS Supporters Assault Coaching Centre Head In Mumbai
Last Updated: Political violence in Maharashtra resurfaced as Raj Thackeray's MNS goons attacked Siddharth Singh Chandel, head of a coaching centre near Mumbai. The attack was recorded. Political violence resurfaced in Maharashtra when goons affiliated with Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena physically attacked the head of an academic coaching centre near Mumbai. In a two-and-a-half-minute online video, three MNS men sit across a desk from Siddharth Singh Chandel, who runs the Siddhartha Logic coaching centre in the city's Kalyan suburb that preps students for competitive examinations, including for entry to the Indian Administrative Service. The goons alleged that Chandel charged high fees but did not take classes. In the video, Chandel, who is on a mobile phone, attempts to calm the goons. However, the situation escalates quickly; seconds into the clip, one of the goons slaps him, and a second throws a stainless-steel bottle at him. Taken aback, Chandel tries to pacify them again. Later, a third man throws a wooden plaque at Chandel. In the corner of the room, a group of young girls huddle together, one of them recording the assault on her phone. Meanwhile, one of the attackers summons another, who then points accusingly at Chandel. By now, the MNS goons came around the table menacingly. Attacks by Raj Thackeray's MNS goons have escalated recently, often targeting individuals over perceived slights to the Marathi language and community, with the aggressors seemingly emboldened by political backing. This surge follows recent incidents, such as the assault of a shopkeeper in Mumbai's Mira Road and another in Vikhroli, NDTV reported. Migrant auto drivers, who came to Mumbai seeking employment, have also been targeted in attacks. Even after all this, neither the party nor Raj Thackeray have apologised or even acknowledged the horrific impropriety of their actions. The MNS chief has defended and even praised the attackers. And his party has warned of more attacks and violence if Thackeray is criticised. The controversy centres around recent directives from the state government, issued in April and June, which require all schools in Maharashtra to make Hindi a compulsory subject for students in Classes I to V. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.