CENTA raises Rs 20 crore in Series A1 round to scale its teacher-focused platform

The Centre for Teacher Accreditation (CENTA), an Indian teacher accreditation platform, has raised Rs 20 crore in a Series A1 funding round led by Colossa Ventures, with participation from returning investor Discovery Assets and notable angel investors.

The infusion of capital is expected to scale CENTA's presence in India and key international markets while also deepening its technology infrastructure.

Previously, it raised funding from JP Morgan India chairman Leo Puri, Medanta Group of Hospitals chief Pankaj Sahni, AZB & Partners founding partner Bahram Vakil and ICICI private equity director Nikhil Mohta.

What does CENTA do?

Founded in 2015 by Ramya Venkataraman, an IIT Delhi and IIM Calcutta alumna and former leader of McKinsey & Company's Education Practice, CENTA operates as a full-stack platform for teachers, offering services that span certification, upskilling, and a "Teacher-as-a-Service" (TaaS) model that connects teachers to part-time and full-time opportunities.

The company currently engages 1.7 million teachers across 100,000+ schools, with a growing international footprint that includes teachers from over 100 countries, including UAE, Nigeria, Philippines, Bangladesh and Ghana.

CENTA's proprietary teacher certification is a globally benchmarked assessment designed to evaluate teaching competencies and enable career advancement. The company positions itself as a key player in solving the global teacher shortage, estimated at 44 million, by building a pipeline of certified and job-ready educators.

Leadership comments

"This raise has not only given us the fuel needed for growth but also brought on board an investor like Colossa, which combines a sharp sense of business growth with a great understanding of the practicalities of building a company," said Venkataraman, CEO of CENTA.

"We are also super excited about the continued participation from Discovery Assets and our early angels."

"With minimal teacher acquisition cost and a robust tech-enabled platform, we see CENTA playing a major role in bridging the teacher-student gap," said Vandana Rajadhyaksha, Co-founder of Colossa Ventures. "We strongly believe that learning outcomes can improve through addressing teacher quality and availability."

Priyanka Arya, Director and COO of CENTA, also an IIM Calcutta graduate and former management consultant, said, "We have built an outstanding community, a strong brand, and solid products. With our client base now ramping up, we are expecting exponential growth in the coming 3 to 5 years."

CENTA also runs the International Teaching Professional's Olympiad (TPO), a globally recognized competition celebrating teaching excellence.