Aakash Chaudhry’s Sparkl Edventure raises $4 million from Deepinder Goyal, Nithin Kamath

Sparkl Edventure, an online education platform co-founded by edtech entrepreneur Aakash Chaudhry, has raised $4 million in a seed funding round led by Zomato’s Deepinder Goyal and Zerodha’s Nithin Kamath (through his fintech and sustainability-focused fund, Rainmatter), ET reported.

Chaudhry, who previously led Aakash Educational Services Ltd. (AESL) to a landmark $950 million deal with Byju’s, launched Sparkl in October to offer personalized one-on-one tutoring for students in grades 6 to 12, particularly those following the International Baccalaureate (IB) and Cambridge curricula.

Focus on IB and Cambridge education

Sparkl Edventure’s primary offering is one-on-one online tutoring for students pursuing IB and Cambridge curricula, a segment Chaudhry believes remains underserved in India.

Many parents, he explained, struggle to find qualified tutors who understand the nuances of these international boards, which differ significantly from CBSE, ICSE, or state-level syllabi.

“This market also has a higher paying capacity, which allows us to run the one-on-one program,” Chaudhry said.

In addition to mathematics, science, and languages, Sparkl covers business studies and other core subjects, with a plan to expand into SAT/ACT coaching and other global tests.

The startup has reportedly enrolled students from Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad, and Singapore, and it targets a broader student base for the 2025-26 academic year.

Entrepreneurial comeback

Chaudhry’s journey in Indian edtech began with his family’s business, Aakash Educational Services Ltd., founded by his father, J.C. Chaudhry, in 1988. Under his leadership, AESL grew into a top test-prep provider for engineering and medical entrance exams.

In 2020, AESL acquired Meritnation.com, co-founded by Pavan Chauhan and Ritesh Hemrajani—both now part of the Sparkl team. 

Even after AESL’s partial stake sale, Chaudhry retains an 11% share in the company. By leveraging his expertise and network, he aims to build Sparkl into a global player in the premium tutoring market, where the IB/Cambridge segment alone is estimated at $2 billion worldwide.