Zenius is an Indonesian EdTech company founded by Sabda PS as an offline tutoring firm in 2004. The EdTech sector across the globe has been propelled to a new level of growth due to Covid-19. This has been particularly prevalent in online platforms that cater to school students, with more kids utilizing online learning facilities to keep up with schoolwork.
Zenius -About The Company
Zenius ventured into the online learning sector in 2007 and launched their online platform Zenius.net in 2010. The company aims to disrupt the schooling system in Indonesia by helping students in the K-12 demographic with science education. They are leveraging information technology and digitization to provide educational services to students, empowering them to learn at home via online media.
The Mission
Zenius aims to deliver multimedia learning tools to students that will not only teach them more about their subjects. Their content is oriented towards the traditional 12-year school program but emphasises logical, critical and open thinking to develop the student’s understanding of subjects while allowing them to develop these tools as transferable skills to be utilized in their daily lives and higher education. Their content is delivered via PCs, Smartphones and Tablets through their online website. Their mission is to empower the Indonesian students of today with scientific and logical skills to tap into their true potential.
The Growth Curve
They offer a freemium model to its users, offering recorded lectures as well as live classes. The company has seen massive growth in its user base as well as retention. Their live classes especially saw a growth of 10 times since its launch from March to December in 2020, with over a 90% retention rate observed in 2020. Their classes were a huge hit, averaging at 400 users and now constitute almost half their revenue.
Part of this growth is owed to the new normal, with Zenius leveraging the lockdown to gain significant traction in Indonesia. They had offered their services for free during the first half of 2020, to show their support to the learn-from-home initiatives Indonesian Government. A major rebranding in June 2020 saw them adopt the freemium model, allowing them to capitalize on the high influx of new users during this time. They claim a 70% growth in revenue during the last half of 2020, compared to the same in 2019.
The Verdict
When Zenius was founded in 2004, the Internet itself was not a widely popular medium in Indonesia. After 15 years of massive changes, the platform is the frontrunner in Indonesian EdTech, and it is growing at a rapid pace. Covid-19 has given it unprecedented relevance in the country, and this has attracted significant investment into their firm.
Their February 2010 Series A round raised $20 million from various investors. They also hired former Gojek COO Rohan Monga as their CEO to help grow into the major player in their domestic EdTech Sector. Their pre Series B round this year has raised an undisclosed sum, pledged towards growing their platform to cater to the increasing customer demand. As the demand grows, they aim to spread their influence and achieve their goals of empowering the Indonesian student population. As a platform focused on K-12 students, Zenius is helping Indonesia raise a wiser, more capable generation.
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