The document discusses entrepreneurs entering the education sector in India. It notes that physical education is often neglected in schools compared to core subjects. It introduces EduSports, a startup that designs physical education curriculums for schools at 150 rupees per student, which was founded with 10 lakh rupees of capital and received 4 crore from venture capitalists. It also states that 80% of private equity/venture capital firms in India are interested in investing in education in the next six to eight months, encouraging more entrepreneurs.

1. For these entrepreneurs, education pays Page 1 of 1
Bangalore: the low level of physical activity among students.
“Our system does not pay much attention to sports and physical education and it is neglected as compared to core subjects. However, physical
education is a necessity; an essential component of character building. The core subjects are not likely to teach you lessons in team building
and discipline that counts big time when you start working. We devised a way through which we design and implement a physical education
curriculum for schools through our personnel at a cost of about Rs 150 per child,” Majmudar says.
Started with a capital of Rs 10 lakh, EduSports roped in a seed fund of Rs 4 crore last year from venture capitalists and is looking to break
even in the next two quarters. The interest shown in the sector by VC firms is also encouraging for entrepreneurs with no strong financial
backing. According to a report generated by Venture Intelligence, 80% of PE/VC firms in India were interested in investing in education in
the next six to eight months.
“The enthusiasm on the part of big VC/PE players to enter the industry means that they are actively looking for related investment
opportunities. In recent times, we have seen a marked increase in the kind of interest in this sector across categories — proof that in the
months to come, the education system will indeed see fresh injection of funds and some solid ideas that will be incubated through VC
funding. This acts as a huge impetus for first-gen entrepreneurs,” says Shah of Reliance Ventures.
Several first generation entrepreneurs are also attracted by the fact that the funding for this sector is no longer limited to local players. VC/PE
firms and fund sources from abroad are also scouting interesting opportunities.
Amit Bansal, who served with companies such as Asian Paints and Talisma for 11 years, co-founded Purple Leap, a services company that
works with colleges at making fresh engineering graduates industry ready. “ Having been on the other side, I realise the nightmare that
recruiters have to go through when recruiting a fresh engineering graduate. Our colleges do not do much to ensure that these students are
ready to start work equipped with the necessary skills. Purple Leap works in collaboration with these colleges and we help groom them with
coursework delivered through state-of-the art teaching practices and audio/visual techniques among other things,” says Bansal....
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/for-these-entrepreneurs-education-pays/651215/2 7/26/2010