Loading organizations...
StayQrious has raised $2.0M across 1 funding round.
Key people at StayQrious.
StayQrious was founded in 2020 by Avinash Anand (Founder) and Aanand Srinivas (Founder) and Shankar Ram A (Founder).
StayQrious has raised $2.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Imagine doing personalised workouts with a fitness coach, but for school subjects. Students log into their session that has been scheduled with their coach, they can see their learning workout for the day. Their workout typically consists of watching an interactive video, writing explanations, giving feedback to other students, making an explainer video etc. They get constant feedback and encouragement from the coach and progress only after they have understood the pre-requisites.
StayQrious is an India-based edtech startup that has pioneered the concept of a “Neoschool” — a brain-science and project-based online school designed to deliver an international-standard education at scale. Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Bengaluru, StayQrious operates as a Cambridge-accredited virtual school that reimagines K–12 education by focusing on real-world skills, social-emotional development, and future-centric learning, rather than rote academics. Its flagship offering, StayQrious Neoschool, serves children aged 8–14 and positions itself as a compelling alternative to traditional, outdated school systems.
The company primarily targets Indian families seeking a modern, globally benchmarked education that traditional schools often fail to provide. It solves the problem of an archaic, exam-driven curriculum by offering a dynamic, experiential learning environment rooted in cognitive science and best practices from elite institutions like Khan Lab School and Ad Astra. StayQrious delivers this through small, mixed-age online classrooms (1:6 coach-to-student ratio), project-based learning, and a strong emphasis on skills like design thinking, collaborative problem solving, scientific reasoning, and emotional intelligence. The platform has gained traction as a full-time virtual school and also offers after-school programs, backed by early-stage funding and participation in Y Combinator’s Winter 2020 batch.
---
StayQrious was founded by Aanand Srinivas, a well-known educator and former Head of Content at Khan Academy India, along with co-founders Shankar Ram A and Avinash Anand. Aanand’s deep experience in creating high-quality, accessible learning content for Indian students shaped the vision for StayQrious: to build a next-generation school model that is both academically rigorous and deeply human-centric.
The idea emerged from a recognition that India’s education system is slow to evolve, with curricula that lag real-world needs by 10–15 years and teaching methods that ignore modern cognitive science. Even as online learning gained momentum, most platforms merely digitized traditional tuition or school content. StayQrious aimed to go further — not just to supplement school, but to reimagine it entirely. The concept of the “Neoschool” was born: a fully online, Cambridge-accredited school that teaches not just subjects, but social confidence, learning mindsets, and practical skills.
The timing proved fortuitous. With the onset of the pandemic, schools worldwide shifted online, accelerating demand for credible virtual education. StayQrious, already building a digital-first school model, was well-positioned to scale. It quickly gained attention as the “world’s first brain-science-based Neoschool,” attracting early users from middle- and upper-middle-class families in India and securing backing from Y Combinator and investors associated with Tesla, SpaceX, and Coursera.
---
StayQrious stands out in the crowded edtech space through several key innovations:
---
StayQrious is riding multiple powerful trends in education and technology:
By positioning itself as a full-fledged school rather than a content or tutoring platform, StayQrious is helping to shape the future of what “school” can look like in the digital age — especially in emerging markets.
---
StayQrious is more than an edtech startup; it’s an attempt to build a new archetype of school for the 21st century. Its Neoschool model — combining Cambridge accreditation, brain-science pedagogy, and real-world skill development — has the potential to influence how education is designed and delivered in India and beyond.
In the near term, StayQrious is likely to focus on refining its full-time virtual school offering, expanding grade levels, and improving accessibility through pricing innovation and scholarships. As it scales, the company may explore hybrid models, partnerships with physical schools, or even licensing its curriculum and methodology to other institutions.
Longer term, StayQrious could become a benchmark for what a modern, equitable, and globally competitive education system looks like — one that prioritizes how children think, collaborate, and solve problems, not just what they memorize. If it succeeds in making this model truly affordable and widely accessible, it could play a transformative role in India’s education landscape and inspire similar models in other emerging markets.
StayQrious has raised $2.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $2.0M Seed in September 2020.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2020 | $2M Seed | — | Antler, Draper Associates, Japan, Lavni Ventures, Learn Capital, Y Combinator | Announced |
StayQrious was founded in 2020 by Avinash Anand (Founder) and Aanand Srinivas (Founder) and Shankar Ram A (Founder).
StayQrious has raised $2.0M in total across 1 funding round.
StayQrious's investors include Antler, Draper Associates, Japan, Lavni Ventures, Learn Capital, Y Combinator.
Key people at StayQrious.
