Online coding classes startup WhiteHat Jr on Wednesday said it is aiming to onboard 20,000 teachers by the end of 2020 to match the growing base of students across multiple countries including India, the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.
The Mumbai-based startup, which currently has over 7,000 teachers on its platform, was earlier this month acquired by leading ed-tech firm BYJU'S in a deal worth $300 million.
WhiteHat Jr said it is ramping up its women-only teacher base in India at a frantic rate of 220 teachers a day. Currently, the platform has 84 per cent teachers under the age of 35 years, teaching coding to kids from the comfort of their house.
"Digital education and innovation in teaching methodology has brought back the golden age of teaching in the current times of Covid-19. Parents have also warmed up to the idea of online learning and are fully supportive of the new norms of teaching," Karan Bajaj, Founder and CEO, WhiteHat Jr, said in a statement.
"Teachers form the backbone of our product and are the driving force behind our vision to make kids the creators of technology, rather than just consumers. In line with this vision, we are delighted to offer a long-term career roadmap to thousands of teachers in the country, and we are thrilled with the response."
Founded in 2018, WhiteHat Jr helps kids from age 6 to 18 years to build commercial-ready games, animations and apps online using the fundamentals of coding. The company maps teachers and students based on the languages they speak, enabling them to switch between languages.
"We have been growing at 160 per cent month-on-month and already have over 20,000 paid subscribers in the US. It has surpassed our India growth and is expected to account for 60 per cent of our revenues by the end of June, within just six months of kickstarting US operations," Karan Bajaj said.
Bajaj said in India, tier I cities and metros contribute 45 per cent of its revenues and tier II and III cities contribute 55 per cent revenue. The India market has been growing at about 60 per cent.
The company is clocking USD 100 million annual revenue run rate, driven by the growth in the US market, he added.
"Coding is the skill of the future and we remain committed to empower a whole generation of kids across the world to become digital-ready entrepreneurs. By end of September, we want to expand the number of teachers to 25,000 (from over 3,000 now) as we expect the total student base to touch one lakh," Bajaj said.
The company has focussed on hiring women professionals in India as teachers on its platform, and these teachers have excellent engagement with the students in both India and the US, he said, adding that these teachers are selected after a rigorous selection process.
Bajaj said in India, tier I cities and metros contribute 45 per cent of its revenues and tier II and III cities contribute 55 per cent revenue. The India market has been growing at about 60 per cent.