Indian Edtech Startup Grows to 8,000 Students Without VC Funding

When the edtech bubble burst and startups collapsed around her, Devvaki Aggarwal kept doing something radical. She focused on building a sustainable business that actually helped kids learn.

Her company Instrucko launched in late 2020 with a simple promise: teach children real-world skills like empathy, financial literacy, and public speaking through stories and human connection. No rote memorization. No chasing test scores. Just meaningful learning that builds confidence.

The results speak louder than any marketing campaign. Instrucko now serves over 8,000 active students across 20 countries, from village schools in Madhya Pradesh to families in London and Singapore. The startup converts 85% of trial users into paying customers, crushing typical industry rates.

What makes this growth remarkable is how Instrucko achieved it. While competitors raised millions and spent aggressively, Aggarwal took just $1 million from friends and family. She never touched venture capital. The company is now profitable with a $17.6 million valuation.

"When everyone else was raising crazy capital, we focused on building a business that makes money," Aggarwal explains. "We didn't want to chase valuations."

The platform uses AI only for matching students with teachers and suggesting lesson plans. Every class is taught by real humans from a network of 500 trained educators. Each teacher completes a five-step selection process and in-house training before entering any classroom.

Why This Inspires

This story matters because it proves the quiet alternative to startup culture's "grow at all costs" mentality. While flashy competitors burned through funding and shut down, leaving parents wary and wallets empty, Instrucko stayed patient and built trust one student at a time.

The company now partners with elite schools like Mayo College Ajmer and The Scindia School, while simultaneously training 5,000 government school teachers in 2025 alone. Celebrity parents including Kareena Kapoor Khan have shared video testimonials praising the approach.

Instrucko teaches children aged 3 to 15 everything from foreign languages to entrepreneurship and creative writing. Classes happen in small groups of six or fewer, ensuring personalized attention. "We teach empathy, patience, and values through stories," Aggarwal says. "These are the skills that truly matter."

The startup even licenses content internationally, with its first partnership launching in Moscow. Growth comes entirely through word of mouth, with zero marketing spend in countries like the US, UK, and Singapore.

Next up: partnerships with 100 more Indian schools and expanded government teacher training programs. "We want a child in a village and a child in London to experience the same quality of learning," Aggarwal says.

In an industry littered with cautionary tales, one founder proved that slow, sustainable growth beats the funding frenzy every time.