Indian edtech startup Arivihan has raised USD 4.17 million in a pre-Series A funding round, marking a major step in its mission to transform AI-driven education for rural and Hindi-medium students. Dutch investor Prosus and US-based venture capital firm Accel led the round, while GSF Investors also participated. This funding signals strong investor confidence in the company’s approach to localized, outcome-focused learning solutions.
The startup plans to use the capital aggressively to expand its footprint in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Chhattisgarh, boost AI research capabilities, enhance regional language support, and strengthen student-facing features on its platform. Additionally, the company will ramp up marketing and distribution efforts to capture a larger share of India’s growing rural edtech market.
Building a Scalable AI-First Edtech for Bharat
Arivihan, founded in 2021 by Ritesh Singh Chandel, Sonu Kumar, and Rushabh Kothari, focuses on delivering personalized learning experiences for Class 12 students in rural India. Unlike urban-focused edtech players, Arivihan targets Hindi-medium students who often face limited access to quality teachers, especially in smaller towns and villages.
The platform offers AI-powered video lessons, automated doubt resolution, and personalized study plans tailored to state board curriculums. By leveraging proprietary AI models, Arivihan ensures that students receive highly relevant academic support rather than generic answers from widely available generative AI tools.
Ritesh Singh Chandel, the co-founder and CEO, stressed the need for India-specific AI in education. He stated that most generative AI models cater to global users and fail to align with the syllabus and learning pace of Indian students. In contrast, Arivihan’s open-source AI model processes millions of data points from state curriculums, providing accurate responses in Hindi and Hinglish. This approach not only bridges the learning gap for rural students but also enhances exam readiness in their native language.
Rapid Growth and Proven Traction
Arivihan has already demonstrated strong early traction in the rural edtech space. The company generated Rs 3.25 crore in sales during FY25, powered by 15,000 subscriptions. Its platform resolves around seven lakh queries per month with an impressive 97% accuracy rate, highlighting the efficiency and reliability of its AI-powered support.
The founders aim to scale aggressively in FY26. They target 80,000 to 100,000 active subscribers in the current financial year. To achieve this, Arivihan will leverage the fresh capital to:
- Expand into key Hindi-speaking states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Chhattisgarh.
- Enhance AI and natural language processing capabilities to improve query resolution.
- Strengthen student-facing features, including doubt-solving dashboards, exam-oriented modules, and personalized study roadmaps.
- Invest in marketing and distribution, with a focus on local engagement campaigns in rural areas.
Investor Confidence in a “Bharat-First” Edtech Model
Investors see Arivihan as a blueprint for localized AI in education, combining scalability, affordability, and measurable outcomes. The startup’s ability to deliver automated learning support in Hindi and Hinglish positions it uniquely in a market where most edtech platforms cater primarily to English-medium urban users.
Accel, which had previously invested $750,000 in Arivihan’s seed round through its Atoms program, doubled down on its support in this funding round. The firm recognized Arivihan’s potential to dominate the untapped rural edtech segment, which represents hundreds of millions of potential learners.
Prosus, one of the leading global investors in technology, also acknowledged the importance of regional language AI learning solutions. The company’s involvement signals growing global interest in India’s rural digital education market, which remains highly fragmented and underserved.
Aiming for Large-Scale Impact
Arivihan’s mission centers around democratizing access to quality education for students in India’s hinterlands. By focusing on native language support and curriculum-aligned AI models, the startup reduces the dependence on physical coaching centers and empowers self-learning at scale.
The company’s AI-first approach helps:
- Identify weak areas for each student, enabling targeted learning.
- Resolve doubts instantly, eliminating the wait time associated with offline tutoring.
- Create adaptive study plans, ensuring alignment with state board exams.
This personalized experience allows rural students to compete with their urban counterparts despite limited access to quality teaching resources.
The founders believe the future of edtech lies in outcome-driven, localized, and affordable solutions. By focusing on Class 12 board students first, Arivihan addresses a critical academic milestone in India while laying the foundation for future expansion into other classes and competitive exam segments.
Riding the Wave of Rural Digital Adoption
The rise of affordable smartphones and improved internet connectivity in rural India creates fertile ground for Arivihan’s growth. According to industry estimates, more than 250 million school students in India still lack access to high-quality coaching, with a significant portion in Hindi-speaking states.
By aligning its offerings with regional curriculums and language preferences, Arivihan addresses this massive gap. The platform leverages AI to scale without compromising personalization, a key differentiator in markets where teacher availability remains low.
The fresh funding round will allow Arivihan to penetrate deeper into Tier 3 and Tier 4 towns, build strong regional partnerships, and capture first-mover advantage in the rural edtech ecosystem.
Future Roadmap and Vision
Arivihan’s short-term goal focuses on expanding its subscriber base to 100,000 students within FY26. In parallel, the startup will continue to refine its AI model, ensuring higher accuracy and better adaptive learning.
In the medium term, the company plans to expand beyond Hindi to cover other regional languages, enabling pan-India rural coverage. Long-term, the founders envision Arivihan as a category leader in AI-driven, native-language education solutions, with a focus on affordability and tangible academic outcomes.
With AI as the backbone, localized content as the strategy, and strong investor backing, Arivihan positions itself as a transformative force in India’s rapidly evolving edtech landscape. Its Bharat-first approach not only empowers rural learners but also sets the template for sustainable, high-impact edtech growth in emerging markets.
Also Read – Qualcomm Expands Automotive Footprint in India