EdTech Startup, Zenius, Was Reported to Gain USD 20 Million Fund

Indonesia’s education startup, Zenius, was reported to have collected funding of USD 20 million from Northstar Group. After this investment, former Gojek official Rohan Monga was reportedly to occupy the position of Zenius’ CEO. This is because Zenius’s current CEO, Sabda PS, would become chairman of the company.

However, Sabda was reluctant to comment on the news. PT Zenius Education itself offers learning materials for Elementary School to High School students, as well as for students who want to take the college entrance exam. These products are similar to those offered by its competitors, Ruangguru.

The startup company, which was established in 2007, applies an online course subscription fee, starting from IDR 172 thousand per month to IDR 1 million for a year. Users can access Zenius products through the application or the official site.

This startup has provided more than 80 thousand videos related to the subject matter. Besides, the exercise package and its discussion are available as well. Previously, the Minister of Communication and Information (Kominfo) for the 2014-2019 periods, Rudiantara, said that Education startups had the opportunity to become unicorns.

Education Startup in Indonesia Might Become the Next Unicorn

One of the companies mentioned as having the potential to become a unicorn is Ruangguru. The reason is that the government has budgeted more than IDR 500 trillion for education next year. As for health, the government has allocated more than IDR 100 trillion.

“The business follows the flow of money. The figures give a big picture of the opportunities for EdTech and healthcare startups to become unicorns in Indonesia,” Rudiantara said. However, he said that the government had the role of facilitating or accelerating startups. Thus, they could develop into unicorns.

Meanwhile, Zenius Education recently visited Sambas Regency, West Kalimantan, one of the frontier, outermost, and least developed regions (often referred to as 3T: terdepan, terluar, tertinggal). This program is to implement Zenius Prestasi. Zenius Prestasi is a server where users can access Zenius Education without an internet connection.

This visit is also a form of cooperation with the Ministry of Villages, Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration to develop disadvantaged areas, which was announced at the end of August 2019. “The problem of education in Indonesia is quite extensive and complex,” Priyono, Director of PSDM, said.

He added that it cannot only depend on one party, for example, the government. As a result, the Ministry of Villages seeks partnerships to work together and solve educational problems. “Innovation can reduce the workload of teachers and allows a few teachers to serve students with a large number.”

Zenius Prestasi Offers a Complete Learning Platform

Zenius Prestasi has a complete learning video feature following curriculum development, practice packages, and examinations with a proportional composition of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) and Lower Order Thinking Skills (LOTS). Furthermore, there is also a mapping of student abilities and the prediction of learning recommendations.

Zenius has installed Zenius Prestasi in 15 schools in Sambas Regency. At the elementary level, Zenius Prestasi has been used at SDN 01 Mentawa, SDN 02 Dalam Kaum, SDN 27 Kartiasa, SDN 19 Sebambang, SDN 10 Daup, SDN 05 Sagu Galing, SDN 07 Sasak, and SDN 02 Sungai Bening.

While at the junior high level, Zenius Prestasi has been installed at SMPN 01 Sambas, SMPN 02 Sambas, SMPN 03 Sambas, SMPN 6 Galing, SMPN 1 Sajingan Besar, and SMPN 2 Sajingan Besar. In the future, Zenius Prestasi is expected to transform digital schools in other 3T areas throughout Indonesia.

“We actively involve teachers to ensure that the features are relevant and appropriate to the needs of teaching and learning activities in the classroom. We hope Zenius will not only accompany students to learn but also help teachers facilitate learning method,” Amanda Witdarmono, Chief of Education Initiatives Zenius Education, said.