Vimeo founder sells kids’ learning platform to Sequoia-backed edtech firm

Vimeo founder Zach Klein has sold DIY.org, a learning platform for children, to Singapore and India-based Kyt for an undisclosed sum in February. The combined entity of DIY.org and Kyt has been rebranded to DIY.

Photo credit: DIY

The deal has helped DIY to expand its product, and the company will focus on introducing its platform to larger audiences. As part of the acquisition, Klein will join DIY’s board as an advisor and mentor.

Founded last year, DIY.org is a subscription-based learning platform, which provides courses on topics such as science, animation, gaming, coding, engineering, and arts and crafts. It also offers a 30-day free trial with complete access to the platform’s content and community. The top three courses on the platform are focused on Lego-making, becoming a YouTuber, and playing Minecraft.

Kyt, which was established in June 2020, ran online-only extracurricular courses for children between five and 15 years old by combining live classes with video-based revision materials in a full-stack model. Its platform offered courses across various disciplines such as yoga, dance, music, and chess to students around the world.

In January, Kyt raised US$5 million in a series A round led by Alpha Wave Incubation. Just two months prior, it had raised US$2.5 million from Sequoia Capital India’s Surge. The startup was also part of Surge’s fourth cohort.

“The way we [Kyt and Klein] described our common vision was, if Netflix made kids smarter, YouTube was safer, and Instagram was built for kids – DIY would be it,” said Bhavik Rathod, co-founder of DIY.

DIY’s subscription plans are available for about US$7.99 a month or US$79.99 for a year, and a single account can be used by up to four users. The package includes access to content, shows, projects, live classes, and the community.

The company said it has seen an 8x surge in the number of its users from the Asia-Pacific region, as DIY’s courses are curated to be more “price-sensitive” compared to its Western counterparts.

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Rathod pointed out how users in the Asia Pacific “lack options.” He added, “There are very few or almost none that I can construe as a direct competitor in terms of what we provide as a value proposition.”

DIY offers more than 35 courses, 3,500 projects, and challenges across over 160 skills. The learning platform also adds about two courses every week, and is looking to increase hiring across its product, engineering, community, growth, and marketing teams in the coming months.