Indian edtech startup Coding Ninjas nets $5.2m in series A round

Coding Ninjas, an India-based edtech platform, announced it has raised US$5.2 million in a series A funding round from Info Edge India Limited.

The company said it will use the new funds to strengthen its tech and content capabilities, enter new business territories, and scale its new offering called Career Camp, an income-sharing payment model.

Photo credit: Coding Ninjas

Founded in 2016, the startup focuses on teaching programming fundamentals but also offers other courses such as machine learning, data science, and web development, among others. All its courses are online and are available in English and Hindi.

Coding Ninjas employs teaching assistants, who are ex-students of the company, to provide real-time doubt support for enrolled students throughout the duration of the course.

In 2019, the company introduced Career Camp, a pay later model where students undergo a six-month online training with Coding Ninjas and pay using part of their salary once they receive a job offer.

“We aim to penetrate deeper into the tech education market and further consolidate our position as the most preferred education partner for millions of college students. Info Edge is the de facto market leader in the hiring space, and this partnership will help us boost the placement side of our business,” Ankush Singla, co-founder of Coding Ninjas, said.

The company says it currently has over 2,000 teaching assistants and more than 20,000 students and alumni.

Coding Ninjas is up against local rivals such as Byju’s, which is valued at about US$8.2 billion. There’s also Doubtnut, which recently won Tencent backing in a US$15 million series A funding round this month. Sequoia-backed InterviewBit also recently secured US$20 million, with plans to launch in new markets.