Mukul Rustagi and Bhaswat Agarwal: Transforming Education with Classplus

In the realm of education technology, Mukul Rustagi and Bhaswat Agarwal stand out as the driving forces behind Classplus, a New Delhi-based start-up that is revolutionizing the way coaching centres manage classrooms. Launched in January 2018, Classplus has swiftly become a game-changer, operating in 28 cities and partnering with over 1,200 coaching centres, with ambitious plans to increase this number to 10,000 by 2019.

The story began when Abhitesh Sisodia and Priyanka, founders of Percentile Classes in Bhopal, realized the need for a tech-driven solution to streamline their coaching centre’s operations. Managing growing batches of students, tracking attendance, and providing insights into performance were becoming cumbersome tasks. That’s when they discovered Classplus, the brainchild of Mukul Rustagi and Bhaswat Agarwal, designed to empower tutors with a mobile app that simplifies classroom management.

Classplus has crafted a technology-based platform that alleviates the burdens of traditional coaching center activities. With features like assignment creation, learning videos, and attendance tracking, Classplus enhances operational efficiency. The platform’s data analytics tool facilitates real-time tracking of students’ performance, offering valuable insights to tutors. Coaching centers opting for Classplus pay a subscription fee ranging from ₹15,000 to ₹50,000 per year, based on their specific requirements. The platform provides dedicated apps for tutors, parents, and students, fostering seamless communication and engagement.

Mukul Rustagi and Bhaswat Agarwal, both electronics and communication engineering graduates, embarked on their entrepreneurial journey after meeting at a coaching center in Delhi during their Joint Entrance Examinations preparation. Following graduation, Rustagi worked at Futures First, while Agarwal contributed to Microsoft. The duo joined forces in 2015, launching Classplus in 2018.

Classplus has garnered significant support from investors, raising over $500,000 from notable backers such as LetsVenture, Manish Amin (founder of Yatra.com), and Pallav Pandey (founder of Knowlarity and Fastfox). The startup’s participation in Amazon’s EdStart program further solidifies its position as a promising player in the education technology landscape.

India boasts the world’s largest after-school tuition market, with over 7.1 crore students seeking supplementary coaching. Classplus aims to cater to the vast potential of this market by focusing on small and medium-sized coaching centres. The surge in smartphone users in India, expected to reach 990 million by 2020, aligns with Classplus’s mobile-first approach, driving user engagement. While competitors exist in the form of Proctur, Techior, and Classcare, Rustagi emphasizes that Classplus’s distinctiveness lies in its focus on small tutors, advanced technology, multimedia capabilities, and two-way communication. The platform enables effective communication between students, parents, and teachers, fostering doubt resolution and performance management.

The tutoring industry in India, valued at $11.5 billion with a 20% compounded annual growth rate, presents ample opportunities for innovative solutions like Classplus. The industry’s fragmentation poses challenges, but Rustagi is confident in Classplus’s potential to emerge as a significant player. The startup’s business model, while easy to replicate, relies on scalability, a common tech platform, and a commitment to innovation.

With a strong pipeline and a focus on predictive analysis, Classplus aims to capitalize on referrals, envisioning 50% of business coming from this channel in 2019. In a market with low entry barriers, the startup’s early success, trust-building efforts, and commitment to innovation position it as a frontrunner in transforming education technology.

Mukul Rustagi and Bhaswat Agarwal’s Classplus exemplifies the impact visionary leaders can have on reshaping traditional education models, offering a glimpse into the future of tech-driven learning solutions.