Career Launcher invests in 361 Degree Minds

CHENNAI: The Delhi based Career Launcher India (CL), Asia's leading education service provider founded in 1995 by a group of IIT-IIM alumni, has picked up a strategic minority stake in the Chennai-based 361 Degree Minds, a research and technology based learning & education firm.

CL founder Chairman, Satya Narayanan R told ET in Chennai on Tuesday, " We have invested $ 1 Million in 361DM, which along with our network will help that firm to scale up its delivery of high quality education and make it affordable. In the last 10 years, we would have invested about $ 8 million in 7 to 8 education firms".

Stating the education sector is going through a crucial phase, he said learning process will be outsourced in a big way. That way, 361DM has research competence and training experience. It is a technology driven organisation. It was started in 2006 by Gopinathan CP, Ritu Vinayak and Rammohan P.

Gopinathan, who is the co founder, said in the first two years, it delivered seven learning programmes for 20 different nationalities in Asia Pacific. It covered CEOs, business managers, scientists, teachers, engineers, parents. It would have reached about 3000 corporate learners.

It will be working with CL to offer effective and innovative solutions for corporates, Governments, Universities and colleges. "CL, with Rs 150 crore revenue, has presence in 230 locations across India besides in the US and West Asia. It has 600 to 700 teachers and 1.25 learners' base. We will be able to use this network and their coaches and mentors. The tie up will also help us to go to market for business development", he said.

He said this year, 361DM targets to reach 90,000 learners and Rs 5 crore revenue while its target is to touch one million learners in three years. It might look for another round of funding at a later stage to support its research initiatives.

It is said the firm has researched into adult learning principles, scientific learning models and remote learning effectiveness principles. Having built a sturdy state of the art technology to deliver learning, it has dedicated resources for creating and delivering research driven (innovative and inventive) learning and education programmes.