A few years ago, India was buzzing with excitement about edtech.

Startups were raising hundreds of millions. Unicorns were popping up. Teachers were turning into influencers. "The future of education" was on every deck, every pitch, every panel.

And yet… here we are. A few IPOs later, a few crashes later, a few scandals later—still waiting for the real revolution to arrive.

India didn’t lead the world in edtech. Not yet.

But it still can.

Why India Should Be the Edtech Capital of the World

Let’s forget the hype for a moment and look at the fundamentals. India is uniquely positioned to build the world’s most powerful, scalable, and exportable education products.

Here’s why:

1. A Deep Culture of Learning

Education isn’t a side hustle in India—it’s the hustle. For decades, families have moved cities, taken loans, made sacrifices—all for a shot at a good education. It’s embedded in how we think about progress.

2. English Proficiency

India has the world’s second-largest English-speaking population. That’s not just good for students—it's gold for global distribution. We can build edtech products that work in both Bihar and Brazil.

3. Engineering Talent

From IITs to tier-3 colleges, we produce millions of engineers. Some of the world’s best product minds, AI researchers, and backend wizards are from here. We already build half the world’s SaaS platforms—why not education platforms?

4. Teacher Reverence

Unlike many parts of the world, India still holds deep respect for teachers. That gives edtech here a cultural backbone—a seriousness, a sense of mission. Education isn’t just content. It’s a cause.

5. A Demographic Opportunity

Half our population is under 25. Millions of aspirants are trying to break into better jobs, better lives, better futures. And the government can’t possibly provide them all with quality colleges or training.

If we build the right tools, edtech could be India’s single biggest economic multiplier.

So What Went Wrong?

Why didn’t we already become the edtech superpower? Why are so many platforms struggling—or worse, pivoting to random things?

Because somewhere along the way, we stopped building and started posturing.

• More money went into marketing than into product.
• More energy went into creating influencers than empowering educators.
• More effort went into sales decks than into student success metrics.

We tried to copy the entertainment industry, not the education one. And it showed.

The Wrong Kind of Fame

Many edtech brands tried to build around “star teachers” who were better at going viral than going deep. The idea was: get attention first, worry about outcomes later.

But teaching is not performing. Content is not curriculum. A reel is not a resource. And virality is not a learning outcome.

This obsession with attention created a hollow shell: apps with millions of downloads and barely any learning. Students who logged in daily—but learned nothing new. Fancy studios, but no pedagogy.

Good engineering took a back seat to good lighting.

And that’s not sustainable.

What We Actually Need: Engineers, Not Just Influencers

The true revolution in edtech will come not from creators, but from builders.

We need:

• Product engineers who obsess over learning flows.
• AI researchers who personalize practice.
• Designers who understand pedagogy, not just pixels.
• Backend teams who make doubt-solving scalable and fast.

It’s time to stop treating edtech like a content problem and start treating it like a product problem. Netflix for education? That’s the wrong metaphor. We need Canva for test prep, Figma for teachers, Notion for students.

Export, Not Just Serve

India has the chance to become the global exporter of learning tech.

We’ve done it with IT services. We’re doing it with SaaS. We can do it with edtech.

Imagine tools built here being used in USA, Europe, Indonesia, even in remote parts of Africa because they’re affordable, smart, and built by people who understand what it’s like to fight for education.

This is one of the few industries where India can lead the world, not just serve it cheaply.

But to do that, we have to invest in product, not just promotion.

Time for a Reset

We need to return to the core truth:

Edtech is not about content. It’s about outcomes.

And the only way to drive outcomes at scale is through:

• Great pedagogy
• Great product
• Great engineering
• And relentless focus on the student

No shortcuts. No slogans. Just honest, thoughtful work that respects the student’s time and ambition.

Final Thought: Build the Revolution Quietly

Maybe the real edtech revolution won’t be loud. Maybe it won’t look like a viral ad or a glitzy launch.

Maybe it’ll look like:

• A student in the Andamans learning to make Drones without ever leaving their home.
• A working mom in Jaipur learning UX design through audio on her way to work.
• A teacher in Guwahati creating mock tests for students preparing for GCSEs in London.
• A 18-year-old in Uganda using an Indian-built app to learn Maths and crack GRE to get into his dream Uni.

That’s the kind of revolution we still have a shot at.

And this time, let’s build it right.