PlanetSpark, a Gurugram-based edtech incubator, secured $13.5 million in a Series-B fundraising round on Tuesday from Prime Venture Partners and prominent global entrepreneurs such as Binny Bansal, Gokul Rajaram, Shirish Nandkarni, Dr. Ashish Gupta, and Deep Kalra.

PlanetSpark had previously raised $3.7 million from Prime Ventures, FIITJEE, and several angel networks in previous rounds. With this current round, the edtech platform has now raised a total of $17.2 million.

The newly invested cash will be utilised for aggressive corporate growth, product development, and worldwide expansion, according to the corporation.

PlanetSpark Co-Founder Maneesh Dhooper said, “we are currently present in almost all of Middle East countries and in North America which is US and Canada. With these funds, we will further consolidate our positions in these markets because these are fairly large. And then we will open up newer markets in Europe which is UK, Germany, France and Southeast Asia and that would be in the next year.”

PlanetSpark, founded in 2016 by Maneesh Dhooper and Kunal Malik, provides live 1:1 public speaking and creative writing workshops for children aged 4 to 16. A 'Wow' curriculum is available from the company, which incorporates storytelling, debating, podcasting, stand-up comedy, poetry, and much more.

PlanetSpark says that its students have gone on to become TEDx speakers, YouTubers, Podcasters, and Published Authors in 13 different countries, including India, Europe, the Middle East and the United States.

Kunal Malik, co-founder of PlanetSpark, commented on this round, “communication skills are the most fundamental and desirable skills that parents wish to impart in their kids. However, these skills are rarely taught anywhere. Till now, parents never thought that a reliable and structured option to develop communication skills of their children existed. With live learning coming of age in the past two years, we are the first global company to structure a program on new-age communication skills, for kids.”

The global communication skills industry is worth about $80 billion and is mainly untapped. PlanetSpark is a pioneer in the field of communication skills for children. It claims to have grown from an Indian company to a worldwide player with operations in the United States, the Middle East, and Europe in the last year.

PlanetSpark has coached students in over one million classes across 13 countries, with a monthly growth rate of 30%. It has grown 45 times in the last year and expects to increase another 30 times in the next two years.
According to the company, it currently serves over 20,000 students on its platform and employs over 2500 teachers.

According to Amit Somani, a partner at Prime Venture Partners, “everyone learns a language but few learn to communicate well. Communication skills are going to be a life-defining skill in the 21st century. We have been very fortunate to be a part of PlanetSpark’s journey from the early days. We have witnessed their explosive growth and their metamorphosis into becoming a clear market leader in the Communications category, in the K-12 segment. We are delighted to continue to back PlanetSpark as they march towards becoming a global edtech giant.”