TutorVista

TutorVista Global Private Limited is an online tutoring company geared towards students in grades through high school.^[1][2] It relies on a combination of voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony, instant messaging, a toll-free fax number (allowing review of printed materials), and an electronic blackboard.^[1] TutorVista’s operations are entirely located in India, but most of its market is abroad.^[3] The company primarily provides academic help by paid subscription to students in English, mathematics, and the sciences.^[4]

History

TutorVista was founded in 2005 by Krishnan Ganesh and Meena Ganesh.^[5] Other founding contributors included Srinivas Anumolu, Louise Kumar, and Ravi Kannan. In 2006, Sequoia Capital India and Lightspeed Venture Partners invested more than $10 million in TutorVista.^[6] The company grew with the acquisition of Edurite, an educational firm in 2007^[7] and a partnership with American Book Company in 2009.^[8] In 2011, Pearson increased a smaller stake to a 76% majority stake in TutorVista for $127 million^[9] and fully acquired it by buying the remaining 20% stake in 2013. At this point Krishnan Ganesh and Meena Ganesh stepped down from all management roles in the Bangalore-based company and Srikanth Iyer was appointed the new CEO.^[10]

Criticism

The Economist has suggested that building trust for an unknown Indian brand was the biggest difficulty faced by the company.^[11] There have also been several protests in the United States against those organizations that do not allow face-to-face and personalized tutoring. Officials and parents from both local and national bodies have mixed reactions regarding the ethical and practical implications of this trend.^[12] In the UK it is estimated that 1 in 4 students is now tutored outside school, with offshore tutoring companies increasingly entering the market.^[13]

References

External links