ZatchUp

India currently ranks 135 out of 163 countries on the 2022 Global Peace Index and ranks 135 among a total of 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index 2022. As the largest democracy in the world, India recognizes the significance of civic education.

However, schools face two significant challenges in imparting this education.

1. Firstly, hiring multiple trained teachers for civic education can be expensive.
2. Alternatively, schools may expect their current teachers to self-train and teach civic education, leading to an additional workload on teachers and potentially resulting in incomplete or inaccurate information being conveyed to students

Another problem statement that we came across is the lack of involvement of parents/family in teaching their children about civic education which is often due to the parents' own limited knowledge of the subject.

In addition to the challenge of imparting civic education,  there is also a concern regarding health and safety education in schools. 

The Ministry of Women and Child Development's study found that 

• 53.22% of children reported experiencing one or more forms of sexual abuse, 
• with only 5.69% reporting sexual assault. 
• Furthermore, 50% of the abuses were committed by individuals known to the child or in a position of trust and responsibility.

To address this issue, schools recognize the need for health and safety education but face similar challenges as with civic education. Hiring additional teachers trained in these areas can be expensive, and expecting existing teachers to self-train may be inefficient or ineffective.

ZatchUp is a provider of age-appropriate, expert-backed, and "plug-and-play" civic education courses that are accessible to schools at an affordable cost. Our video-based content features a well-designed curriculum that can assist and guide students for years to come. These courses are created with the assistance of global experts.

Our "plug-and-play" classes encourage collective learning and can be easily integrated into existing curricula, providing a seamless and comprehensive solution for schools.

Our approach addresses the three major problems in civic education, as 

1. schools are not required to hire trained teachers, 
2. and our courses do not add any extra burden to current teachers.
3. Additionally, we provide videos for parents and teachers to encourage all-around civic literacy. 

Once schools have subscribed to our course,  students can access and re-watch the courses on the ZatchUp app at home, without any additional subscription charges.

Furthermore, we are building a community within the ZatchUp app to keep students up-to-date on current affairs, which will be age-appropriate and effective, instead of overwhelming students with an excessive number of random news pieces. 

In the next year, we aim to organize inter-school challenges to promote civic education and recognize the contributions made by students.

ZatchUp Website

ZatchUp's Insta Page

India has a sizable population of 380 million children in the age group of 6-17 years, comprising most of the primary and secondary school-going age cohorts.

Our target is to provide Civic, Health, and Safety courses to 500K students within the next 6-8 months and cumulatively reach out to 200 million children in the subsequent 5-6 years.

ZatchUp is committed to realizing its mission of providing health, safety, and civic literacy to every child in the world, with a particular focus on over 400 million children in India. Our courses aim to enable children to make informed decisions, lead healthy lifestyles, and ensure their safety and well-being.

Initially, the company was established with the aim of providing online courses in STEM education to schools in small as well as remote villages, where the availability of good teachers is limited. 

While interacting with schools, principals, and teachers, we recognized that there is a significant need and demand for proper civic education, which is currently missing. We also added Health and Safety courses to our offerings to address this gap and be the one-stop solution for schools.

We have actively engaged with schools and principals to gather feedback and understand their specific needs for course content. With their input, we have developed our entire platform and tested the user interface with a government-run school.

The task of providing civic, health, and safety education to children worldwide is an immense endeavour. As we continue to expand our reach to more schools in India, collaborating with partners who can assist us in reaching out to educators and schools beyond India would be of significant assistance. Furthermore, we seek partners to aid us in elevating the platform to a world-class level.

The need for civic education is apparent to schools, but the current solutions available are highly dependent on human resources, which is costly for schools. Moreover, the existing solution does not involve families, with whom children spend a significant amount of time.

ZatchUp offers a comprehensive solution by leveraging technology and providing video-based content to partners and teachers to promote all-around literacy. With our health and safety courses in addition to civic education, we serve as a one-stop solution for schools.

Our community feature enables children to stay informed about current events that are relevant to them, rather than inundating them with random news from around the world.

India has the world's largest youth population, and ZatchUp's goal is to reach 500K students in the next 6-8 months and 200 million children in the next 5-6 years. However, India ranks low in several key areas, including peace, gender equality, sexual abuse, and corruption.

Providing easy access to civic education can help address these issues. Civic education can promote conflict resolution, gender equality, and children's safety. It can also help children become responsible and ethical citizens and understand their role in shaping the future of their communities and country.

ZatchUp is an integrated platform for civic, health, and safety education courses. 

We are confident that it can reach its target of 500K students in the next 6-8 months and make a significant impact. The company has started by teaching topics like consent, which is a critical issue in a country where 53% of children have faced sexual abuse. As per statistics, there is a possibility that 250K of these students have faced some sort of sexual abuse 

By teaching children about personal boundaries and encouraging them to inform their parents if their boundaries are breached, Even if only 100 or 1000 students come forward, it will significantly impact the recognition and reach of our classes.

ZatchUp hopes to make a real difference in the lives of these children. With this success, ZatchUp can expand its reach to millions of other students and provide comprehensive civic, health, and safety education.

India currently ranks 135 out of 163 countries on the 2022 Global Peace Index and ranks 135 among a total of 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index 2022. By providing easy access to civic education, we hope to make a meaningful impact on these issues and improve the lives of children across the country.

There are three key indicators that ZatchUp will use to measure its performance in imparting civic education. 

1. Firstly, the company will seek feedback from students and teachers who have used the platform and courses to assess their effectiveness.
2. Secondly, engagement within the community will be monitored through the ZatchUp app, which provides age-appropriate current affairs updates. This will serve as a significant indicator of the level of interest and involvement in the education process. 
3. Finally, ZatchUp aims to organize inter-school challenges to promote civic education and recognize the contributions of participating students. The participation and performance of students in these challenges will be a crucial indicator of the overall impact of ZatchUp's initiatives.

ZatchUp's theory of change is based on the belief that easy access to civic, health, and safety education can empower students and help them become responsible and ethical citizens. Our platform aims to provide high-quality education that is accessible to all students, regardless of their background or geographic location.

Our activities include developing and delivering courses on civic, health, and safety education through our online platform, engaging with schools and educators to understand their needs and tailor our courses accordingly, and fostering a sense of community among students to promote engagement and participation in civic issues.

Our immediate outputs include the development and delivery of high-quality courses, the engagement of schools and educators in the development of our courses, and the creation of a sense of community among students.

Our longer-term outcomes include fostering peace and conflict resolution, promoting gender equality, reducing sexual abuse and exploitation of children, promoting honesty, transparency, and accountability, and helping young people understand their role in shaping the future of their communities and country.

We expect to have an impact on the problem by providing students with the knowledge and skills they need to become active and engaged citizens who can contribute positively to their communities and society at large. Our theory of change is supported by numerous research on the importance of civic education and the positive impact it can have on students' lives and the fact that MIT has come up with this challenge.

ZatchUp's core technology is an online platform that leverages modern digital technology to provide civic, health, and safety education to children. The platform offers a variety of courses and resources, including video content, quizzes, and interactive activities. 

Since students have the option to rewatch all the classes again at home pon ZatchUp App we will eventually use AI and machine learning to personalize the learning experience for each student based on their individual learning style and progress. 

The platform also includes a community feature that enables students to stay up-to-date with current events and engage with their peers on relevant topics.

ZatchUp's technology is designed to address the problem of limited access to comprehensive civic education for children, particularly in developing countries. 

ZatchUp's use of technology makes it scalable and cost-effective, allowing it to reach a large number of students across the world.

ZatchUp is committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusivity in our work. Our efforts towards this include offering courses on gender identity and sexual orientation. Additionally, we are proud to have a lead educator who identifies as non-binary, which is a testament to our dedication towards promoting inclusivity and embracing diversity within our team.

ZatchUp's Sex education course

We are B2B, and only schools/colleges can subscribe to the courses. We are currently charging 

• 1 USD per child per month to schools outside India and 
• 12 cents per child per month to schools in India

For NGOs/for non for profit organisations:

• 1 USD per child per year to schools outside India and 
• 12 cents per child per year to schools in India

Our courses are plug-and-play courses - once the school buy our subscription and they can play the courses in the classroom for students, Videos for partners and teachers are also freely available for them to watch.

We are targeting reaching 500K students in next 6-7 months. Once we reach 2 million students (Goal for next 1.5 years), we will be able to be profitable. 

There are two big expenses : 

• Share of educator ~15% of revenue
• Video Production costs ~ 7% of revenue 
• IT Cost (Platform running cost) ~ 12-15% of revenue 

We are currently a self-funded company, with a runway for the next 1.5 years. We will start raising funding once we reach the 2 million students mark which will help us reach 200 million in next 5-6 years.