Quizizz: Transforming Classroom Learning from India for the World through AI The US-based edtech startup has so far raised a total of US$64 million in series-A and -B funding from investors such as Tiger Global, Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang, Eight Roads Ventures, GSV Ventures, Prime Ventures, and Nexus

Founded by BITS Pilani alumni Deepak Joy Cheenath and Ankit Gupta in 2015, Quizizz is on a mission to transform the classroom learning experience for both students and teachers through gamification and artificial intelligence (AI).

In edtech, gamification is a teaching method that uses game elements to make learning more engaging and rewarding for students.

After graduating in 2011, Gupta worked for a consultancy firm in Delhi, while Cheenath took a position as a software development engineer at Amazon in Hyderabad. In 2013, they quit their jobs with the belief that there is still scope to disrupt the crowded edtech market by creating an app that would engage kids as effectively as gaming apps. They developed Wizen World, a virtual world for math learning. To their surprise, it quickly gained traction in the US schools, partly due to better access to computers and the internet than typical Indian schools.

However, the duo soon faced challenges in keeping up with the demand for new content. Teachers expressed the need to create their own questions tailored to their lesson plans. This feedback led to the creation of Quizizz in 2015, featuring a simpler quiz format and a platform that enables teachers to design their own quizzes.

The US-based edtech startup has so far raised a total of US$64 million in series-A and -B funding from investors such as Tiger Global, Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang, Eight Roads Ventures, GSV Ventures, Prime Ventures, and Nexus

"We offer gamified lessons for students empowering educators to create engaging learning -experiences," said Deepak Joy Cheenath, Co-founder, Quizizz. "We want to grow to become a complete learning platform that a teacher can use in the classroom whenever they want a digital tool."

With a strong presence in the US, where over 6,000 schools use its platform, Quizizz is also active in and expanding to the UK, Canada, Australia, the Middle East, and emerging markets such as India, Brazil, and Indonesia. India's market has grown 25 times larger in terms of active users for Quizizz post-pandemic.

"We are building the Quizizz product from India for the world. Our engineering team is based out of Bengaluru and all of the development happens out of here," said Sandeep Bantia, VP Engineering, Quizizz.

Quizizz supports educators in over 150 countries helping them with various instructional needs. According to the company, out of 1.5 billion students globally, 10 per cent use Quizizz and 150 million school students globally answer more than 1 billion questions each month on its platform.

Unlike many other edtech startups, Quizizz does not aim to replace the physical classroom. It rather complements and enhances the classroom experience with gamification.

"Post pandemic, we realize that there is value in having a teacher in the classroom. So we are centered around the teacher. We are not looking to replace teachers. We are more of a co-pilot to the teachers," said Bantia.

In terms of its growth trajectory, Quizizz is doubling down on building new assessment tools, expanding to newer geographies, and exploring innovative products for corporates, said Cheenath.

While the global edtech industry grew to US$222.4 billion last year and is poised to grow at a CAGR of 12.48 per cent between 2024-32 to reach US$661.2 billion, there has been a lacuna. To drive growth in the sector, there is a need to serve as a content enabler and be content agnostic that allows a teacher to utilize platforms to their full potential. Also, the approach to developed markets versus developing markets needs to be different to ensure traction and growth within those markets.

Quizizz believes that its success lies in its innovative use of AI, which has a targeted impact on the education sector. Quizizz leverages AI to alleviate the administrative load on educators by simplifying and speeding up the content creation process, allowing teachers to focus on other tasks and making teaching more efficient and effective.

In addition to content creation capabilities, the company has introduced a product known as 'AI Enhance,' providing teachers with tools to make quizzes more accessible and engaging. By utilizing AI to enhance and add new capabilities to existing teaching resources, Quizizz aims to continuously improve the quality of generated content and reduce latency to support larger models across different workflows.

"Quizizz remains committed to refining and expanding its technological capabilities to deliver solutions that are not only advanced but also deeply adaptable to the needs of educators and students," said Cheenath.