Full Interview 
Podcast 
Team Elevar
LEAD’s mission is to empower India by making excellent education, accessible and affordable to children in underserved communities.
Based on a study in 2016, only 45% of grade eight students were able to read simple sentences in English and 43% were able to do a simple arithmetic division, a decline of more than 20 percentage points over six years.
In Elevar’s first podcast, Smita Deorah shares “Every year lost is a generation lost”. To us at Elevar, this quote carries a profound sense of urgency to catch up to the needs and aspirations of Entrepreneurial Households™ worldwide. The founding duo, Smita Deorah and Sumeet Mehta have an in-depth understanding of the Affordable Private School (APS) segment, drawn from their experience in running schools and teaching. This experience reaffirmed their commitment to address the needs of the whole child (meaning aptitude in both hard and soft skills), aligning with their goal to transform India’s education system. Smita highlights that “school education is 50 years behind where it should be in India”. The team’s thorough grasp of the needs and aspirations of all the stakeholders, coupled with their focus on creating a high-quality, affordable, and scalable solution led to LEAD’s inception.
What distinguishes this team is their capability to transform the educational experiences for students while simultaneously empowering school owners, parents, teachers, and administrators. Though many who attended private schools may find this approach familiar, access to high-quality, affordable education remains a significant aspiration for Entrepreneurial Households. Discover more about the entrepreneurs, the innovative platform, and its multimodal approach to learning here.
At Elevar, we have seen our entrepreneurs navigate numerous challenges and crises with incredible resilience and integrity. This founding team distinctly stands out for their conviction in their vision. Amidst COVID-19, as the world of capital fueled a plethora of B2C value propositions, this team remained dedicated to empowering the B2B segment, by working with schools and reaching students, parents, and teachers. The LEAD Group now partners with over 9,000 schools across more than 400 cities, reaching 5 million students.
Listen to Smita and Sumeet in Episode 1 of the Elevar podcast. Learn what drives their intense need for ambitious growth. Hint..it’s not investor pressure!!