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EdTech companies have built various live class models- 1:1, 1:few and 1:many, to replicate offline tutoring experience online. Live classes are preferred over recorded content as there is a greater need of discipline and responsiveness in the students to show up for each class.

1: Many Learning

Pros ✅

• Most Cost Effective

• Best Unit Economics

• High Scalability (Teacher Supply)

Cons ❌

• Low Attention Span

1:Few Learning

Pros ✅

• Higher Attention Span

• Relatively Cost Effective

• Good Unit Economics

Cons ❌

• Low Scalability (Teacher Supply)

1:1 Learning

Pros ✅

• Highest Attention Span

Cons ❌

• Low Scalability (Teacher Supply)

• Least Cost Effective

• Worst Unit Economics

Here’s a study on one of the largest 1:1 learning platforms- Zhangmen

Old Rope

Zhangmen 掌门- Largest 1:1 tutoring platform from China

1:1 tutoring is considered to be highly effective as it allows a student to have complete personal attention of the tutor. Zhangmen (掌门) was founded in 2010, and as on date claims to have tutored 545K students in its 1:1 format, with each student spending around ~$1000 on the platform in 2020 alone. Having so far raised ~$900M in capital from the likes …

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2 years ago · 8 likes · Rahul Maheshwari

What if there is a model that combines the best of the above three, and provides:

• Scalability

• Cost Effectiveness

• High Attention Span

• Best Unit Economics (90%+ Gross Margins)

• Low CAC

Ding Dong Ke Tang (叮咚课堂)- Live English Learning Platform 🦁

Ding Dong Ke Tang (DDKT) is one of my favorite companies from China in EdTech. It is an English live learning platform for 2-12 years old.

With its unique productized approach, it has solved most of the problems discussed above when it comes to live learning.

Explainer Video of DDKT

Simulated AI Live Class: Not a real live class 😉

DDKT records content with high-quality teachers from North America. The recorded content is then live streamed as per the timing selected by the student. The class uses voice recognition and AI to ensure the class is interactive and simulates all essential components of a live class.

Solving for Discipline ⏱️

All of us have been guilty of not completing that Udemy course we paid for, simply because we procrastinate on watching the recorded video!

To solve this, just like a live class, each DDKT class must be pre-booked in advance, so that the student shows up in time. The class starts on time and missing a session does not mean you can watch the video later – you simply miss the lecture just like in the real world.

High Attention Span! 🛎️

DDKT Class Experience

Although the teacher is not live, but the class enables close-to-live class experience with the help of interactive exercises, voice recognition and AI. E.g., in the video above, the teacher gives exercises like vocalising ‘ant’, through voice recognition. In case of an incorrect answer, the teacher would explain it again while in case of a correct answer, the teacher would move on to the next topic.
Students can also book 1:2 class, which makes the class more engaging.

High Scalability (Teacher Supply) and Best Unit Economics 🧑‍🏫

DDKT need not hire 1 teacher per 5 paying students but can hire a few best-in-class English language teachers and record high quality content with them for streaming. This content can be amortized over the life of the company.

Since DDKT does not pay a fixed per class commission (~50%) to the teachers, it drastically improves the unit economics, with gross margin upwards of 90%.

Low CAC driven by low pricing!🚀

One live class on DDKT costs $2-$3, whereas a live class on VIPKid (largest live 1:1 English learning platform) is $20. The 10X cheaper pricing reduces the parents’ expectations and enables lower CAC.

Final thoughts!🤔

Even though EdTech is adversely impacted in China, models like DDKT are inspiring for entrepreneurs innovating in EdTech globally. Not everyone can afford to spend $15-20 on a live 1:1 class, hence productised simulated live classes can increase access to high quality education at scale!

Moreover, barrier to entry for a live learning platform is very low, hence productising simulated live classes will be inevitable for defensibility!

If you are building in this direction anywhere in the world, would love to speak! I am available on rahul@beenext.com.