Habbit, an interactive online experiential learning platform for new-age digital skills and hobbies, has raised $320,000 in Pre-Seed round led by Ashok Goyal, ex-Supervisory Board Member, Sanjeev Goenka Group, ex-Managing Director, Philips Carbon Black, and ex-President of KEC International, with participation from a clutch of well-known angel investors.
The round also witnessed participation from the angel investors including Rajinder Mohan, Founder and CEO, RT Vision Technologies and Bitcomm Technologies, Gaurav Vij, Regional Head, East, Sanctum Wealth Management, Geeta Ahluwalia, Founder, Aanchal Apparels Private Limited, and Kunal Ojha S/O Vijay Ojha, Chairman, Techno Relief Group.
The company will use the funding towards growing its community of users, onboarding new mentors, and to further develop the product.
Habbit focuses on experiential learning among the most unconventional hobbies and skills which can become an active career option for future generations. The platform offers online and offline mentoring programs, a place where an individual can come and find mentors in any field, hobby, or skill who can guide them. As a part of this, mentors offer certain services which can enable this mentor-ship through, 1-on-1 sessions 'Group Workshops Community platform', a community where an individual can connect, create, and collaborate with other enthusiasts as well as creators and mentors.
Founded in September 2020 by Somnath Sandeep and Raghav Goyal, alumni of BITS-Pilani, the Bengaluru-based startup aims to bridge the gap between passionate mentors and creative learners through live mentorship and community building.
Habbit was founded with a two-fold goal in mind, one, to help learners upskill to become creators and to support existing creators monetize to become micro-entrepreneurs, and two, to encourage people to have a hobby, a recreational habit, or a meaningful interest that gives them a break from their daily hustle. Learners can opt for one-on-one tutoring for a personalized learning experience, or join a small group of passionate learners on a fun-filled journey with experienced mentors. Additionally, learners can also attend concise one-time classes or workshops to learn a skill together. At Habbit, along with learning experiences, learners can be a part of a community of like-minded learners.
Speaking about the latest development, Raghav Goyal, Co-founder, Habbit, said,
"With the world continuing to endure the effects of the pandemic, not only are people looking for creative ways to invest their time to avoid burnout from our everyday hustle, but also pursue it as a side or main gig."
Somnath Sandeep, Co-founder of Habbit added,
“In a world full of content and consumption, what is scarce is engagement and interaction through live mentorship and community. We have seen increasing validation for our business model and overwhelming adoption from our learners to immerse themselves in our live-learning experience and communities, especially college students, working professionals and homemakers."
According to Sandeep, the new investments will primarily accelerate product development, expanding our content, and creator base to cover unique learning experiences for their learners.
Ashok Goyal, Lead Investor, ex-Supervisory Board Member, Sanjeev Goenka Group, ex-Managing Director, Philips Carbon Black and ex-President, KEC International, has said, "I believe that Habbit is solving a large unmet need in the market with its focus on creating a one-stop platform for learning creative and digital skills and hobbies. The young team has shown impressive growth within a short period of time. I am happy to be a part of their growth story."
Currently, Habbit provides 42 skills under 7 categories that include art, music, design, games, fitness, dance, and gardening. In the next few months, the startup plans to introduce learning experiences in new-age digital skills, self-care, culinary arts, and photography.
