Close to investing $15 mn for a strategic stake.

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Pearson, the global publishing firm based in the UK, is set to pick up a strategic stake in Bangalore-based e-learning firm TutorVista. Pearson is understood to be investing around $15 million for this strategic stake in TutorVista, promoted by serial entrepreneur K Ganesh. TutorVista had earlier raised venture capital from Sequoia Capital, Lightspeed Ventures, Silicon Valley Bank and subsequently roped in Manipal Education as an investor. Ganesh could not be reached for comments.

TutorVista, started in 2005 that, provides online tutoring and test preparation in the United States and United Kingdom. TutorVista uses technology to bring tutoring to the student’s home. TutorVista seeks to address problems like declining test scores, a shortage of teachers and the lack of effective supplementary education and test preparation.

TutorVista’s personalised, one-on-one online tutoring and test-preparation services are presently available for K-12, college and graduate level students in many subjects and for many examinations.

According to TutorVista, online sessions begin with a diagnostic assessment to identify student strengths and weaknesses, followed by individualised learning strategies. Virtual classrooms are equipped with voice and chat messaging as well as an electronic whiteboard for interactive use by both student and tutor.

Though publishing books is at the heart of what Pearson does, it looks at other ways to help people learn. According to its website, it extends its e-learning presence to campus, at home or at work. Pearson Education offers nearly 2,000 textbook companion web-sites and a range of other technology-led resources for course management and learning. Pearson, through its Longman companion websites Higher Education Online Resources and Pearson eCollege, offers almost a similar range of solutions that TutorVista has and this is apparently the trigger for the strategic investment.

While TutorVista started out with the US and the UK markets as its focus, in the recent past it acquired Edurite through which it forayed into the Indian market.

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