Masai School sharpens focus on career-linked learning with Design Shift buy

Acquisition will help it strengthen its existing curriculum with comprehensive courseware on UI & UX Design, and Product Management

Edtech startup Masai School has acquired Bengaluru-based design institute Design Shift Academy to strengthen its existing curriculum by introducing comprehensive courseware on UI & UX Design, and Product Management. The acquisition takes the firm from a coding-centric to a career-focused learning platform. The startup had recently closed its $5 million Series-A funding round in March.

“Having made our mark as a coding centric platform, we now aim to sharpen our focus towards becoming a career-focused platform. We are happy to collaborate with Design Shift, who will bring to Masai School the expertise and knowledge of the UI/UX design space, and in turn help create holistic learning programs,” said Prateek Shukla, Co-founder and CEO, Masai School.

Founded in 2019, Masai School’s vision is to be able to help young professionals launch their careers in a field of their choice, irrespective of what background they come from. Through the Income Share Agreement (ISA) model, the company is continues its efforts towards democratising access to quality education.

Design Shift Academy was established in 2017 by Preeti Sheokand and Sudhir Mor, both UX designers. Offering weekend skilling courses, this boot strapped company started as a home based business but today has a market across India, Turkey and Australia.

“When we started Design Shift Academy, there were only a handful of design institutes, and the demand-supply gap was much skewed. Our aim was to enable aspirants with the right skillset, and focus on the actual science of design and the role of human intervention. It was this outcome driven approach which aligned with the vision and mission of Masai School, who were already betting big on factors like inclusivity, accountability and accessibility,” said Mor, Co-founder of Design Shift Academy.