Stones2Milestones

Stones2Milestones (S2M) is an education technology firm established in 2008 with a mission to improve English literacy for children. The company was founded by Kavish Gadia and Nikhil Saraf. Gadia, an IIM-L alumnus and serial entrepreneur, started S2M as a research organization while also founding an investment banking firm. Saraf, with a background in computer science and marketing, joined forces with Gadia in 2015, sharing a passion for solving India's early-age reading challenges. They identified that a vast majority of students were not reading at their grade level, a foundational issue impacting all subsequent education.

The Gurugram-based company operates as a for-profit social enterprise, aiming for self-sustainability while creating a positive social impact. It targets the significant market of children aged 3 to 12 for whom English is a second language. Stones2Milestones' business model involves partnerships with schools, teachers, and parents, creating an ecosystem to support language development. Initially, revenue came from annual subscription fees paid by schools for licenses. The model has since evolved to include direct-to-consumer offerings through its flagship product, Freadom. This includes freemium access to the app and paid online classes. The company has secured a total of $6.9M in funding over 10 rounds from investors such as Unreasonable Capital, Goldhirsh Foundation, and Menterra Venture Advisors.

The core of S2M's offering is the Freadom platform, an English learning ecosystem that includes an adaptive mobile app, live online classes (both group and one-on-one), a blog, and a YouTube channel. The Freadom app, launched in 2016, provides curated stories, activities, quizzes, and news matched to a child's reading level to develop skills in reading, speaking, and conversation. For schools, the company offers the "Wings of Words (WoW)" program, which integrates into the school's curriculum, and the FAST Assessment, India's first standardized reading skill assessment tool. A key feature of their technology is an advanced speech assessment tool, developed in association with Carnegie Mellon, to help children track their oral fluency. The company has also collaborated with Finnish Global Education Solutions to introduce Finnish learning approaches into Indian schools and develop technology for global deployment.

Keywords: EdTech, English language learning, literacy platform, children's education, Freadom app, reading skills, adaptive learning, online classes, for-profit social enterprise, K-12 education, language proficiency, speech assessment, parent engagement, teacher training, education technology, Gurugram, Kavish Gadia, Nikhil Saraf, primary education, learning ecosystem