Edtech giant Byju’s has roped in soccer superstar Lionel Messi as the first global brand ambassador of its social impact arm Education For All, the company said.
Messi plays for Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentinian football team, and has signed an agreement with BYJU’S to promote the cause of equitable education.
“We could not have found a better champion for education than Leo Messi. Not only is he one of the best sportspersons in the world, he wants to make the same learning opportunities available to children across the world. BYJU’S EFA is our attempt to make education equitable, accessible, and free for millions of underserved kids in India”, Byju’s co-founder Divya Gokulnath said in a LinkedIn post.
“Together, we will transform the learning paths of millions of more children in India and around the world. BYJU’S EFA is touching 5.5 million lives so far. It is now all set to provide free education to at least 10 million children by 2025. Perhaps we will reach there much sooner”, she added.
Earlier this year, BYJU’S became the official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
In another development, the edtech platform is set to float an initial public offering (IPO) of its tutoring business Akash Educational Services, Bloomberg reported.
It is in talks with foreign banks like JPMorgan Chase and Co, Citigroup Inc, Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Morgan Stanley and Indian banks including Axis Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank for arrangers for its listing.
According to the report, the draft red herring prospectus is set to be filed with the market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in January or February. According to report, Byju’s is aiming for the IPO to be floated around August-September next year.