Thu, 08/21/2008 - 04:08 — Sahad P V
Matrix Partners India has made a Series-A investment of $7 million (Rs.30 crores) in pre-school educator Tree House Education and Accessories Pvt. Ltd. Mumbai-based Tree House claims to be the largest non-franchised, branded pre-school educator in the country and currently operates more than 45 pre-schools across India. It provides learning environment for children between the age of 1.5 to 6 years. Tree House is currently has a presence in Mumbai only but with the current round of funding it now plans to expand and open centers all over the country.
"The pre-school education market is upward of a billion dollar size in India. It is largely fragmented and there is huge scope to scale the company. Also, there is a great need for standardized quality education in the pre-school segment at an affordable price, with a clear focus on early childhood care," said Rajesh Bhatia, MD, Tree House Education.
There are several other big players in this segment. Shemrock Schools with a total of 90 branches. Then there is also Kidzee, which is backed by Zee's Subhash Chandra. Eurokids International is another player in this segment which has 180 pre-schools spread across 70 towns. Then there is also Mothers Pride, which is spread across Delhi and NCR.
Matrix Partners India has around $450 million under management. It invests upto $50 million in companies, making venture and growth capital investments. Some of the portfolio companies of Matrix Prtners India is Brand Marketing India , Itzcash Card, Seventymm, Tree House and Yo! China. Avnish Bajaj, who previously founded Bazee.com, is the Managing Director of Matrix India.



