Practically is a Hyderabad-based K-12 STEM edtech platform that uses AR, VR and mixed reality for experiential learning, which cut staff and shifted to B2B after a cash crunch in 2022.

This Startup Deep Dive explains what Practically does, how it makes money, who backs it, how it compares with rivals and what could go wrong, using publicly available information. It is educational and not investment advice. Last updated: October 2026.

Practically in Brief

• What it is: Practically is an Indian K-12 immersive learning (edtech) company based in Hyderabad.
• Who it serves: businesses, institutions, consumers, learners and public-sector buyers.
• Offers an app for grades 6-12 combining content, simulations, test prep and live classes.
• Uses AR, VR and mixed reality for immersive STEM learning.
• Sells through B2B, B2B2C and B2C channels, with paid subscription tiers reported from Rs 1,300 to Rs 3,000 per month.
• Funding: $14M+ per one profile; a Nov 2022 report says close to $9M (reports differ).

Practically Quick Facts

Figures marked “reported” come from published reports and may differ between sources; “Not disclosed” means no reliable public figure was found.

What Is Practically?

Practically operates in the K-12 immersive learning (edtech) space in India. Understanding a company like this starts with three questions: who is the customer, what painful problem is being solved, and why the solution is better than the alternatives. The sections below apply that lens to Practically.

• Offers an app for grades 6-12 combining content, simulations, test prep and live classes.
• Uses AR, VR and mixed reality for immersive STEM learning.
• Sells through B2B, B2B2C and B2C channels, with paid subscription tiers reported from Rs 1,300 to Rs 3,000 per month.
• Acquired Fedena (Foradian Technologies), a school ERP, in March 2022.

The Origin Story of Practically

Every company starts from a noticed gap and a team willing to commit to closing it. Strong origin stories are specific: a clear problem, a founding team with relevant skills, and an early product that real customers could test. Founder-market fit, meaning the team’s lived experience or technical depth in the domain, tends to predict how fast a young company learns.

• Founders: Subbarao Siddabattula, Ilangovel Thulasimani, Charu Noheria.
• Founders Subbarao Siddabattula (CEO), Ilangovel Thulasimani (CTO) and Charu Noheria (COO).
• Founding year is reported as 2014 by some profiles and 2018 by others; left blank.
• Based in Hyderabad.

Key Milestones and Challenges

No startup grows in a straight line. Early years usually involve slow adoption, product rewrites, hiring mistakes and funding gaps. In the K-12 immersive learning (edtech) sector the common turning points are a first paying customer, a regulatory approval, a successful product demonstration or a funding round that lets the team invest ahead of demand. How a team responds to setbacks says more about resilience than any single headline.

• 2019: $5M Series A reported.
• Jan 2021: $4M pre-Series B led by Siana Capital with YourNest and Exfinity.
• Dec 2021: $5M round led by NB Ventures with Earlsfield, Almoe and Ncubate.
• Mar 2022: Acquired Fedena school ERP.
• 2022: A $5M term sheet signed in May did not close; headcount cut by 190 since mid-August and focus shifted to B2B.
• FY24: revenue Rs 11.8 crore.

Practically Funding and Investors

Funding history shows how much outside confidence a company has attracted and how long it can operate before needing more capital. Figures below are reported and may differ between sources; valuation figures are estimates unless the company has confirmed them.

• 2019 Series A: $5M (reported).
• Jan 2021 pre-Series B: $4M led by Siana Capital with YourNest Venture Capital and Exfinity Ventures.
• Dec 2021: $5M from NB Ventures, Earlsfield Capital, Almoe Group and Ncubate Capital.
• 2022: Bridge funding from existing investors expected after a planned round fell through.
• Valuation not disclosed.

How Does Practically Make Money? (Business Model)

A business model describes who pays, how often and how much it costs to serve them. Strong models show repeat usage, improving margins with scale and acquisition channels that do not depend only on paid spend. Weak models show one-off sales, rising costs and growth that stops when spending stops. For companies selling to businesses, institutions, consumers, learners and public-sector buyers, sales cycles and contract size matter as much as headline growth.

• Multi-channel: B2B and B2B2C sales to schools plus B2C subscriptions.
• After the 2022 cash crunch the company said it would trim B2C substantially and focus on B2B in India, international markets and partnerships.
• School ERP business via Fedena adds software revenue.

The Numbers: Practically Financials

Financial figures show whether growth is turning into a self-sustaining business. Small and private companies often disclose little, so any number below is included only if it was found in public reporting.

• FY23: revenue Rs 3.3 crore.
• FY24: revenue Rs 11.8 crore (up about 255%), net loss Rs 5.8 crore, estimated EBITDA about Rs 0.32 crore.
• FY25: not found.

Market Opportunity for Practically

Market size is easy to exaggerate, so a useful approach separates the total market from the portion a company can realistically reach with its current product and distribution. The main forces behind demand in this sector are rising digital adoption, cloud and mobile penetration, growing enterprise technology spending, government digitisation programmes and a deep pool of engineering talent. Each of these widens the opportunity, but capital efficiency and execution decide who captures it.

• Indian K-12 edtech, which has struggled as funding dried up and schools reopened.

Technology and Product at Practically

Technology is rarely the whole moat, but it drives speed, cost and customer experience. A practical way to assess it is to separate the capability the company controls from the commodity infrastructure it rents. In this sector the important factors are product quality, data and integration depth, security, scalability and the speed of shipping improvements.

• AR, VR and mixed reality simulations for STEM concepts.

Team and Culture at Practically

Teams are the most important and least measurable asset of a young company. Look at how complementary the founders’ skills are, how deep the second layer of leadership is, and how the company hires and retains specialists. Culture shows up in small repeated behaviours: how quickly bad news travels upward and whether commitments to customers are kept.

• Three co-founders in CEO, CTO and COO roles.

Practically Competitors: Competitive Landscape

A fair competitive analysis names direct rivals, adjacent players who could move into the space, and the customer’s default alternative. Durable advantages include proprietary data or technology, licences and approvals, brand trust, switching costs and cost leadership.

• Direct competitors of Practically vary by product line; a verified rival comparison was not available from public sources.
• What to compare: Product readiness, pricing, customer base, funding runway and regulatory standing.

Risks and Challenges for Practically

• The 2022 cash crunch led to layoffs and unpaid salaries for some affected staff.
• Dependence on B2B deals that were still being signed in late 2022.
• Weak K-12 edtech funding climate.
• Limited public data after 2022 apart from FY24 filings.
• Competition: low barriers to entry and well-funded rivals can compress pricing and slow growth.
• Funding risk: technology businesses often burn cash before reaching profit and depend on investor appetite.

Risk is not a reason to avoid a company; it is a reason to price it correctly and to monitor the right indicators over time. Regulation in this sector is shaped by data protection rules under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, sector regulators, consumer protection law and IT rules.

Practically Growth Outlook: What to Watch

• FY24 revenue rose sharply with a small positive estimated EBITDA, suggesting the B2B shift helped; later results not found.
• Key indicators: recurring revenue, customer retention, gross margin, customer acquisition cost and runway.
• Funding position: Whether Practically can reach its next milestone before needing new capital.
• Regulation: Changes from data protection rules under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, sector regulators, consumer protection law and IT rules.

Industry Context: Where Practically Fits

India's technology startup ecosystem is one of the largest in the world, supported by cheap data, a large base of smartphone users, digital public infrastructure and a deep engineering talent pool. Companies now build for education, software, mobility, logistics, agriculture, defence, media and more, selling both to Indian customers and abroad.

Durable technology companies usually combine a clear customer problem with repeatable distribution and disciplined unit economics. Growth funded only by spending tends to fade, while products that customers keep using and paying for build compounding advantages.

For readers new to this field, a useful habit is to separate announcements from evidence. A plan, a partnership or a funding headline describes intent, while a delivered product, a paying customer or an audited financial statement describes results. Comparing the two over time shows how reliably a company turns promises into outcomes.

Bull Case and Bear Case for Practically

An investment thesis is a short, testable statement of why a company could become far more valuable, together with what evidence would prove it wrong. The points below are general to this sector and are not forecasts for Practically.

Bull case

• A large and growing base of digital users and businesses expands the addressable market.
• Recurring revenue and strong retention can compound growth.
• Selling into global markets widens the opportunity beyond India.

Bear case

• Heavy competition can compress pricing and margins.
• Dependence on external funding can force painful cost cuts.
• Regulation or platform changes can disrupt a product quickly.

Lessons Founders and Investors Can Take from Practically

Studying a company in the K-12 immersive learning (edtech) space offers lessons that go beyond any single firm. The points below are general lessons for the sector and are not claims about Practically.

• Solving a clear, frequent customer problem matters more than adding features.
• Retention and repeat usage are better health signals than sign-ups.
• Disciplined spending extends runway and keeps options open when funding tightens.
• Distribution, not just product quality, decides who wins in crowded markets.
• Building trust through data protection and reliability is part of the product.

How to Evaluate Practically as a Startup

• Customer clarity: Can Practically name its customer and the problem it solves in one sentence?
• Evidence of demand: Look for repeat customers, signed contracts or measurable usage rather than announcements alone.
• Economics: Check whether margins improve as volume grows.
• Execution: Compare announced timelines with what has actually been delivered.
• Funding runway: Estimate how long current capital lasts at the present spending rate.
• Regulatory standing: Confirm required approvals are in place.
• Customer concentration: Check whether a few customers account for most of the revenue.
• Management depth: Look for experienced leaders beyond the founders and a stable core team.

The Takeaway

Practically is part of India’s growing K-12 immersive learning (edtech) ecosystem. The useful lesson from studying it is the discipline of asking structured questions about customers, economics, advantage and resilience. Companies that answer them well, repeatedly and under pressure are the ones that endure. Readers should treat any single report, ranking or funding headline as one input among many, and should re-check key facts against recent company announcements. Because public information on young companies is often limited, patience in verifying claims is part of good analysis. Public sources can also describe the same company in different ways, so it is worth checking dates, definitions and whether a figure refers to revenue, total income or transaction value, and whether it covers one entity or a wider group, before drawing conclusions. Small differences in rounding, currency conversion or reporting periods can also change how a figure reads. Comparing the same figure across several recent reports helps show whether it is stable or has changed over time. This article is educational and is not investment advice.

• Clear customers and repeat demand matter more than announcements.
• Regulation and capital needs shape how fast a startup in this sector can grow.
• Track a few leading indicators over time rather than one headline metric.

Practically FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions

What is Practically?

Practically is a Hyderabad-based K-12 STEM edtech platform that uses AR, VR and mixed reality for experiential learning, which cut staff and shifted to B2B after a cash crunch in 2022. It is profiled in the Startup Deep Dive series, which explains business model, funding, competitors and risks.

Who founded Practically?

Practically was founded by Subbarao Siddabattula, Ilangovel Thulasimani, Charu Noheria.

How much funding has Practically raised?

$14M+ per one profile; a Nov 2022 report says close to $9M (reports differ). Funding figures are reported and may differ between sources, so readers should check the latest company announcements.

How does Practically make money?

Practically earns revenue from its K-12 immersive learning (edtech) products and services sold to businesses, institutions, consumers, learners and public-sector buyers. The exact revenue mix is described in the business model section and is not fully disclosed publicly.

Who are the competitors of Practically?

Competitors of Practically depend on the specific product line. A verified comparison was not available, so see the evaluation checklist above.

What are the main risks for Practically?

Main risks include competition: low barriers to entry and well-funded rivals can compress pricing and slow growth, funding and capital needs, competition and regulation by data protection rules under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, sector regulators, consumer protection law and IT rules. This is educational content, not investment advice.

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Source

Source: Publicly available data, published reports, industry research, and other credible sources.