Date:18/01/2006 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/01/18/stories/2006011802050400.htm

Back 24x7 Learning to aim for $23 m of global pie

Our Bureau

Bangalore , Jan. 17

24x7 LEARNING has announced its plans to enter the global eLearning arena. The Bangalore-based company, with a revenue of Rs 7.5 crore this year, announced that it will aim for the $23-million of the global e-learning pie by targeting East and Middle East Asia as well as the US.

The company's product, LearnTrak, is a licence-based software aimed at corporates in the IT, government and banking domains. Companies mainly demand .Net, voice training and project management courses, but courses on communication skills like e-mail etiquette are also seeing adoption now, according to Mr Anil Chhikara, Co-founder and CEO, 24x7 Learning.

"Deal sizes here vary from Rs 5-25 lakh. When we go global, we expect to bag $1,00,000 to $1-million deals," said Mr Karthik K.S., Founder and Managing Director, 24x7 Learning.

The company will also focus on new domains such as manufacturing, telecom, banking, retail and pharma. It will soon launch LearnTrak BPO, a new software especially for the BPO industry.

24x7 Learning may also partner with academic institutions like IGNOU to offer distance learning.

"The company also announced the closure of two rounds of strategic investment. Investors in the company include Karnataka IT Venture Capital Fund, international marketing person Mr Arun Sinha and angel investor Mr Anil Garg.

The Indian eLearning market is estimated at Rs 80-100 crore. The company expects to earn $12-million revenue in the next two years.