Anil Srinivasan, Founder, Kruu
After trigonometry in the morning, physics in the afternoon, and a history of Roman architecture in the evening, imagine a student working on a project to design a house that can be folded, packed and moved when needed.For musician turned entrepreneur Anil Srinivasan, this intersection of disciplines and real-world problem solving is exactly what education has to evolve into, given AI has commoditised information to an extent where a single prompt can tailor any subject into a form that you can consume.Srinivasan’s edtech venture Kruu aims to provide students with interdisciplinary project-based learning experiences, connecting them with over 100 global experts, researchers and professors to solve real-world problems ranging from designing foldable homes to reimagining cityscapes through the “history of geography”.The platform currently works with more than 450 schools across 12 countries and is integrated into classrooms for students between grades 6 and 12.“What is school teaching me? We have all asked this question but with AI the question has become even more complicated. Children today need to be creative learners - creativity not just restricted to the arts but in the way they solve problems,” he said.Srinivasan suggests that Kruu’s model is built around problems and not subjects. Schools who sign up students will typically take up three projects which will require students to apply inter-linked concepts from multiple domains. These projects, delivered through Kruu’s digital platform, are designed in close coordination with a mentor network which includes academics and experts from national and global universities like University of Chicago, University of Newcastle, IIT Madras and Ashoka University.For instance, one of the most popular projects in the platform include IIT Madras professor Ashwin Mahalingam’s foldable house. The project asks students to design a house that can be folded and carried to different locations using simple concepts from civil engineering, architecture and material science.“The idea is to expose students to how knowledge is actually created and applied, rather than simply giving them more information to consume,” he said.While the initial few projects on Kruu were designed by Srinivasan’s own peer network, over time they recommended others from their own networks until a hub-and-spoke model was formed which led to the development of 100 such projectsAs for the age profile, Srinivasan suggests that grades 6-12 is the perfect time for students to engage in projects like this as this is the time they start making decisions about their careers and exposing them to different problems can help them discover what holds their interest.Now in its fourth year of operations, Kruu turned profitable last year. The firm has raised $1.25 million in pre-seed and bridge funding from investors including Girish Mathrubootham, Ashwin Damera and Mithun Sacheti and aims for a topline of ₹17 crore in FY27.Published on September 1, 2026
