A small group of high-net-worth individuals (HNIs), including senior executives from Google, Deloitte, Tata 1mg, Axis Capital, and photographer Joseph Radhik, have donated $1.4 million (Rs 11.18 crore) to xQ, an edtech business that teaches young people how to make movies.

The business will utilise the money to expand the availability of their flagship product, the xQ Video Lab, at educational institutions. Schools frequently feature a video lab where students can learn how to make videos, much like a computer or physics lab. Students may access a carefully planned video-creation curriculum, top-notch camera equipment, and an e-learning platform through xQ for a fair price, allowing them to continue their studies and hone their video-making skills at home.

IIM alums Simon Jacob and Kartik Talwar founded the company in 2021 with the help of industry experts in advertising, education, and filmmaking.

“Video is the language of the future”, said Jacob, CEO & CoFounder at xQ. “It is no longer a good-to-have extracurricular activity and if we want to introduce video-creation as a core skill to children at scale, it needs to be a part of the school curriculum”, he said in a press note.

The startup has so far educated 6,000 students across eight countries in video-making and is now aiming to train at least 10 lakh kids by 2025.