Online Tutoring Program Cuemath Launches In The US

Mathematical literacy is critical for the 21st century workforce, yet 1 in 3 American students fail to achieve it—and that was before the pandemic ignited significant learning loss in students nationwide. According to a recent McKinsey report, many students have lost at least one mathematical ability in the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Indian-based online after school math and coding program Cuemath is aiming to change the downward trend. Last week they formally expanded to the US, where 15,000 students had already enrolled pre-launch. 

Cuemath is a one-on-one online personalized math and coding program that follows the US Common Core and is accredited by STEM.org. It is available to students in grades K through ten. The company has already taught over 200,000 students in 20 countries with over 25 million teaching hours logged. Unlike many after school math programs which focus on mechanics and memorization, Cuemath strives to nurture a love and intuitive understanding of math and coding using real-life examples and compelling visuals to help students grasp concepts intuitively and deeply and to help foster independent thinking skills. 

“Children don’t struggle with Calculus because it is complex. They struggle because their fundamentals dating back to 8th grade and earlier were lacking,” explains Cuemath founder, CEO and first teacher Manan Khurma. After tutoring more than 10,000 students applying to India’s most prestigious engineering programs, he concluded that no amount of tutoring in late high school could fully compensate for a weak foundation. “I realized that if I wanted to make a significant impact that I would need to guide children through their mathematical journeys right from the beginning. That inspired me to develop a math learning system based on deep mastery rather than memorization. That’s how Cuemath was born.” 

Founded in 2013, Cuemath has raised $65 million from some of the world’s most prestigious investors, such as Alphabet’s independent growth fund, CapitalG, and Sequoia Capital. “We have a customized learning program that adapts to each student’s learning ability in order to help them master concepts better. These factors excited VCs, who felt that Cuemath’s unique learning method and state-of-the-art technology platform have the potential to reach and improve the lives of millions of children worldwide,” explained Khurma.

CapitalG founder and general partner David Lawee who has backed such iconic companies as Lyft, Robinhood and Airbnb agreed, adding that, “Cuemath is leveraging their learning platform and workforce of highly educated teachers to deliver personalized instruction to students in the US and abroad. Their access to qualified remote teachers, their thoughtful program and their market traction made a compelling case for investment.”

Cuemath’s ready access to high-quality teachers seems to be an integral part of their winning equation. “The Cuemath hiring process is competitive, and only the top 3% of teaching applicants qualify. Some of our teachers include ex-academicians, investment bankers, doctors, botanists, lawyers, food technologists, and accountants. Many of our excellent teachers are women; we are proud to offer the position of Cuemath teacher as a viable career option with flexible work hours,” said Khurma. The company also has women in leadership roles across the organization.

When asked how they’ve attracted students from 20 countries, Khurma replied that the program’s focus on visual learning and use of real-life examples instead of abstract concepts “was such a powerful approach to teaching math that people outside of India started opting into the program. Word of mouth spread, and increasing numbers of parents began searching for the program. This organic expansion spread to countries worldwide, including the US, where adoption has been faster and more robust than in any market outside of India. We already have 15,000 students and a high renewal rate in the US, and we’re only now officially launching here.”

Khurma added that unlike some after school math programs, Cuemath is not remedial. “We are interested in reaching parents who want their children to be better at math, who want their children to get ahead in math or who want their children to develop holistically. We are excited to be launching now because we know that many parents who take an active interest in their children’s education are looking for after school help, either to assist students in ending the school year strong or to support their education during the summer. “

When asked why the program is formally launching in the US now, Khurma added that COVID-19 has created a sense of urgency among parents who are concerned about learning loss due to the many challenges associated with large-scale virtual learning. “Concern over learning loss has prompted many parents to turn to after-school programs to fill the voids in their children’s education, whether the students need more personalized instruction, reinforcement of skills taught in school, or options for advancement,” he explained. “Furthermore, many students and parents are unfortunately afflicted with a fear of math. Research from the University of Chicago showed that people who have math anxiety steer away from solving problems, even when a large reward is offered. To lower levels of math anxiety, we’ve created a program that portrays math as fun and interactive and introduces it as the language of problem-solving. The Cuemath program is personalized and flexible to make math click for students. Our teachers nurture our students and help them overcome obstacles,” such as learning loss or a fear of math. Khurma said the program works effectively because it’s personalized for each child. “We adapt to children’s requirements and teach at exactly the right pace. I like to call it ‘the Goldilocks zone’ of math: The problem isn’t too complex, nor is it too easy. This way, we aim to train, equip and empower the next generation of invincible problem solvers.“

Hour-long classes begin at $16, and parents can sign up for a trial class to learn more.