Tutorate India: Siddhant Kaushik on Bridging the Financial Literacy Gap with Practical Market Education
Despite India's booming stock market, a vast majority of the population remains financially illiterate, often relying on hearsay rather than data to make investment decisions. Siddhant Kaushik, the Co-founder of Tutorate India, is on a mission to democratize financial knowledge. By providing practical, video-based training aligned with industry standards like NCFM, Tutorate India is transforming how the next generation of Indian investors and professionals learn the art of the trade.
The 'Knowledge' Gap: Theory vs. Reality
Siddhant's journey began with a simple observation: the industry doesn't value theoretical knowledge as much as practical execution. "In the financial markets, you can read all the books you want, but unless you know how to read a chart or understand a derivative, you aren't ready," Siddhant explains. He noticed that students often graduate with degrees but zero knowledge of how the NSE (National Stock Exchange) actually functions.
Tutorate India was born to fix this. The platform focuses on short, engaging videos that can be accessed anywhere via YouTube and their dedicated portal. By moving away from "regular school and college" formats, they provide a learning experience that matches the fast-paced nature of the markets.
NCFM Alignment and Practical Modules
One of Tutorate India's biggest strengths is its curriculum alignment with the **NCFM (NSE Academy Certification in Financial Markets)**. These certifications are the gold standard for anyone looking to work in Indian finance. Siddhant’s platform provides specific modules designed to help students and professionals crack these exams while gaining real-world skills.
Core Course Modules
- NSE Derivatives Module: Understanding future and options from a foundational level.
- Options Strategy: Learning how to hedge and trade in volatile markets.
- Fundamental Analysis: How to evaluate a company's health before investing.
- Technical Analysis: Reading charts and price action for short-term opportunities.
The Founding Journey: Friendships and Finance
Siddhant co-founded Tutorate India with a childhood friend, starting out with a clear vision: making financial education accessible beyond Tier-1 cities. "My location was limited initially, but now we are planning to expand across India through the internet," he shares. This transition from offline workshops to an online-first model allowed them to scale their reach without heavy physical infrastructure.
The Tutorate Implementation Workflow
- Identify the Industry Need: Siddhant focused on the lack of practical knowledge among commerce students.
- Standardize the Content: Aligned the courses with NCFM modules to ensure immediate professional value for students.
- Leverage Social Media: Used YouTube to build initial authority and awareness before launching premium modules.
- Focus on Profitability: Bootstrapped the venture to ensure every course sold contributed to the platform's growth without external debt.
Lessons in Persistence: Overcoming the 'No'
Building an ed-tech brand in finance isn't easy. "People will talk. They might say you're doing well or they might say you're failing. You have to ignore the noise and focus on the work," Siddhant advises. He highlights that in the early days, getting people to pay for education was a challenge, but the results from certified students eventually built the necessary brand trust.
Impact & Growth
- Target Audience: Primarily catering to schools, commerce colleges, and aspiring Chartered Accountants (CAs).
- Expansion: Currently scaling from a localized presence to a pan-India digital platform.
- Revenue Model: Built on a mix of free educational content and specialized premium certification courses.
The Future: A Financially Literate India
Siddhant’s vision for Tutorate India is to become the go-to platform for any Indian looking to enter the financial markets. Whether it's a student looking for their first job or a professional looking to diversify their portfolio, he wants to provide the data and the direction they need. "The world will eventually back you up if you keep at it," he says.
His final message to potential entrepreneurs is simple yet profound: **Make a business plan.** "Once you have the idea, put it on paper. It will tell you the distractions, it will tell you the direction, and it will tell you if people will actually buy what you're building."