Google-backed Edtech firm bets on free math courses to add users

Cuemath, an online math-course provider backed by Google parent Alphabet Inc., is making much of its content free for a year to fend off rivals in India’s competitive education-tech market and help fight inequalities in learning.

Its premium curriculum, which normally costs $299 a year, will be free for subscribers who invite two new users. The basic curriculum, with limited access to learning materials, will remain free of charge. The company also offers programs consisting of live sessions with tutors, starting at $16 a class. Cuemath is up against dozens of startups -- including giant Byju’s -- that offer online learning modules and classes to students around the world. The industry is growing at a breakneck speed, buoyed by the coronavirus pandemic, and Indian providers are looking to capitalize on the hurdles faced by Chinese contenders whose expansion is being curtailed by their local regulators.