Arus Academy
Arus Academy is a Malaysian education social enterprise founded in 2015 that delivers STEM, financial literacy, media literacy, and SEL curricula to K-12 students and teachers through direct programs, corporate CSR partnerships, and the Ministry of Education's DELIMa platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersBukit Mertajam, Malaysia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Arus Academy does
Arus Academy, operating as Arus Education Sdn. Bhd., is a Malaysian education social enterprise founded in 2015 that designs and delivers STEM, financial literacy, media literacy, and socio-emotional learning (SEL) programs to K-12 students and teachers nationwide. Headquartered in Bukit Mertajam with a second office in Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur, the organization employs 42 staff and has reached more than 2 million students and 1 million teachers across its portfolio. Programs are deployed through direct school engagements, corporate-sponsored initiatives, and integration with the Malaysian Ministry of Education's DELIMa national learning platform.
The company's core product portfolio spans multiple learning domains. The Maker Academy suite (neo-Explorers, Prime, Maker Studio) covers K-9 STEM and AI awareness; financial literacy is delivered through Fun(d) for Life and the newer Fun(d) for Life Uni for higher education; media literacy and SEL sit alongside workforce-readiness programs including VIA Safe Mobility (with TotalEnergies and Michelin), Program Guru KARISMA (with FWD), and the SkillsByte Job Coach Kit (SBJCK x ARUS). Global partnerships support co-branded tracks such as Girls4Tech (Mastercard) and Agents of Tech, while media literacy work is anchored by a Google News Initiative collaboration. The proprietary 10-year curriculum architecture allows Arus to repackage modules across partner contexts.
Arus operates a hybrid revenue model consistent with a registered non-profit education social enterprise. Revenue sources include program fees (Maker Academy Prime at RM 3,000 per 20-week cycle, with class sizes capped at 20-30 students), corporate CSR partnerships, philanthropic grants, and government-channel distribution via DELIMa. Cumulative grant funding is cited at RM 50 million, supported by a diversified base of foundations (Yayasan Hasanah) and corporate partners across insurance, financial services, energy, mobility, and media sectors. All surpluses are mission-reinvested into curriculum development and program delivery rather than distributed.
Arus Academy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Arus Academy
- Legal name
- Arus Education Sdn. Bhd.
- Website
- https://arusacademy.org.my
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Arus Academy is a Malaysian education social enterprise founded in 2015 that delivers STEM, financial literacy, media literacy, and SEL curricula to K-12 students and teachers through direct programs, corporate CSR partnerships, and the Ministry of Education's DELIMa platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Arus Academy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Education Services
- NAICS
- Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- AI & Machine Learning (Foundations & Applied) (EDAMACAG)
Keywords
Where Arus Academy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bukit Mertajam
- HQ country
- Malaysia
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
Arus Academy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Program Fees: Fee-based Maker Academy programs: neo-Explorer Package (RM3,000/20 weeks), Prime Package (RM3,000/20 weeks), Maker Studio (RM150/month or RM75/session). Learning kits sold separately (RM180-250).
- Donations & Grants: Tax-deductible donations through Arus Education Sdn Bhd. 100% of student fund donations go directly to classroom kits, teacher training, and scholarships. Bursary fund for sponsoring students.
- CSR Partnerships: Corporate partners (FWD Takaful, Mastercard, PwC) fund specific programs. Custom CSR opportunities available for organizations.
- Student Bursary Fund: Designated donations to sponsor high-potential students in Maker programs. Donors can support individual beneficiaries or fund a class of students.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | neo-Explorer Package: RM3,000 for 20-week beginner class with bundled Maker Studio access |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Prime Package: RM3,000 for 20-week advanced class with bundled Maker Studio access |
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Maker Studio Only: RM150/month or RM75/session |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | neo-Explorers Only: RM1,000 for 20-week class without bundled studio time |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Learning Kit A (neo-Explorer): RM180 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Learning Kit B (Prime): RM250 |
| Subscription | Monthly | Student Sponsorship: RM500/month or RM6,000/year per student |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Bursary Fund Donation: Any amount |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Arus Academy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Arus Academy is an education social enterprise operating Maker Academy learning centers and a multi-program portfolio for Malaysian students (ages 7-24) and teachers. Core offerings include STEM/maker classes (neo-Explorers, Prime, Maker Studio, Girls4Tech, Agents of Tech, GEMS), social-emotional learning and SEL teacher training (Program Guru KARISMA, SEL Toolkit), financial literacy (Fun(d) for Life, FFL-Uni), media literacy (ME4A), digital learning MOOCs for teachers (KGDL, KGDL+), a model school for marginalized children (BJCK x Arus), and road safety education (VIA Safe Mobility), delivered via physical centers, MOE's DELIMa platform, and CSR-funded programs.
Product overview
Arus Academy is an education social enterprise offering a multi-module portfolio of programs for students and teachers across Malaysia. The core Maker Academy division includes three class tiers (neo-Explorers for beginners, Prime for advanced makers, and The Maker Studio for open-ended projects), all built on an in-house learning model developed over 10 years with CSTA/ISTE standards alignment. Student programs span STEM/technology education (Arus Tech Programmes, Maker Academy Penang, Girls4Tech, GEMS, Agents of Tech, FS4A), social impact schools (SBJCK x ARUS model school), financial literacy (Fun(d) for Life, Fun(d) for Life Uni), and road safety (VIA Safe Mobility). Teacher programs include KGDL (digital learning MOOC on Google Classroom), KGDL+ (advanced 5-month professional development), Program Guru KARISMA (SEL integration), and ME4A (media literacy movement). Programs utilize platforms including MOE's DELIMa, Google Education tools, and deliver via in-person centers in Penang and KL plus virtual/hybrid formats.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- neo-Explorers 20-week beginner-level maker education class for students aged 10-16 in Bukit Mertajam, Penang. Teacher-led, hands-on, in-person instruction covering AI literacy, community research, electronics, and coding foundations using micro:bit.
- Prime Advanced 20-week maker education class for experienced students aged 11-16 with prerequisite coding skills. Hybrid in-person and virtual delivery using a skill tree curriculum covering web development, 3D printing, and data science with CSTA/ISTE alignment.
- The Maker Studio Open studio learning environment for students aged 10-16 to work on passion projects with mentoring. Standalone service available with or without class enrollment, offering technical consultation, competition coaching, and collaboration with external experts.
- Arus Tech Programmes STEM education programs developing computational thinking, problem-solving, coding, presentation, and design thinking skills using open source software and hardware (Maker Uno, Micro:bit). Includes physical and virtual offerings (e-YMC, e-JMC) for students in Bukit Mertajam and beyond.
- Girls in Engineering, Math & Science (GEMS) Girls-only 8-month STEM program teaching computational thinking, problem-solving, coding, and design thinking using Micro:bit. Empowers participants through competitions including Robotics-Open Design at Penang International Science Fair.
- Girls4Tech Self-paced online STEM program in collaboration with Mastercard and MOE's DELIMa platform. Features comic-based modules on cryptology, detections, digital literacy, big data, and AI for Social Good for girls aged 7-18 with localized Malaysian role models.
- Agents of Tech Self-paced online program on DELIMa platform featuring comic character Agent Aliya. Modules include cryptology, detection, digital literacy, big data, and AI for Social Good aligned to ISTE Standards, with national e-certificates for completing five missions.
- Maker Academy (Penang) Enrichment STEM program in Bukit Mertajam where students apply STEM concepts to tackle real-world problems rooted in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through hands-on project-based learning.
- SBJCK x ARUS (Sekolah Buku Jalanan Chow Kit) Pioneering model school providing quality project-based education to children from marginalized communities in Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur. Integrates financial literacy and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) with national curriculum alignment.
- Social Emotional Learning (SEL) / Program Guru KARISMA Teacher training program integrating Social and Emotional Learning into Malaysian schools. Empowered 70 core teachers across 5 states and 800+ educators via MOE's DELIMa platform with gamified SEL Toolkit of 50+ techniques, culminating in a 344-person SEL Summit.
- Komuniti Guru Digital Learning (KGDL) Free massive open online course (MOOC) providing interactive training modules on Google Classroom, Google Education products, interactive remote learning, digital assessments, and accessibility features for students with hearing/vision disabilities. Hosted on MOE's DELIMa portal since April 2020.
- Komuniti Guru Digital Learning + (KGDL+) 5-month professional development extension of KGDL for highly motivated teachers. Includes storytelling for impact training, #mydigitalmakerfair participation, and creation of Bank Sumber KGDL resource bank with 1,000+ interactive materials accessed 26,000+ times.
- Media Education For All (ME4A) Malaysia's first national media literacy movement empowering educators to equip youth with media literacy skills. Based on five core values: Integrity, Impartiality, Identity, Critical Thinking, and Proactivity.
- Fun(d) for Life Financial literacy program with online interactive portal, camps, and design sprint events for students aged 7-18, parents, and teachers. Includes lesson plans aligned to MoE's Financial Literacy Implementation Guide and DSKP standards.
- Fun(d) for Life Uni (FFL-Uni) Financial literacy program for B40 Malaysian youth aged 18-24 in colleges/universities under MoE and MoHE. 500 students in 7 regional cohorts receive 3-day bootcamp, 3 months coaching, community projects, and RM3,000 grant upon completion.
- VIA Safe Mobility Global road safety initiative spanning 40 countries by TotalEnergies Foundation and Michelin Foundation. Arus Academy serves as Malaysia country implementing partner, empowering students aged 10-18 as Safe Mobility Ambassadors through DELIMa platform with Teacher's Guide and Student Journal.
- Future Skills For All (FS4A) STEM education program using Micro:bit for students to develop technical skills aligned to national curriculum. Includes Micro:bit series enabling students to create innovative projects for competitions.
Quantifiable outcome
- 2 million+ student impact, 1 million+ teacher impact, 1000+ programs organized, 50M grants received, 1.5M MOOC views
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Arus Academy
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Arus Academy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Arus Academy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered strategic and core.
- ASEAN Research Center, Asia School of BusinessstrategicCo-developing impact measurement tools for FFL-Uni program focusing on effective cash-plus interventions for B40 youth.
- Ministry of Education MalaysiacoreDELIMa platform hosting for SEL content, FS4A, KGDL, KGDL+, VIA Safe Mobility, Girls4Tech, and Agents of Tech programs. Program Guru KARISMA aligned with 2027 Curriculum.
- TotalEnergies FoundationcoreGlobal initiative spanning 40 countries for road safety education. Arus Academy serves as Malaysia's country implementing partner for VIA Safe Mobility Programme.
- Michelin FoundationcoreCo-funding global road safety initiative with TotalEnergies Foundation. VIA Safe Mobility Programme addresses road safety by empowering students to become Safe Mobility Ambassadors.
- PwC MalaysiacoreProgram organizer for KGDL+ (Komuniti Guru Digital Learning+) 5-month professional development program for teachers, with support from JPN Perlis and JPN Sarawak.
- US Embassy in Kuala LumpurcoreCollaboration with US Embassy in KL for Media Education For All (ME4A) - Malaysia's first national movement empowering educators with media literacy skills.
- The FourthcoreMedia partner for ME4A movement, working with educators and media practitioners to bring media and information literacy into Malaysian schools.
- Mastercard MalaysiacorePowered Girls4Tech - a global community of 970,000+ girls in 27 countries. Self-learning site built on MOE's DELIMA platform with Malaysian role models.
- Buku Jalanan Chow Kit (BJCK)corePioneering model school providing quality education to children from marginalized communities in Chow Kit. Integrates project-based learning with financial literacy. BJCK x Arus Academy is the model school for SEL.
- Teach For MalaysiastrategicPartner organization for education equity. Staff member Tan Ze Kai joined Arus after teaching under the program.
- Teach For All NetworkstrategicCollective Leadership framework from Teach For All used in BJCK collaboration - 6 practices: Connect, Envision, Hold Space, Facilitate, Build Expertise, Grow.
Scale indicators19 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Arus Academy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- FrogAsia: Malaysian EdTech subsidiary of YTL Communications that powers the MOE's 1BestariNet/Frog VLE platform. Directly comparable in embedding learning content into the MOE digital infrastructure and operating within the national K-12 distribution channel.
- KidoCode: Malaysian kids coding and STEM education provider offering project-based coding classes for children and teens. Direct competitor in the Malaysian K-12 coding enrichment market with overlapping audience (ages 7-18) and curriculum (Scratch, Python, micro:bit).
- Teach For Malaysia: Malaysian education equity nonprofit addressing educational inequity in underserved communities. Highly comparable mission, target demographic (B40 students), operating geography, and reliance on a similar institutional partnership model with MOE.
Others
- micro:bit Educational Foundation: UK-based charity promoting micro:bit computing education globally. Arus uses the same micro:bit hardware platform in its STEM programmes, making it both a technology supplier-ecosystem peer and a potential partnership/cross-promotion channel.
- Raspberry Pi Foundation: UK educational charity promoting computing education through affordable hardware (Raspberry Pi) and free curriculum resources. Shares Arus' open-source, hardware-based STEM teaching philosophy and could be a content or hardware partner.
Emerging players
- Girls Who Code: Global nonprofit closing the gender gap in technology through girls-focused CS programmes. Comparable to Arus' GEMS and Girls4Tech offerings in addressing girls-in-tech participation and using role-model-driven engagement.
- Generation: Global youth employment/skills nonprofit equipping underserved young people with technical and life skills for careers. Comparable mission to Arus' B40-targeted Fun(d) for Life Uni programme and broader life-skills + financial literacy approach.
Broad incumbents
- Code.org: Global CS education nonprofit working to expand access to computer science in K-12 schools. Comparable mission, target age range, and reliance on volunteer/teacher networks to deliver coding curriculum at scale.
- Tynker: Global kids' coding platform offering self-paced online CS courses aligned to CSTA/ISTE standards. Comparable in technology stack (block coding, game-based learning), age range, and standards-aligned curriculum approach.
- iD Tech: Global operator of STEM and coding summer camps and online programmes for kids and teens. Comparable enrichment offering, age range, and curriculum overlap (coding, robotics, AI), though primarily for-profit and serving affluent families.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Arus Academy social profiles
Digital presenceArus Academy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Arus Academy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Arus Academy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Arus Academy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Arus Academy
What does Arus Academy do?
Arus Academy is an education social enterprise operating Maker Academy learning centers and a multi-program portfolio for Malaysian students (ages 7-24) and teachers. Core offerings include STEM/maker classes (neo-Explorers, Prime, Maker Studio, Girls4Tech, Agents of Tech, GEMS), social-emotional learning and SEL teacher training (Program Guru KARISMA, SEL Toolkit), financial literacy (Fun(d) for Life, FFL-Uni), media literacy (ME4A), digital learning MOOCs for teachers (KGDL, KGDL+), a model school for marginalized children (BJCK x Arus), and road safety education (VIA Safe Mobility), delivered via physical centers, MOE's DELIMa platform, and CSR-funded programs.
Is Arus Academy a public or private company?
Arus Academy is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Arus Academy founded?
Arus Academy was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Arus Academy based?
Arus Academy is headquartered in Bukit Mertajam, Malaysia, in the Asia region.
How does Arus Academy make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Program Fees are the primary driver. The others are donations & Grants, CSR Partnerships and student Bursary Fund.
Who are Arus Academy's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are FrogAsia, KidoCode and Teach For Malaysia. Others are micro:bit Educational Foundation and Raspberry Pi Foundation. Emerging players are Girls Who Code and Generation. Broad incumbents are Code.org, Tynker and iD Tech.
Does Arus Academy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Arus Academy.
What industry is Arus Academy in?
Arus Academy's product category is Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMACAG, AI & Machine Learning (Foundations & Applied). Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.