Kathalaya

What Kathalaya does

Kathalaya is a Bengaluru-based non-profit trust founded in 1998 by Geeta Ramanujam, operating as a storytelling education organization under the brands "Kathalaya – The House of Stories" and the Kathalaya International Academy of Storytelling (KIAS). Its core proposition is a proprietary story-based learning methodology that combines emotional development with academic intelligence, structured into a curriculum of 30 stories per level with lesson plans, concept maps, activity worksheets, and handcrafted "Story Chest" props (puppets, Chitrakathas, masks, instruments, story cards) produced by women's groups and special-needs communities. The curriculum is aligned with India's NCERT guidelines and the National Education Policy (NEP), which is a central positioning pillar for institutional adoption.

The organization monetizes through a multi-stream model: tiered certification courses (Level 1 Intensive Beginner's 3-day course; Level 2 Diploma with 6 months of fieldwork), a 32-unit Story Space franchise network across India and internationally, customized corporate and teacher training workshops, live storytelling performances, residential retreats (Anthardhwani), authored books sold via Amazon, and tax-deductible donations under Section 80G. KIAS claims to be the only globally recognized academy offering university-accredited storytelling certification and reports having trained 100,000+ storytellers across 48 countries with a cumulative 1,104,800 lives impacted. The organization operates with a very lean team of 9 employees, with the founder serving as both the primary artistic talent and brand ambassador — a structure that delivers strong brand authenticity but concentrates key-person risk.

The go-to-market is hybrid: community-led storytelling events (Kathasangama, summer camps, Stories on Wheels), event-driven performances and retreats, a franchise distribution layer, and direct B2B sales to corporates, schools, and NGOs. Customer segments span children (ages 2–15), schools and educators, corporate organizations, NGOs, families, and franchisees — a deliberately diversified base with no disclosed anchor accounts. International affiliations in Sweden, Scotland, USA, UK and franchise units in Bogotá and Ireland indicate a multi-decade global footprint, though international penetration beyond the founder's speaking circuit remains thin and franchise-led.

Name

Kathalaya

Legal name

Kathalaya Trust

Website

https://kathalaya.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kathalaya is a Bengaluru-based non-profit trust founded in 1998 that delivers accredited storytelling certification, children's programs, corporate training, and a Story Space franchise network, serving schools, educators, corporates, families, and franchisees in India and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Storytelling Education and Training

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Fine Arts Schools (61161), Language Schools (61163)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Creative Writing & Storytelling (Fiction, Poetry, Screenwriting) (EDAMAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater) (EDAMAAAG), Curriculum Design & Scope/Sequence (School-Led) (EDAJAFAA), Children’s & YA Writing Workshops (EDAMAMAF)

Keywords

• Storytelling education
• Storytelling certification
• Story-based learning
• Corporate storytelling workshops
• Children's storytelling programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Bengaluru

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Certification Courses: Three-level storytelling certification programs (Level 1 - Intensive Beginner's Course, Level 2 - Diploma with fieldwork), offered as 3-day to 4-day intensive courses with fees
2. Franchise - Story Space Centers: Franchise model for establishing storytelling learning centers with curriculum, training, and brand rights; one-time payment with exclusive operating rights
3. Corporate Training Programs: Customized storytelling workshops for corporate organizations, schools, educators, and NGOs with tailored content for specific needs
4. Storytelling Performances: Live storytelling performances by professional tellers at events, festivals, and special occasions
5. Products and Books: Sale of authored books (How and Why Tales, Tales from the World, Eee...Here's My Story), curriculum books, and Minmini Lunchbag product line
6. Story Space Curriculum Sets: Curriculum packages for ages 2-7 and 8-12 years with story materials, lesson plans, worksheets, story cards, and books
7. Donations and Support: Tax-deductible donations under Section 80G of Income Tax Act with donor recognition and acknowledgement

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kathalaya is a Bengaluru-based storytelling education organization that delivers accredited storytelling certification courses (Level 1 Intensive Beginner and Level 2 Diploma) through the Kathalaya International Academy of Storytelling (KIAS), the Anthardhwani residential retreat, corporate and educator training workshops, children's storytelling programs, family events, and the Story Space franchise curriculum. It also sells authored books and educational learning materials for children.

Product overview

Kathalaya operates as a multi-product storytelling education organization offering a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offerings include accredited storytelling certification courses (Level 1 Intensive Beginner's Course and Level 2 Diploma), the flagship Anthardhwani residential retreat, and professional training programs for corporates and educators. The children's education portfolio encompasses the Mini Storytellers Program, Young Tale Makers bootcamp, Stories on Wheels experiential sessions, and Kathasangama family events. The franchise model provides the Story Space curriculum package including 30 stories per level with lesson plans, concept maps, and handcrafted props. Physical products include books authored by Geeta Ramanujam (How and Why Tales, Tales from the World, Eee...Here's My Story), curriculum book sets, Minmini Lunchbag, and the Signature Picture Story Set with Kamishibai frames.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Story Space: A signature storytelling learning hub franchise model - a joyful storytelling haven where children and communities discover life and values take root through story-based learning.
• Anthardhwani

Products and services

• Accredited and Certified Intensive Beginner's Course (Level 1) A 3-day accredited foundation course in storytelling essentials for beginners, providing fundamental skills to begin a storytelling journey, offered by the Kathalaya International Academy of Storytelling.
• Accredited and Certified Diploma in Storytelling (Level 2) A 4-day advanced diploma course complemented by 6 months of fieldwork experience for professional storyteller development, offered by KIAS.
• Anthardhwani: The Voice of Consciousness A 3-day transformative residential workshop focusing on silence, awareness, and inner voice through storytelling practices including guided silence, mindfulness, meditation, yoga, expressive arts, music, movement, voice exploration, heart-to-heart storytelling, journaling, and transformative dialogue.
• Corporate Training Program Dynamic, customized storytelling workshops crafted to reflect an organization's vision, values, and goals, promoting communication, creativity, and connection in the workplace, targeted at corporate clients.
• Teacher Training Module Interactive storytelling sessions and modules for schools and educators, ranging from half-day workshops to 2-day immersions, designed to blend storytelling with curriculum integration for institutional needs.
• Mini Storytellers Program Fun, age-appropriate storytelling sessions for grades 1-10 that build language, creativity, and emotional intelligence in children, delivered in schools and at the Kathalaya center.
• Certified Course for Young Tale Makers in Training (Ages 8-15) A 10-hour storytelling bootcamp for young people ages 8-15, delivered across two weekend sessions to build confidence, clarity, and creativity in young storytellers.
• Stories on Wheels An experiential out-of-classroom storytelling adventure that brings schoolchildren to the Kathalaya Centre for half-day to full-day experiences using puppets, masks, music, and imagination.
• Kathasangama A family storytelling event for all ages featuring one-hour professional storytelling performances, designed as a bonding experience over stories.
• Story Space Franchise Story-based learning curriculum franchise offering structured classroom curriculum with 30 stories per level, including lesson plans, concept maps, props, and handcrafted materials, marketed to entrepreneurs and organizations establishing storytelling learning centers.
• How and Why Tales A book by Geeta Ramanujam featuring 'How and Why Tales' stories, available for purchase through Kathalaya and Amazon marketplace.
• Tales from the World A book featuring tales from around the world, available for purchase through Kathalaya and Amazon marketplace.
• Eee...Here's My Story A book encouraging children to create and share their own stories, available through the Kathalaya website.
• Curriculum Books Curriculum books and lesson plans for children ages 2-12, including detailed worked-out lesson plans, activity worksheets, read-aloud stories, concept maps, and links to music, movies, and books.
• Minmini Lunchbag A children's product featuring a story about Ted the Frog discovering something in his mailbox, part of the bag of stories collection.
• Our Signature Picture Story Set A collection of 10 visual story boards paired with a traditional Kamishibai frame, featuring illustrations by international illustrators and Indian artists, designed to bring stories to life.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100,000 storytellers and professionals trained worldwide
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, moderate and minor.

• International UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccredited storytelling courses offered in collaboration with international universities, making KIAS the only globally recognized academy providing university-accredited storytelling certification.
• International Affiliated Organizations (Sweden, Scotland, USA, UK)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrand goodwill and international affiliations with storytelling organizations in Sweden, Scotland, USA, and UK as part of the global franchise network.
• NCERT and NEPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStory-based learning curriculum aligned with NCERT guidelines and National Education Policy (NEP) for Indian educational standards.
• Bank of MaharashtraminorOthersFinancial institution holding Kathalaya Trust's savings account (Account Number 20030862505) for donation processing and organizational finances.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Fingerprint: India-based experiential children's content platform combining stories, activities, and digital/physical touchpoints. Comparable as an India-centric children's storytelling and learning brand competing for the same after-school wallet.
• Room to Read: Global nonprofit focused on literacy and gender equality in education, including storytelling-rich children's content and teacher training. Comparable as a nonprofit children's literacy and education organization, though with a broader development mandate than pure storytelling.
• Pratham Books: Indian nonprofit children's publisher producing multilingual storybooks with strong pedagogy and a large domestic footprint. Comparable in mission (Indian, children's, story-led learning) and product overlap (story-based educational content and resources), though distribution-led rather than service-led.

Broad incumbents

• The Moth: Global storytelling performance organization running live events, education programs, and a podcast. Comparable as a broader storytelling brand that combines live performance, training, and content distribution, though with a more western, adult-oriented positioning than Kathalaya's K-12 emphasis.
• Helen Doron Educational Group: International supplemental education franchise teaching English to children. Comparable in business model - proprietary curriculum packaged into a global franchise network with 1,000+ centers - making it a useful comp for scaling the Story Space franchise.
• Kumon: Global supplemental education franchise focused on math and reading with 25,000+ centers. Comparable as an incumbent benchmark for asset-light, franchise-driven delivery of structured supplementary curricula to children, although Kumon's category is core academic skills rather than storytelling.

Direct peers

• National Storytelling Network: US-based membership organization for storytellers that offers festivals, training, and a directory of professional tellers. Directly comparable as a storytelling-focused education and community organization with similar practitioner-training and event-driven GTM motions.
• Storytelling Center: Singapore-based storytelling organization running festivals, performances, and training programs in Asia. Directly comparable given overlapping Asia-Pacific focus, practitioner development, and education-oriented storytelling events.

Others

• World Storytelling Day: Global annual storytelling event and informal network. Comparable as a category-level ecosystem participant that raises awareness for storytelling as a cultural and educational practice, indirectly supporting demand for Kathalaya's courses and events.

Regional players

• Hippocampus Learning Centres: Indian preschool and activity-center chain offering story-based and activity-based learning to young children. Directly comparable in India, child-focused, multi-city center-based delivery, and use of storytelling within early-years pedagogy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/kathalaya1998/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/geeta.ramanujam
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kathalaya
• Instagraminstagram.com/kathalayastoryhouse

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kathalaya