Grassroots
Grassroots is a Lahore-based, SECP-registered online education platform offering certified and free digital-skills courses (digital marketing, graphic design, data visualization, freelancing) to Pakistani learners, with a parallel Skilled2Hire employer matching and preservice teacher training pipeline via institutional MoUs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersLahore, Pakistan
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Grassroots does
Grassroots Consultants (Private Limited), operating as Grassroots and branded Learn2Earn@Grassroots, is a Lahore-headquartered online education platform incorporated with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan in 2015 and incubated at the National Incubation Center at LUMS. The company delivers a self-serve catalog of certification courses and free courses in digital and professional skills — including Digital Marketing, Graphic Designing, Data Visualization, and Freelancing — priced at PKR 7,500 per paid certification tier with matching uncertified free versions used as top-of-funnel acquisition. Underlying technology is a WordPress-based LMS using the MasterStudy Learning Management System plugin, with SSL-secured checkout via a third-party payment gateway; the platform supports video lectures, online quizzes, assignments, and live weekend tutorial sessions with instructor/peer assessment, plus dedicated subdomains for an eApprenticeship talent portal (talent.grassrootsedu.com) and a preservice Teacher Training LMS (teachertraining.grassrootsedu.com).
The business model combines three revenue mechanics: (1) one-time paid certification course purchases as the core monetization engine, (2) free courses as a freemium funnel to convert learners to paid programs, and (3) an emerging employer-facing Skilled2Hire matching service that positions Grassroots-trained learners to hiring partners via their online portfolios. Go-to-market is multi-modal — product-led self-serve enrollment on grassrootsedu.com, community-led content via the gTalks thought-leadership blog and YouTube series featuring Pakistani industry leaders, and channel-partner/B2B motion through institutional MoUs (most notably Beaconhouse School System for preservice teacher hiring) and a logo wall of 14+ university, telco, and K-12 partners. Customer base is overwhelmingly long-tail individual learners in Pakistan with an early Australia diaspora sign-up option; the only named B2B customer is Beaconhouse School System.
Operationally, Grassroots remains a small team (1-10 employees) with no disclosed external funding, no disclosed revenue, and a publicly stated goal of upskilling 1 Million eLearners by 2025 — implying that growth ambitions materially exceed current monetization capacity. The company's defensibility rests on its Pakistani institutional partner distribution, SECP-registered status, and integrated Learn2Earn-to-Hire loop rather than on proprietary technology, switching costs, or data assets.
Grassroots firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Grassroots
- Legal name
- Grassroots Consultants (Private Limited)
- Website
- https://grassrootsedu.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Grassroots is a Lahore-based, SECP-registered online education platform offering certified and free digital-skills courses (digital marketing, graphic design, data visualization, freelancing) to Pakistani learners, with a parallel Skilled2Hire employer matching and preservice teacher training pipeline via institutional MoUs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Grassroots industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Education
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Core LMS Platforms (Academic & Corporate) (EDAFAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Higher Education Digital Courseware & Modules (EDAGAEAB), Teacher-Led Digital Lesson Packages & Instructional Resources (EDAFACAL), Digital Learning Content Development (eLearning, Labs, Simulations) (BPAEANAD)
Keywords
Where Grassroots is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lahore
- HQ country
- Pakistan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Grassroots business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Paid Certification Courses: One-time purchase of certified paid courses such as Digital Marketing (PKR 7,500) and Data Visualization (PKR 7,500), which include instructor-led/self-paced content, quizzes, assignments, and a certificate upon successful completion.
- Free Courses (Freemium): Free self-paced versions of paid courses (Digital Marketing Free Version, Freelancing for Free, Graphic Designing for Free, Data Visualization Free Course) that do not include certification; designed as top-of-funnel acquisition to convert learners to paid certified programs.
- Skilled2Hire Recruitment Matching Service: Service that lets employers access skilled learners' online portfolios to assess proficiency and match candidates to jobs; positioning implies future placement/match fees from hiring employers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Digital Marketing — certified paid course (PKR 7,500) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Data Visualization — certified paid course (PKR 7,500) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Graphic Designing — self-paced paid course (price not publicly disclosed) |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Digital Marketing Free Version (no certificate) |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Freelancing for Free (no certificate) |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Data Visualization Free Course (no certificate) |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Graphic Designing for Free (no certificate) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Grassroots product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Grassroots operates an online learning platform that delivers paid certification courses and free courses in digital and professional skills (digital marketing, graphic design, data visualization, and freelancing) through a WordPress/MasterStudy-based LMS. Course delivery combines self-paced video lessons, online quizzes, assignments, and live weekend tutorials with instructor and peer assessments, with certificates awarded upon meeting an 80% passing threshold. The platform also operates a parallel Skilled2Hire employer-matching service and a preservice Teacher Training LMS, creating a Learn2Earn loop that connects trained learners to schools and employers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Skilled2Earn: Online learner service line that enables learners to acquire 21st Century professional skills to increase job and earning prospects.
- Skilled2Hire
Products and services
- Digital Marketing (Paid Certification Course) Paid certification course (PKR 7,500; 35 lectures, 4 quizzes, 10-week recommended duration) teaching digital marketing across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Search Engine Marketing, Google Ads, Canva, and Wix.com, taught by instructor Fahad Usman. Targeted at individual learners in Pakistan seeking verifiable digital marketing credentials for jobs or freelance work.
- Graphic Designing (Paid Certification Course) Self-paced paid certification course (65 lectures, 5 quizzes, 10-week expected completion) teaching vector-based design in Adobe Illustrator, pixel-based design in Adobe Photoshop, and print-based design in Adobe InDesign; instructed by Noor Aized. Designed for individual learners seeking graphic design credentials.
- Data Visualization (Paid Certification Course) Paid certification course (PKR 7,500; 32 lectures) delivered over 12 weeks / 3 months covering MS Excel data transformation, Power Query, Power BI data modelling, DAX functions, and Power BI dashboards; taught by instructor Ghulam Mustafa. Targeted at individual learners seeking data analytics credentials.
- Freelancing (Paid Certification Course) Paid certification course (12-week / 3-month recommended duration) teaching freelancers how to set up Fiverr, Upwork, and Payoneer accounts, bid on projects, and receive international payments; taught by instructor Ahmad Jan. Targeted at aspiring freelancers in Pakistan seeking international earning channels.
- Digital Marketing (Free Version) Self-paced free version of the Digital Marketing course offering video lectures with no certificate awarded on completion; taught by instructor Zeeshan. Functions as a top-of-funnel acquisition for the paid Digital Marketing certification course.
- Graphic Designing for Free Self-paced free version of the Graphic Designing course (61 lectures) with no certificate awarded on completion; taught by instructor Noor Aized. Functions as a top-of-funnel acquisition for the paid Graphic Designing certification course.
- Freelancing for Free Free self-paced course (64 lectures) covering freelancing topics with no certificate awarded on completion. Functions as a top-of-funnel acquisition for the paid Freelancing certification course and is the largest free-course audience (6,904 enrolled).
- Data Visualization (Free Course) Free self-paced video course (27 lectures) covering data visualization topics with no certificate awarded on completion; member-only access. Functions as a top-of-funnel acquisition for the paid Data Visualization certification course.
- Skilled2Hire (Employer Talent-Matching Service) Employer-facing service launched in May 2020 that enables employers — including domestic and international/Middle East hirers — to access Grassroots-trained learners' online portfolios, assess their skills proficiency, and match candidates to open roles. Operated alongside the eApprenticeship talent portal.
- eApprenticeship Talent Portal Dedicated subdomain portal at talent.grassrootsedu.com that supports Grassroots' apprenticeship and talent-matching flow, connecting Skilled2Hire employers with trained learners seeking apprenticeship or employment opportunities.
- Teacher Training Program Pre-service teacher training LMS operated at teachertraining.grassrootsedu.com that helps teachers develop professional skills and maintain an online portfolio of teaching-skills mastery for prospective employers. Supports Grassroots' MoU-driven teacher hiring pipeline with K-12 school systems, including the Beaconhouse School System partnership.
Companies that use Grassroots
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Grassroots technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Grassroots partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Beaconhouse School SystemflagshipMoU signed on January 25, 2020 between Grassroots and Beaconhouse School System for the hiring of Grassroots Preservice Trained Teachers by Beaconhouse across Pakistan. BSS logo is also featured on the Grassroots homepage partner wall and the Beaconhouse Service Quality Launch was supported in Feb 2017.
- National Incubation Center at Lahore University of Management Sciences (NIC LUMS)flagshipGrassroots Consultants has been incubated at the National Incubation Center at LUMS. The partnership lends institutional credibility and ecosystem access to LUMS' startup and education networks.
- LUMS (Lahore University of Management Sciences)coreLUMS featured on the Grassroots partner logo wall and the gTalks series includes talks by Mehreen Noon (Director SOE LUMS) on Creating Opportunities through Innovation.
- TCF Care FoundationcoreTCF Care Foundation listed as partner on Grassroots homepage logo wall, supporting outreach into TCF's education network across Pakistan.
- The City SchoolcoreThe City School featured on Grassroots partner logo wall, indicating institutional alignment in Pakistan's K-12 education sector.
- Jazz (Pakistan mobile operator)coreJazz (Pakistan's leading telecom with 60M+ subscribers) is featured as a Grassroots partner; Jazz executives (Sadia Khuram, formerly Head of B2B Marketing & Products) have appeared as gTalks speakers.
- ZongminorZong (Pakistan mobile operator) featured on Grassroots partner logo wall, supporting telco-aligned reach and learner sign-ups.
- IoBM (Institute of Business Management)coreIoBM featured as partner on Grassroots homepage; gTalks series includes talks by Muhammad Shujaat Mubaraik (Associate Dean IoBM) and Shaun Ansari (AM & Lecturer IOBM).
- MUSEminorMUSE listed on Grassroots homepage partner wall, suggesting an academic or training institution alliance.
- Habib UniversityminorHabib University featured on the Grassroots partner logo wall.
- Beaconhouse National University (BNU)minorBNU listed on the Grassroots homepage partner logo wall alongside its affiliated school system.
- Institute of Business Administration (IBA)minorIBA featured on Grassroots partner logo wall, supporting institutional alignment with Pakistan's leading business schools.
- ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants)coreACCA listed as Grassroots partner and featured in the gTalks series — Sajjeed Aslam (Head/Country Head of ACCA Pakistan) discussed Developing Professional Skills and Creating Opportunities through Innovation.
- NUST (National University of Sciences and Technology)minorNUST featured on Grassroots partner logo wall, extending reach into Pakistan's top engineering/technology university.
- LSEminorLSE featured on Grassroots homepage partner logo wall.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Grassroots competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Udemy:
- Bayrozgar: Pakistan-focused online freelancing and skills platform. Comparable to Grassroots' Freelancing course and Skilled2Hire service line as a parallel pathway for Pakistani learners to monetize skills internationally.
- Rozee.pk: Pakistan's largest online job portal. Comparable to Grassroots' Skilled2Hire employer-matching service as a competing talent-matching channel in Pakistan; relevant because it is the most likely incumbent employer-side competitor for the marketplace thesis.
Broad incumbents
- edX: University-backed MOOC platform with certified professional courses in data analysis, marketing, and computer science. Comparable to Grassroots as a certified online learning platform; broader catalog and stronger credentials but less local Pakistan market focus.
- Coursera: Global online learning platform offering certified courses from top universities and companies across digital marketing, data visualization, and graphic design — the same core domains as Grassroots. Competes for Pakistani learners via free-audit + paid-certificate pricing tiers.
Direct peers
- DigiSkills.pk: Pakistan-government-backed (Ignite/P@SHA) free online platform offering digital skills training (digital marketing, freelancing, data analytics) directly overlapping Grassroots' core course catalog. Both target Pakistani youth and freelance economy learners with free + paid certification models.
- Nearpeer: Pakistan-based online learning platform offering courses, tutoring, and certification to Pakistani students. Directly comparable in geography, target learner (Pakistani youth), and online-certification model; its CEO Ammar Ayub has been featured on Grassroots' gTalks series.
Regional players
- Taleemabad: Pakistan-based edtech company offering gamified learning apps for K-12 students, with growing teacher-training content. Comparable to Grassroots' teacher-training LMS module and Pakistan school-system focus (Beaconhouse/Taleemabad partner ecosystem overlap).
Emerging players
- Skillshare: Subscription-based online learning community focused on creative skills (graphic design, illustration, content creation). Comparable to Grassroots' Graphic Designing course in topic overlap, though operating on a subscription model rather than one-time purchase.
- Orenda Education: Pakistan-based online learning provider focused on professional and digital skills development. Comparable to Grassroots in product category (certified online skills training) and Pakistan-market focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Grassroots social profiles
Digital presenceGrassroots financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Grassroots leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Grassroots funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Grassroots 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 Grassroots
What does Grassroots do?
Grassroots operates an online learning platform that delivers paid certification courses and free courses in digital and professional skills (digital marketing, graphic design, data visualization, and freelancing) through a WordPress/MasterStudy-based LMS. Course delivery combines self-paced video lessons, online quizzes, assignments, and live weekend tutorials with instructor and peer assessments, with certificates awarded upon meeting an 80% passing threshold. The platform also operates a parallel Skilled2Hire employer-matching service and a preservice Teacher Training LMS, creating a Learn2Earn loop that connects trained learners to schools and employers.
Is Grassroots a public or private company?
Grassroots is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Grassroots founded?
Grassroots was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Grassroots based?
Grassroots is headquartered in Lahore, Pakistan, in the Asia region.
How does Grassroots make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Paid Certification Courses are the primary driver. The others are free Courses (Freemium) and skilled2Hire Recruitment Matching Service.
Who are Grassroots's main competitors?
Others on record are Udemy, Bayrozgar and Rozee.pk. Broad incumbents are edX and Coursera. Direct peers are DigiSkills.pk and Nearpeer. Taleemabad is listed as a regional player. Emerging players are Skillshare and Orenda Education.
Does Grassroots have an API?
No public API is recorded for Grassroots.
What industry is Grassroots in?
Grassroots's product category is Online Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAAAA, Core LMS Platforms (Academic & Corporate), with a secondary code of EDAGAEAB, Higher Education Digital Courseware & Modules. Its NAICS code is 611430 and its SIC code is 8200.