How Dreamtime Learning Is Reimagining Education for an Uncertain Future
Lina Ashar has long demonstrated an ability to anticipate shifts in education. In the early 1990s, when she founded Kangaroo Kids Preschool and Billabong High International School, she recognised that the internet would eventually complement a more holistic approach to learning—well before Google became ubiquitous.
In 2016, that foresight was tested again. After attending a lecture by American engineer, physician and entrepreneur Peter Diamandis on the trajectory of artificial intelligence, Ashar sensed another major disruption approaching. In that pre-large-language-model era, she realised many of her existing plans for traditional education could soon become outdated.
“Soon after, I sold my company with a golden handshake, and spent the next five years interviewing about 100 thought leaders across different industries—from neuroscience and behavioural science to understanding childhood trauma, spirituality and hypnotherapy,” she recalls.
Those conversations formed the foundation for Dreamtime Learning, the educational establishment she co-founded with Sudip Saha in 2023. Backed by VC firm Gruhas, founded by Nikhil Kamath and Abhijeet Pai, Dreamtime set out to challenge the conventional K-12 system with a model built for a rapidly changing world.
A Philosophy That Puts Curiosity First
Dreamtime’s approach stands in clear contrast to traditional schooling. Ashar illustrates the difference using a familiar English class text, Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
In a conventional classroom, the focus often remains on reading comprehension and grammar. At Dreamtime, the same story becomes a launchpad for deeper exploration. Students examine differences between first- and third-world diets, the economics and branding of chocolate, trade history, and related systems. They are then guided toward critical questions about the source material itself, turning learning into an exercise in creating value rather than simply absorbing information.
Behavioural science is woven in as well. Students consider how the characters might develop as adults, what parenting styles foster entitlement, and how behaviours emerge from those foundations. The primary goal, Ashar emphasises, is to make children excited to learn.
Microschools and Flexible Pathways
Dreamtime operates through two main formats: an online platform and physical microschools. The microschools currently operate in Hyderabad and Pune, with class sizes limited to about 10 students. This structure allows for competency-based progression—a child might study Grade 2 English alongside Grade 3 mathematics, moving at a pace matched to their individual readiness rather than a rigid age-based ladder.
Sudip Saha notes that the microschool model helps prepare students for a future in which many existing jobs may disappear. “Many jobs that existed 30 years ago don’t exist anymore. Who’s to say what will happen in the next 30 years? Students certainly don’t have an idea. With microschooling, you can break barriers that anchor students in traditional systems,” he says.
The Hyderabad centre currently serves around 120 students, while the Pune location has about 200. The online platform has roughly 2,000 active students and follows the same curriculum. Dreamtime has also licensed its curriculum to 80 other schools. Annual fees range from Rs 60,000 to 80,000 for online students and Rs 2 lakh to 5 lakh for those attending microschools.
Questioning India’s Dominant Education Model
Since moving to India from Australia in 1993, Ashar has remained critical of the heavy emphasis on test preparation and tuition centres. During the edtech boom of the 2010s she invested in one platform, only to watch it pivot sharply toward test prep when the pandemic hit—an approach she describes as the fastest way to sell to parents, even if it does not always serve students best.
“If you look at any edtech companies that failed, they often did so after moving into test prep. In education, the consumer (students) and the customer (parents) are two different entities. We always need to do right by the consumer and educate the customer,” she explains.
She points to broader systemic issues: over 76% of students focus on rote learning to clear exams, and 75% of Grade 3 students are unable to read Grade 2 textbooks. As knowledge and skills become less stable in value, Ashar argues that learning for its own sake—and the ability to think critically and adapt—will determine future relevance.
When asked how Dreamtime students will compete in the job market, she offers a clear view of shifting workforce priorities. “The value of a human in the workforce is changing. Many IIT alumni are now jobless. Companies are laying off employees. Four types of people will remain valued in the future: those with high EQ, specialists, solution-driven entrepreneurs, and individuals with a personalised monopoly who can create something entirely different.”
Growth, Competition and Expansion
Dreamtime competes with other alternative education providers such as 21K School and GoSchool. It differentiates itself through its interactive curriculum, microschool format and Ashar’s long-standing reputation in the sector. In 2025 the organisation raised an undisclosed pre-Series A round led by Gruhas.
With a long-term ambition of impacting one billion learners, the team has so far concentrated on India and the Middle East. A pilot under Dreamtime Learning Asia has begun in Malaysia with about 50 students, and expansion into markets such as Australia and New Zealand is under consideration.
As a 2.5-year-old organisation, Dreamtime generated approximately Rs 10 crore in revenue last year and is targeting Rs 20 crore in FY27.
Giving Back Through Education
Ashar views Dreamtime as part of a broader commitment to education. She has also established the Zarna & Anil Somaia Family Foundation, named after her parents, to support underprivileged children at Rs 10,000 per student per year. The foundation aims for an initial cohort of 50 children and provides free social-emotional learning support to government schools. Ashar has committed her mother’s entire wealth and 50% of her own to the initiative.
In an education landscape still dominated by exams and rote methods, Lina Ashar’s latest venture offers a deliberate alternative—one that prioritises curiosity, critical thinking and adaptability. Whether through microschools, online learning or curriculum licensing, Dreamtime Learning is testing the idea that the next generation needs not just information, but the capacity to keep learning as the world continues to change.