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• Devanshi Kejriwal is the Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Skillmatics, where she focuses on creating engaging products that combine learning with play.
• Skillmatics, founded in 2017, has grown from an educational-games startup into a global brand with products reaching millions of families worldwide.
• Her journey shows how thoughtful product development, curiosity and a child-first approach can transform a simple educational idea into an international business.

There is something special about businesses that solve a real problem without making the solution complicated. Devanshi Kejriwal, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Skillmatics, is building exactly that kind of business—one where learning does not feel like studying and play does not have to be separate from education.

In a world where children are increasingly surrounded by screens, Skillmatics has taken a different route. Its idea is simple yet powerful: children can develop important skills while playing, exploring and having fun.

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A Different Way of Looking at Learning

The idea behind Skillmatics emerged from a simple observation about how quickly children were becoming comfortable with digital screens.

An early conversation around children’s changing relationship with technology helped Devanshi and Dhvanil recognize an opportunity. If children naturally enjoy games and interactive experiences, why not use that interest to make learning more engaging?

That question became the foundation for Skillmatics.

Devanshi, who studied at NYU Stern School of Business, brought a background in finance and operations to the venture, while Dhvanil Sheth came with experience in consulting. Their complementary skills helped them approach the problem from both a business and product perspective.

Instead of treating education as something that must always happen through textbooks, Skillmatics began exploring how games, activity-based products and interactive formats could encourage children to learn naturally.

That thinking continues to define the brand.

Building Skillmatics Around “Learn Through Play”

One of the most important ideas associated with Skillmatics is its Learn Through Play philosophy.

The company focuses on products that encourage children to think, communicate, solve problems, explore ideas and develop different cognitive skills—all while remaining entertaining.

This approach makes the learning experience feel less like homework and more like something children voluntarily want to participate in.

Some of Skillmatics’ early products included Write & Wipe Activity Mats, which covered themes such as space, animals and languages. The concept was to create educational activities that looked and felt more playful rather than resembling traditional classroom exercises.

The brand later expanded its portfolio with products such as Guess in 10, which became one of its recognizable games. The product uses a question-and-answer format to encourage children to think, identify clues and use reasoning while learning about topics ranging from animals to places and sports.

Product Thinking at the Heart of Her Leadership

Devanshi’s role at Skillmatics goes beyond simply being a co-founder. She has been associated with the company’s product development and creative direction, and current company profiles identify her as Chief Product Officer.

What makes her approach interesting is the emphasis on understanding children and parents before creating a product.

Skillmatics has historically used market research and product testing rather than relying purely on instinct. Earlier reporting described a process in which prototypes were tested with children and reviewed with inputs from professionals such as teachers, child psychologists and product developers.

That product-first mindset is important in a category where a product can be educational in theory but still fail if children simply do not want to play with it.

For Devanshi, the challenge is therefore not only “What can children learn?” but also “What will make children want to learn?”

That distinction has helped Skillmatics create products where education and entertainment work together instead of competing with each other.

From an Indian Startup to a Global Brand

Skillmatics’ journey has gone far beyond the Indian market.

The company has built a presence across international markets and has sold its products through online platforms as well as major offline retailers. In 2022, Skillmatics announced a $16 million funding round led by Sofina Ventures, with participation from existing investors including Sequoia Capital India and the Jalaj Dani Family Office. The company said the funding would support international expansion, product development and growth in markets including the United States, Japan and Australia.

Earlier reports also highlighted the company’s growing international footprint, including expansion plans across markets such as the UK, Germany, France, Japan and Australia.

This global ambition is significant because Skillmatics is not simply competing within the traditional toy industry. It is operating at the intersection of education, entertainment, creativity and family engagement.

That combination gives the brand a much broader opportunity.

Making Screen-Free Play Relevant Again

One of the biggest challenges for parents today is finding meaningful activities that can hold a child’s attention without relying on a screen.

Skillmatics addresses this challenge through physical games and learning products that encourage children to interact with objects, ask questions, solve problems and communicate with others.

Its philosophy is not necessarily about rejecting technology altogether. Instead, it is about creating space for another form of engagement—one that involves imagination, conversation and hands-on participation.

This makes the brand particularly relevant in a time when parents are increasingly looking for alternatives to passive screen consumption.

The company’s stated mission around engaging, educational and sustainable learning experiences reflects this broader shift in how families think about play and development.

Recognition for a Young Woman Entrepreneur

Devanshi’s journey has also brought recognition beyond the company.

She was named among Hurun India’s 30 Women Leaders Under 30, a recognition that placed her among a group of young women contributing to India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Her professional profile also reflects her continued involvement in building purpose-driven consumer brands.

She was also recognized as a finalist in the Women in Toys Wonder Women Awards in the Rising Leader category, highlighting her contribution to the toy and children’s products industry.

For a young entrepreneur working in a category traditionally associated with large international toy companies, such recognition represents more than an individual achievement. It also reflects the growing space for Indian founders to build consumer brands with international ambitions.

The Bigger Vision Behind Skillmatics

What makes Devanshi Kejriwal’s story particularly interesting is that Skillmatics did not begin with the intention of simply selling more toys.

At its core, the company was built around a question: Can learning become something children genuinely look forward to?

That question continues to shape the company’s product philosophy.

The business has expanded from its initial product lines into a wider ecosystem of educational games, activities and learning experiences. According to Skillmatics’ recent public communication, the brand has reached more than 25 million families, with products available in over 30,000 retail locations worldwide.

In 2026, Devanshi also shared that Skillmatics had been ranked 12th on TIME’s list of India’s Fastest-Growing Companies, describing the recognition as a reflection of the team’s efforts.

These milestones show how far the original idea has travelled.

A Leadership Style Built Around Curiosity

There is a natural connection between Skillmatics’ philosophy and Devanshi’s role as a product leader.

Children are naturally curious. They ask questions, experiment, make mistakes and try again. Great products for children need to understand that behaviour rather than restrict it.

Devanshi’s work at Skillmatics reflects an effort to bring that curiosity into product development.

The focus is not simply on creating something that looks attractive on a shelf. The larger goal is to create an experience that makes a child want to pick it up, play with it and keep exploring.

That is also where entrepreneurship becomes more than business growth. It becomes an exercise in understanding people.

Looking Ahead

As the global toy and educational products market continues to evolve, Skillmatics has an opportunity to occupy a distinctive space between learning and entertainment.

For Devanshi Kejriwal, the journey is still unfolding.

From her early education in business and finance to becoming a co-founder and product leader, her career demonstrates how a strong entrepreneurial idea can emerge when different experiences come together.

Skillmatics has already built a significant international presence, but perhaps the most interesting part of its story is the philosophy behind the products.

The company is challenging the traditional idea that learning must feel serious and structured.

Instead, it is betting on something much more natural: children learn better when they are interested, involved and having fun.

Conclusion

Devanshi Kejriwal’s story is ultimately a story about rethinking the relationship between play and learning.

Through Skillmatics, she and her team have created a brand that aims to make education more engaging, hands-on and enjoyable for children around the world.

Her journey also offers a valuable lesson for modern entrepreneurs: sometimes the strongest business ideas are not born from trying to create something completely unfamiliar. They come from noticing a familiar problem and looking at it differently.

For Skillmatics, that different perspective was simple—learning does not always have to look like learning. Sometimes, it can look like play.

And that idea has helped Devanshi Kejriwal turn a young startup into a growing global name in educational play.