Professional Profile
Shreya Mittal is the Co-Founder of Curious Cub Private Limited, a Delhi-based early education startup founded in 2021. She holds a distinguished academic background as an alumna of Lady Shri Ram College (LSR) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Sloan School of Management. Prior to founding Curious Cub, she has experience at Sonalika Tractors International. Shreya also serves on the board of directors at Curious Cub alongside Rahul Mittal and two additional members, with independent board members Sonal Bansal and Pulkit Bansal.
Company Overview and Product Offering
Curious Cub specializes in age-appropriate play kits designed for children aged 0 to 3 years, grounded in the Montessori philosophy of passive learning and promoting cognitive development. The company emphasizes the Montessori tenets of “Learning by Doing” and “Learning to Learn”, focusing on toys that require active manipulation by the child to foster curiosity and independent learning.
- Play kits range from Level 1 (0 months+) to Level 11 (21 months+).
- Each kit contains 10 play essentials.
- The retail price per kit is approximately ₹2,999.
- Distribution primarily through the company’s website: [curiouscub.in](https://www.curiouscub.in).
The product marketing highlights the cognitive development benefits of early play, with a focus on social-emotional learning integration as a complementary developmental domain, which is key in the target market of early childhood education products.
Market Position and Industry Context
Shreya Mittal founded Curious Cub to address a perceived gap in passive, purposeful early education tools for infants and toddlers in India. The company competes with other homegrown early education brands like Journey Matters, Wonderhood, and Shumee Toys, which also focus on combining play and learning with additional emphasis in areas such as social-emotional learning, tech-enabled education, and sustainability.
Curious Cub’s unique positioning lies in its adherence to Montessori principles via handcrafted wooden toys designed to promote active cognitive development without reliance on digital technologies, responding to parental concerns about early screen exposure.
Leadership and Recognition
While there is no publicly documented list of awards or recognitions explicitly credited to Shreya Mittal or Curious Cub from 2023–2025, Shreya has received external recognition unrelated to Curious Cub, notably:
- Indore Gaurav Award 2023
- MII Entrepreneur of the Year 2023
These awards underscore her credibility and commitment to entrepreneurial excellence, which likely contributes positively to Curious Cub’s leadership reputation.
Shreya’s leadership extends beyond Curious Cub; she is active as a mentor within Womennovator – Global Incubator For Women, highlighting her engagement in entrepreneurial networks focused on women-led innovation.
Recent Activities and Media Presence
- Featured in multiple Indian media outlets including The New Indian Express and YourStory, supporting the narrative of early cognitive development through Montessori-based educational kits.
- Co-hosted product demonstrations and educational content on YouTube showcasing product levels and features (e.g., Level 13 Montessori box).
- Continues to shape the product and educational vision at Curious Cub as of 2024–2025.
- Board details from July 2025 confirm her active involvement in company governance and strategic direction.
LinkedIn and Digital Footprint
Shreya Mittal’s [LinkedIn profile](http://www.linkedin.com/in/bansalshreya) lists her as Co-Founder of Curious Cub, with prior experience at Sonalika Tractors International, reinforcing a profile of business leadership combined with operational experience. Her educational credentials from MIT Sloan are prominently featured, lending additional weight to her strategic management capabilities.
She maintains a public professional presence that supports her role as an early childhood education entrepreneur and advocate.
Summary of Actionable Insights:
- Shreya Mittal is a founding leader with a strong technology and management background (MIT Sloan) driving an innovative Montessori-based early education startup.
- Curious Cub caters to a rapidly growing market of early childhood education in India, addressing unmet needs in cognitive development for ages 0–3 with age-tiered, Montessori-aligned play kits.
- Pricing and product positioning target educated, urban parents focusing on developmental milestones before preschool.
- No recent industry awards for Curious Cub, but the founder’s personal awards and mentoring roles suggest recognized entrepreneurial leadership.
- Media and digital content presence emphasize educational credibility, product knowledge, and the brand’s underlying philosophy, which can be leveraged in industry and academic engagement.
This information provides a comprehensive understanding of Shreya Mittal as a key decision-maker within Curious Cub and her company’s strategic market positioning within India’s edtech and early learning ecosystem.
