Satyashil Kolekar never planned to become an entrepreneur. A teacher by profession from Sangola in Solapur district, Satyashil’s journey began with a familiar middle-class aspiration: a secure government job and a stable academic career.
A postgraduate and UGC-NET qualified educator, Satyashil spent nearly a decade working on a contractual basis, applying persistently for assistant professor posts. He cleared the MPSC examination for Government Polytechnic Teachers Service (Group A), but a technical issue stalled his appointment. Despite merit and repeated attempts, a permanent government role remained elusive.
Rather than accept defeat, Satyashil chose reinvention.
From Academic Setbacks to a Massive Training Footprint
Satyashil went on to work at Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University, Raigad, where he refined his strengths in communication, curriculum design, and student mentoring. Alongside teaching, he built a formidable parallel career as a trainer;coaching more than 50,000 studentsand nearly 10,000 corporate professionals in communication skills, employability, and soft skills.
During this phase, he authored multiple books, several of which became Amazon bestsellers, reinforcing a simple belief: knowledge succeeds when it is practical, affordable, and easy to consume. His growing interest in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies led him to train learners for Industry 4.0 readiness. He later delivered a TEDx talk on Industry 4.0, after which he briefly entered the corporate sector to gain first-hand exposure to business systems, automation, and digital scale.
That experience proved transformative.
The Birth of Zeetlo
In December 2024, Satyashil quit his job and returned to Sangola to start something entirely new. With no elaborate roadmap, he launched Influence Marathi, an Instagram initiative that shared short, practical book insights in Marathi. The response revealed a powerful insight: people wanted to read; but lacked time, affordability, and a system that helped them stay consistent.
This insight led to the creation of Zeetlo (www.zeetlo.com); a digital reading platform designed to make quality knowledge affordable, accessible, and habit-forming. In just ₹3000 initial investment he started the platform. Satyashil began by writing a concise, mobile-friendly eBook and selling it online at an affordable price. Encouraged by the response, he soon collaborated with other writers and commissioned focused digital books; most priced under ₹100; specifically created for busy readers.
Not Just Books, but a Fully Automated Reading System
What truly sets Zeetlo apart is its technology-first architecture. Leveraging his expertise in artificial intelligence, Satyashilautomated the entire platform; from book discovery and purchasing to reader reminders, reading alarms, follow-ups, and engagement tracking.
As a result, Satyashil spends less than 30 minutes a day managing Zeetlo, with AI handling operations end-to-end. The platform offers an annual reading subscription priced at ₹999, giving readers unlimited access to the entire digital library along with automated nudges that ensure books are not just bought, but actually read.
A Growing Author-Led Ecosystem
Today, 27 authors are onboarded on Zeetlo, and over 500 new titles are planned to be written and published within this year. The platform focuses on regional-language content, practical learning, and affordability; quietly building one of India’s fastest-growing grassroots reading ecosystems.
Valued by EdTech, Driven by Purpose
Zeetlo’s unique blend of low-cost books, habit-building systems, and full-stack automation has drawn attention from multiple edtech companies. Several have reportedly offered to acquire the platform at a valuation of ₹1 crore, but Satyashil has declinedfor now.
His focus remains on long-term impact: rebuilding reading habits, empowering regional authors, and proving that meaningful education businesses can be built beyond metros; using books, technology, and purpose.
From repeated setbacks to creating a nationally noticed, AI-powered reading platform, Satyashil’s journey reflects a larger shift in India’s education economy; where resilience, automation, and affordability are redefining what success truly means.
