Eduncle.com is an Ed-Tech startup that aims to bring quality education to every doorstep in India through its ASK & LEARN platform. It provides online courses for higher education exams like IIT JAM, UGC NET, and CSIR NET. In just 3 years, Eduncle has grown from serving 2 lakh students to over 2.6 million monthly visitors in 2018. It offers self-paced, personalized learning courses along with doubt solving support from experienced faculty. Eduncle also provides study materials in digital, paperback, and pen drive formats to increase accessibility across India. The company's vision is to empower students with knowledge through innovative technology solutions.
1. Dr. Amit Pareek
Founder & CEO
Editor's Frame
Ed-Tech Startups
Transforming the Indian
Education System for Better
Maven’s Mentorship
How Technology Has
Changed The Teaching
Methodology For Good
Ask. Learn. Lead
BOOMING
EDTECH
1T
H
E
STARTUPS TO WATCH
December 2018
www.insightssuccess.in
2.
3.
4. Editorial
ech-based education is burgeoning at a rapid pace with its potential to
Tchange the way students learn and grow. With changing times, this
Ed-Tech industry is attracting investments and creating a platform
which can debar the traditional learning speculations in order to sculpt an
erudite earth for the Gen Z. Thanks to the Ed-Tech Entrepreneurs who have
gained success in holding the reins of innovation through technology. For
taking significant steps for the betterment of the society. For recognizing the
loopholes in the conventional processes and remolding this scenario into a
“revolution like never before”.
Gone are the days, when a college degree was the only stepping stone to
unlock job opportunities. Today, the Ed-Tech entrepreneurs are playing a vital
role in embracing the evolving technology and leaving no stone unturned in
instilling learning to every nook and corner of the world. Thinking is evolving
and entrepreneurs in the Ed-Tech space are going beyond the ordinary and
being ingenious in offering customised solutions quenching the growing
demands. Acknowledging that the market research is a fundamental aspect of
entrepreneurship, these players are deploying products which are defining the
true essence of student’s needs. Creating a product which has the knacks to
make an impact on the market is becoming their forte. Also, they are keeping
student-teacher relationship and their feedback to utmost priority.
With sheer determination and unified efforts, the Ed-Tech entrepreneurs are
changing the education landscape through ‘Digital Learning’. Instead of
replacing educators, they are empowering students and teachers with
improved learning podium. With each passing day, they are coming up with
products which have the power to unlock diverse opportunities for the
betterment of the education world. This in turn will magnificently cater the
niche sector where people are very particular when it comes to their child’s
education.
Ed-Tech entrepreneurs are disrupting the learning processes with a perfect
blend of creativity and alacrity. Connecting the dots of the industry, they are
on a mission to fill the gaps between the demand and supply. The future will
employ individuals who can share the same vision and develop a product that
can withstand the complexities of the market. A future which has no room for
barriers and where knowledge will be the only power to reach at the top of the
pyramid.
A Thanks Giving
to the Ed-Tech
Entrepreneurs
Rahul Niraj
Rahul Niraj
6. CONTENTS
Articles
Eduncle.com
Bringing Quality Education to
Every Door-Step with the
ASK & LEARN Platform
Cover Story
08
Expert’s Insight
InQUIZitive Learners
Maven’s Mentorship
How Technology Has
Changed The Teaching
Methodology For Good
Edupreneur’s
Perspective
Ongoing Trends in the
Education Industry:
From an Edupreneur's
Perspective
Editor's Frame
Ed-Tech Startups
Transforming the
Indian Education
System for Better
Roots of
Transformation
Secrets to Pick-up the
Right Ed-Tech Tool
22 34 44
24 28
7. Eupheus Learning
Exploring Education
to the Core
28
Exambazaar
Redefining Learning
at its Best
16
20
Fundamentor
Where Education
is Fun!
32
Genext Students
Providing Best Home
Tutors at Students'
Doorsteps
40
Les Transformations
Designing Result-
oriented Solutions
Empowering Education
46
Wonderslate
Technologies
A Digital Step towards
Smart Learning
Interview with
Insights Success
8. ooking back into the past where learning was a stressful process is no longer true today. The new-age
Leducation has built a platform where learning is continuous, interactive and highly effective. A platform
driven by gamification, personalization, and positive messaging. A platform empowering students to stand
tall and rip the future challenges to pieces. Thanks to the Ed-Tech startups which are embracing every opportunity
and transforming the classroom experience with their novel approach.
While 2017 was an enthusiastic year for the engineering sector, 2018 is a year which has taken it beyond the success
horizons. Recognizing the startups that are revolutionizing the education space and keeping innovation on their radar
by staying up-to-speed with the developments, we have come up with this special edition of “The 10 Booming
Ed-Tech Startups To Watch.” This issue has featured a handful of professionals offering a diverse and engaging
mix of creativity and distinctiveness. This edition of ours will help you to walk through a list of companies
embracing multi-disciplinary approach and covering a range of relevant issues in its sector.
In the Cover of the issue, we have featured Eduncle which is bringing Quality Education to every door step of India.
The company is outshining its competitors with its innovative solutions and redefining the learning landscape.
Apart from such an insightful cover story, we have also enlisted Fundamentor, a globally awarded gamified skill
assessment and development company, Genext Students is one of its kind AI-powered home tutoring eco-system
combining the best of physical tutoring and technology-aided learning, Les Transformations is a pioneer in
providing developmental learning services especially to student community across the globe, and Wonderslate
Technologies is a platform built to cater comprehensive solutions to the education world.
While flipping the pages, take a note not to miss out exclusive Interviews with Sarvesh Shrivastava, Co-founder of
Eupheus Learning, and Gaurav Parashar and Saloni Khandelwal, Co-founders of Exambazaar.
Turning some more pages will help you find out articles masterly crafted by our in-house editors which include
Ed-Tech Startups Transforming the Indian Education System for Better from Editor’s Frame and Secrets to Pick-up
the Right Ed-Tech Tool from Roots of Transformation. The articles Ongoing Trends in the Education Industry:
From an Edupreneur’s Perspective, How Technology has Changed the Teaching Methodology for Good, and
InQUIZitive Learners by industry experts would take you on a journey showcasing the tech-based innovations in the
Education world.
Looking at the emerging opportunities and the growing possibilities, this issue of ours will introduce you to a whole
new world of novelty.
So enjoy the exciting read!
Ed-Tech Startups:
Connecting the Dots of Education
BOOMING
EdTech1T
H
E
STARTUPS TO WATCH
12. India comprises the world’s largest
student base which is rapidly
growing. With the development of
technology, India has witnessed an
enhanced acceptance of online
education over a period of few years.
Although, this growth in accessibility
of education is remarkable but the
major problem that is being faced by
majority of Indian students is the lack
of qualified faculty & quality
education. As, such, they have to move
to the bigger cities and expend a lot of
money to fulfil their learning goals.
With an aim to Transform Lives
through Bringing Quality Education to
Every Door Step of India, Eduncle
India Pvt. Ltd was established in 2016.
From its origin as a small Kota based
Ed-Tech startup, the company has
emerged amongst the leading
companies in the online trend of Indian
Education. The Unstoppable One is
what best describes Eduncle.
Eduncle have 3 online courses for
higher education exams such as – IIT
JAM, UGC NET and CSIR NET. In
the very first session of operations,
Eduncle proved to be successful in
touching the lives of around two lakh
students. With the time span of only
three years, Eduncle has witnessed an
outstanding growth from one selection
to 750+ selections in CSIR NET, IIT
JAM as well as UGC NET exams.
With sheer dedication and unified
efforts, the company has efficaciously
attained the trust of around 2.6 Million
monthly visitors in 2018.
Why Choose Eduncle?
Eduncle is on a mission - With
technology and media, provide better
learning, mentorship, and doubt
solution to build strong knowledge
base so that students can excel in their
lives.
ease from the content curated by
highly experienced and qualified
faculty members
- And ultimately Lead in their lives
with the power of knowledge.
Meet the Prudent and Persuaded
Leader
Dr. Amit Kumar Pareek is the
Founder and CEO of Eduncle India
Pvt. Ltd. Inspiration to his employees
describes him the best. He is an online
business consultant & entrepreneur
with enriching domain experience of
over nine years. Shifting to a bigger
city from a village for getting the
quality education, leaving his home
and family, Dr. Amit struck with an
idea of bringing education to every
door step of India. His aim was big, so
were his efforts! His unrelenting
passion and impeccable drive
motivated him to unveil Eduncle to the
education world.
Dr. Amit is aiming to take Eduncle to
the highest peak of success by
introducing the game changing
learning methodologies for the
students. By providing better learning
not only to the urban areas but also the
remotest areas of the country, he has
set a perfect example of leadership.
Recently, he was also invited to the
National Digital Library of India, GES
2018 by IIT Kharagpur for an
Edupreneurship session.
Awards and Recognitions
Over the years, Eduncle has been
consistently felicitated by its students
for the great learning stuff that it offers
and is recognized as a front runner in
the field of online education and
delivering excellence. Apart from this,
the company has earned accolades
from various renowned platforms
including the Top 10 Promising Digital
Learning Portals 2018 by leading
media publication house.
Eduncle started providing its courses in
online domain at first along with offline
mode for the students who still don’t
have access to the internet services.
The courses are available pan India
with multiple ways to make payment
for its reasonable courses including
Cash on Delivery which is very
convenient for the students.
Making it the reality for Indian
students to get the quality education
right through their own places, the
company has come up with a new
generation Personalized Learning and
Doubt Solution Platform that helps
students in achieving their learning
goals.
With this idea of learning, students can
do the following:
- Freely Ask their doubts to the top
mentors
- Learn anywhere and anytime with the
““
““
13. The Curated Set of Services
Every student is different and to work
towards increasing accessibility for
students, Eduncle has designed its
courses in digital as well as paper
format. It offers self-paced courses that
enhance the students’ flexibility in
learning concepts and practicing them.
The company provides a platform for
tutors and students to come along for
doubt resolution.
The company believes in providing
tech-based curated content to quench
students’ needs.
The all-inclusive package of course is
divided in three segments:
Learn – Here, student can get the
concepts and topic wise study of the
curriculum. The academics team keeps
updating these concepts at par with
student’s expectation.
Practice – Students can practice
questions from the concepts they have
studied. They get flexibility of deciding
which and how many topics they want
to practice. They can also set a timer
for time management.
Test – This segment is designed by the
in-house team which helps students to
improve their performance in the
examination.
It is amongst the leading industry
players in delivering exclusive courses
for IIT JAM, CSIR NET, and UGC
NET exams. These courses are in
paperback study material format and
e-book or pen drive altogether. The
motive behind keeping these three
formats is to make its study material in
compliance with its idea of
learning – study anytime, anywhere.
Eduncle provides study material across
India; from Kashmir to Kanyakumari
““
““
14. free time and have a chance to interact
with other students and mentors
virtually.
Fuelling the Young Minds
Being a young entrepreneur, Dr. Amit
has some hard-earned lessons that he is
willing to share with the young
entrepreneurs. Summing up all his
learnings he says, “Know your
customers, give them what makes them
succeed, connect with people and grow
together, inspire your team, act
courageously, have gratitude, find joy
in your work, achieve the goal, and
repeat,”
Futuristic Approach
The Education industry is driven by a
challenge – to live up expectations of
students by creating well-designed
courses with performance goals which
gives plenty of opportunity for
practice. In the coming years,
technology that works towards
and from Arunachal Pradesh to
Rajasthan. Apart from this, its
academics and research team is in sync
with the latest development in the
E-learning industry.
Recognizing the necessity of students
to connect with mentors, the company
arranges their interaction sessions with
toppers, scientists and experienced
faculty members from JNU, Delhi
School of Economics, ISI Kolkata, IIT
Bombay and IIT Delhi and more via
call.
A Comprehensive Vision
The vision is empowering every
student with the power of knowledge.
With technology, Eduncle is bridging
the gap between quality education and
needy students.
To make India a better place for
learning, the Ed-Tech startups have
come up with new technologies like
AI, machine learning, and educational
software. These technological
innovations in learning aren’t just
changing the field for students, they’re
shaking up the role of educators,
creating philosophical shifts in
approaches to teaching, and
remodelling the classroom.
The Internet penetration with the start
of 4G services has face-lifted the
online education industry so far. The
Gen Z students are more comfortable
with visual-audio study content rather
than the conventional approach. Hence,
accessibility to internet has a huge
impact on Ed-Tech startup industry.
And, yes it has boosted the Ed-tech
startups in terms of increased traffic
and improved reach. Moreover, the
online education is much flexible and
affordable! Students can experience an
enhanced version of classroom
coaching in online mode. They can
attend online classrooms during their
increasing accessibility for a diverse
set of students would generate more
personalized curriculum at an
affordable cost which will be an uptick
in the use of modern technologies.
Eduncle is developing its courses
based on the demands that might arise
in near future. Eduncle started with a
dream, a thought to change the OLD
and moreover build the NEW that can
transform lives of many.
The company is planning to expand its
wings to a diverse set of online
courses. Currently, it is focusing on
assembling the scattered education
space for higher education in India by
catering CSIR NET, UGC NET and IIT
JAM in the most effective way by
adding ten more exams. Additionally, it
is committed to bring an ASK platform
by 2019, which will enable students
and teachers to connect with each other
on finger tips. Extending expertise in
online mode, Eduncle is going to
create platform for students and
teachers where it will offer all the
education related solution by
automating the learning to make it
better and faster. Its research and
development team have collaborated
with expert academicians and
e-Learning experts to curate study
contents in such a way that it’s
adaptive for every student.
This will personalize the whole
learning experience by providing
solutions on a particular weak area
until the students’ master it. It will
understand each individual’s learner
persona and map the curated study
content for them. With technology and
media, Eduncle will be working
towards more engaging learning
content such as videos and
visual-audio to match up the
expectations of the Gen Z students.
““
““
16. Read it FirstRead it First
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17. Management BriefCompany Name
Les Transformations
lestransformations.com
Ankit Khanna
Co-founder
Rishabh Khanna
Co-founder & Director
Les Transformations enable schools to develop, teachers in
enhancing their performance, give holistic education to students,
and solidify the parent-school partnership
CosineLabs
cosinelabs.com
Cosine Labs is an IoT company focused on creating a
revolutionary wireless smart home and connected living
experience
Awicon is today’s technology architect for tomorrow’s connected
business - creating fully managed, self-healing, automated IoT
environments
Wonderslate
Technologies
wonderslate.com
Wonderslate Technologies is an educational deliverance, digital
publishing and a test preparation platform
Kshitij Deoghare
Director
Sattva Automation specializes in premium home automation
systems, home cinemas, high-end audio-video and access control
systems in India
Sattva Automation
Pvt. Ltd.
sattvaautomation.com
Anand Achyut
Founder & CEO
Eduncle India Pvt. Ltd
eduncle.com
Eduncle is the leading Personalized Learning & Doubt-Solution
Platform
Genext Students
genextstudents.com
Ali Asgar Kagzi
Co-founder & Director
Genext Students is a one-of-its-kind hybrid tutoring platform
combining best of physical tutoring and technology-aided
learning
Dr. Amit Pareek
Founder & CEO
Arindam Chatterjee
Mentor
Sukumar Ranga
Partner
Awicon Technologies
awicontech.com
Fundamentor
fundamentor.com
Bhargavi AR
Co-founder
Amol Patkar
Co-founder
Fundamentor is an innovative web application that enhances the
Quantitative, Verbal, Data inference and Creative thinking
aptitude in school students
Tronix Solutions focuses on providing IT services with the
highest levels of customer satisfaction
Tronix Solutions
tronixsolutions.in
Shailesh
Partner
Smartify prominently offers Management and Advice in the field
of business management
Smartify
smartify.in
Abhi Bavishi
CEO
BOOMING
EdTech1T
H
E
STARTUPS TO WATCH
18. EXAMBAZAAREXAMBAZAAR
REDEFINING LEARNING AT ITS BEST
Established in 2017, with a mission to transform the
Ed-Tech world is Exambazaar
(Exambazaar.com), providing prominent services
with a novel approach. Gaurav Parashar and Saloni
Khandelwal are the Co-founders of the company. With
sheer determination and unified efforts the company has
successfully created a niche in its sector. To get more details
about Exambazaar’s exclusive services and expertise, we
bring you an exclusive interview with Gaurav and Saloni.
1. Kindly brief us about the company.
Exambazaar is one of India’s largest education discovery
platforms, which provides comprehensive information
about test preparation for 50+ entrance exams. Students
can discover, shortlist and book a demo at 38000+
coaching institutes in every nook and cranny of India,
with the help of exclusive videos, photographs, past
results and faculty profiles of coachings in 400+ cities. It
helps students in every aspect of test preparation by
providing free previous year question papers online, daily
EQAD (Exam Question a Day), daily current affairs and
preparation strategies from past toppers and top coaching
institutes. In addition, it provides valuable insights into
colleges, courses and career options in India related to
these exams.
2. Please tell us something about the Founder/CEO and
his/her contribution towards the company.
Exambazaar has been founded by IIT – IIM Alumni
Gaurav Parashar and Saloni Khandelwal. Gaurav
Parashar studied at IIT Bombay, Computer Science
(2006-10), and IIM Bangalore (2012-14). He worked in
Investment Banking in top tier investment
banks - Deutsche Bank & Goldman Sachs, London
before moving back to India. Saloni Khandelwal is from
Computer Science IIT Delhi (2007-11) and worked in
Credit Structuring at Deutsche Bank, London for 5 years
before starting Exambazaar. Saloni and Gaurav, both
believe that education is the only way forward for the
holistic development of India. Gaurav looks after the tech
while Saloni looks after business at Exambazaar.
3. Your perspective about the Ed-Tech Startup world.
An average Indian thinks of education as an expense
rather than an asset. It’s something they must do because
it's required. They don’t know the possibilities which
open up with higher quality of education (aka more
spend) than the minimum education that they must have.
Hence Ed-Tech startups which focus on delivering higher
quality solutions to consumers are tougher to scale.
Ed-Tech startups built around driving down costs to the
end consumer will scale. Hence, building a company in
education does not follow an Internet company’s growth
curve. Entrepreneurs should focus on fixing problems in
education for the next 20 years rather than quick fixes.
4. Mention any awards and appreciations that your
company has received.
Exambazaar is incubated at Bhamashah Techno Hub,
India's largest business incubator. We were shortlisted for
the prestigious YCombinator programme, S18 batch
interviews (600 startups shortlisted among 10000 global
startups). We have been published in YourStory,
YouthKiAwaaz, Internshala, Ed-Tech Review, Campus
Twist and several other publications.
5. Please describe the journey of your organization so
far.
Exambazaar started in April 2017 in a coffee shop in
Jaipur with a blueprint sprawled across tissue papers.
Since then we have grown to be one of India’s largest
Ed-Tech startups with a 25-strong team and a host of
products. We started out with one objective – building
deep listings for all coaching institutes in the country. We
met with hundreds of coaching institutes personally to
get their views on bringing the coaching market online
including the biggest names like Allen, Bansal, Career
Launcher, Career Point, etc. With a small team of interns,
we built our database -from scratch to now having
contact information, courses, photos, videos, faculty
profiles, past results and reviews of over 38,000 coaching
institutes spanning across 400+ cities. With our base
ready, we branched out into building a complete package
for a student preparing for competitive exams. We
realized that the most important elements of preparation
are strategy, consistency and practice. And we set out to
solving each of these problems through exclusive
|December 2018|16
20. strategy blogs by experts and past toppers, daily quizzes,
previous year question papers for 50+ exams, all for FREE
for the student. We have slowly launched new unique
propositions and grown our team to provide the best
information and assistance to students. Our next step is to
bring the entire coaching course buying process online to
provide the ultimate convenience to the students!
6. Kindly describe in detail about your distinct services
and products / Describe the unique solutions/products
that make your company stand out amongst the rest.
Exambazaar is India’s largest Coaching Classes
discovery and comparison platform by far. We
differentiate ourselves on both quality and quantity on
information and services we provide. We have more than
38000 Coaching Classes in 400+ Cities covering 50+
exams. Why we stand apart from listing websites like
Just Dial and Sulekha are our deep listings with
exhaustive, verified information about fees, photos,
videos, past toppers and reviews of coaching classes. Our
proprietary rating system based on 15+ objective and
subjective rating parameters is first of its kind and rivals
MHRD’s NIRF. Map search for the best, closest,
cost-efficient coachings and the ability to book demo
lectures instantly online makes the process hassle free for
the students. But the best part is the exclusive discounts
that we provide on coaching courses that makes coaching
affordable for all!
We continue to help the students throughout their test
preparation duration with a host of different products for
FREE
Question Papers - Previous Year Question Papers of 50+
Exams available to attempt or download. Proprietary
Testing interface, customisable for every exam.
EQAD – Daily Exam Practice with Free Exam Question
A Day in your inbox or on the website itself.
Current Affairs – The Most Important Daily Current
Affairs, hand-picked for IAS, SSC, Bank, RRB, Govt
Exams with summaries of important points, complete
with weekly, monthly and section wise revision
Capsules.
Preparation Guides – Preparation Strategies by exam
toppers and the best coachings for the exam, by invite
only In addition, the student can benefit from our unique
and innovative tools like ‘Best Coachings’ which has
Expert reviews of the best Coaching Classes across India,
‘ExamWiki’ where students can get a List of ALL Exams
they can write just by entering their qualifications and the
latest exam updates for 150+ exams! In short, no
platform in India provides the range of content for test
preparation or covers the breadth of streams and exams
that we do.
7. What has been your game of plan to tackle the
challenges in terms of changing trends, market
players and innovations happening in the Ed-Tech
startup industry?
Online Coaching Classes have picked up in Tier 2 and
Tier 3 cities. Even MOOC websites now host courses for
low involvement exams like SSC and Bank PO. We think
that consolidation in offline coaching can fight with the
pricing pressure coachings face. Marketable products in
the AR/VR space for education are still to be developed,
but those can fundamentally change how the students in
India learn. We stand at the cusp of change in terms of
how students view education, and we are ready to
embrace the move to online education because our
platform caters to all formats of courses.
8. Enlighten us about any new advancements and
technologies that have had a huge impact on the
Ed-Tech startup industry.
With introduction of Jio and the follow through in mobile
data prices across companies, video streaming for
coaching classes has become a lot easier and, more
importantly, possible in the Tier 3 and 4 cities and
villages. Many startups have shifted from USB / Tablet
based coaching to online classes which can be streamed
via the app. Super cheap mobile data prices in India have
become a big boost to Ed-Tech startup industry overall.
9. What is your advice to the young entrepreneurs in
the Ed-Tech Startup Industry?
Ed-Tech as a sector is tough and patience in the founding
team is paramount. Most entrepreneurs in education build
the wrong type of business, because entrepreneurs think
of education as a quality problem. The average person
thinks of it as a cost problem. Try to find ways to disrupt
the status quo of the current market rather than
incremental innovation.
10. How do you portray the future of your company?
Tell us something about your upcoming solutions.
Our ultimate goal is to become the one stop shop both for
students and coaching classes. We aim to make sure that
if a student thinks about entrance exams, he thinks about
Exambazaar! We will square off our test preparation
universe with the facility to buy all coaching courses
online, thousands of mock tests and online study material
for FREE. On the coaching side, we want to become the
most effective and efficient marketing channel for
coaching institutes who wish to advertise their strengths,
market discounts or sells out early bird or last seats.
|December 2018|18
21.
22. FUNDAMENTOR
Where Education is Fun!
Established in 2014, Fundamentor is a globally
awarded gamified skill assessment and development
company. Developing children for future is what
best describes the company. The company's flagship online
product is targeted towards improving life skills and
cognitive aptitude among the school children.
Fundamentor’s expertise in building customized learning
and assessment solutions has helped it to attain customers
across India, the US, Singapore and UAE.
Acknowledging the evolving technology, the company
prominently offers Gamified Learning & Assessment
Platform, Customised Courseware, and Engaging Learning
Content with an aim to transform the learning landscape. Its
innovative game based solutions are proficiently driven by
Critical thinking, Data inference, Communication,
Problem-solving, and Decision-making needed to deal with
changing landscape of professional choices. Since
inception, Fundamentor has been using technology,
gamification, animation, and analytics to make learning fun,
personalized, and adaptive. It is on a mission to build a
framework where learners have fun while learning and
receives learning inputs in bite sized doses to prevent
information overload and boredom.
The company has been developed by professionals who
have worked globally at senior positions in Fortune 500
companies. Team Fundamentor consists of alumni from top
engineering and business schools in India and the US.
Currently, the company has over twenty-seven thousand
users across 100 + organisations, which includes schools,
colleges, and corporates.
The Hardship Story of the Dynamic Duo
Bhargavi AR and Amol Patkar are the Co-Founders of
Fundamentor. Bhargavi and Amol graduated from Delhi
College of Engineering and further went ahead to pursue
their MBAs, being passionate about education. While
Bhargavi did her MBA from FMS, Amol did his MBA from
IIM Calcutta.
The primary challenge faced by most Ed-Tech companies is
demonstrating that the product actually solves the learning
problem that they are trying to solve. It is because learning
is not like the various industries where the solution can
provide instant gratification. The effectiveness of learning
solution from a long term perspective is difficult to measure
in the short term. Meeting the same challenge, Bhargavi and
Amol successfully addressed this problem by ensuring that
the platform focuses on bite size learning, repeated
assessment and analytics-based instant feedback for
improvement. They efficaciously embraced these
techniques in their quizzes as well as in the learning videos.
With sheer determination and unified efforts, they are taking
the Ed-Tech space beyond the comprehensive educational
curve.
“Leaving our well-settled jobs was the easiest part. Also
launching our idea and getting a team together was a
smooth process too,” asserts the duo. But, there were
various challenges which the company had to overcome and
convert them into opportunities during its initial stage. One
of the major challenges was to find an appropriate location
to place the cornerstones of the company as the co-founders
were based in Dubai and Mumbai. But, they successfully
overcame this challenge by making frequent trips to India.
Also, Vendor selection was not an easy task, but they solved
Bhargavi AR | Amol Patkar
Co-founder
|December 2018|20
23. this challenge by identifying and selecting vendors through
referrals and subsequent evaluation
Another major challenge was meeting the stakeholders in
schools and making them interested in the products offered
by Fundamentor. Under the co-founders’ aegis, the
company has built a minimum viable product at its
embryonic stage and took it to twenty schools and colleges
in India and UAE.
More about Fundamentor
“We are unique not because of the technology that we use
but the overall use of technology and UI/UX to execute a
very successful model of gamification for the learning use
case,” say the co-founders.
The company uses Ruby, Node.js, LAMP, Mongo and
PosgreSQL for the web applications. Its extensive use of
analytics to track user experience makes it distinctive.
Updating the application to user feedback and ensure high
level of engagement makes Fundamentor a successful
learning platform.
Team Fundamentor has its presence in five locations across
four cities including Bangalore, Pune, Delhi and Dubai.
This structure offers employees with an independence to
achieve their objectives and contribute to Fundamentor's
success. The company works on weekly, quarterly and
annual objectives through its online tools where the roles
and responsibilities are clear among individuals. Its work
culture truly provides support and encourages the people at
its best. All these factors combine to keep the employees
motivated and the work environment hassle-free.
Fundamentor, being a SaaS-based platform, offers
innovative assessment and learning products in a cost-
effective manner – a reasonable per user subscription. The
value of these benefits outweighs the costs, hence the
company has been able to maintain client relations with
utmost resilience.
Noteworthy Recognitions
Over the years, Fundamentor has successfully collected
various jewels in its pocket including:
• Selected for Google Launchpad Build
• Winners of impact award in Facebook’s India
Innovation Challenge
• IBM Startup Star Finalist
• Winners of UK Govt.Tech Rocketship Award at the Indo
UK Tech Summit
• Winner of MIT School of Telecom Startup Award for
Innovation
• Selected for NASSCOM 10 K Startup Program
• Selected for Village Capital India Education 2017
program
• Featured in key vendors in “Global Education
Gamification Market 2016-2020” and “Global
Education Gamification Market 2017-2021” by a
leading UK based market research organisation.
Edifying the Beginners
Education is not an industry where instant gratification or
get-rich-quick schemes will work in the longer run.
Fundamentor advices the young minds to have patience, as
it takes time to build a reputation in the Ed-Tech world.
Future Ahead
The company perceives a great and bright future for Ed-
Tech startups ahead. There is a greater scope for providing
personalized and adaptive learning tools, which the learner
can learn as per his/her pace as well as convenient time and
location.
Fundamentor has a set of unique tools which can gamify
learning, assess written & verbal communication skills, and
also develop cognitive aptitude. The company is working
on game-based assessment, where user plays a game with a
provision to attain their assessed profile and tools for social
media footprint-based psychometric assessment.
We provide a
well-structured
and fun curriculum
for developing
cognitive aptitude
““
BOOMING
EdTech1T
H
E
STARTUPS TO WATCH
21|December 2018|
24. InQUIZitiveLearnersInQUIZitiveLearnersRanjeetha Golde Vincent is the
Engagement Associate at Walnut
Knowledge Solutions Pvt. Ltd. With
a Masters in Human Development
she is a part of the research and
content team. Passionate about
children, she was previously
involved in working with children
with special needs. Reliable and
organized is what best describes
Ranjeetha.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ranjeetha Golde Vincent
Engagement Associate
|December 2018|22
25. What’s at the bottom of the sea? Why do we get
dreams? How are doughnuts made? Who, what,
where, when, why, how? Ma’am, do you have
answers to my questions? To the despair of my teachers as a
child, I used to ask a great deal of questions. Some would
take great efforts to answer all of them while others would
hush me up!
Albert Einstein once said, “I have no special talents. I am
only passionately curious.” Maybe this is what made him
follow the pursuit of knowledge!
Great learners never stop asking questions! Children are
innately curious and this nature begins during the early
childhood years. Curiosity has proven to make children
smarter and as they grow, they excel at seeking answers. As
teachers and educationists, it becomes crucial for us to
encourage them to do this. Intelligence is sharpened
through constant learning and is continuous through life.
This continuity is because of curiosity that needs to be used
as a tool to inspire them towards greater learning.
Providing an atmosphere of curious learning is as important
as answering children’s questions. It isn’t an arduous task to
provide such an atmosphere. Some of the ways are; to build
a framework of a quizzing technique in the classroom that
inculcates interest in learning. Perhaps, a quiz is called so
because it makes one inquisitive! Creating a curriculum
where answers are worked out in a systematic way by
fostering children to use their thinking skills. To question,
analyse and process the information put forth and finally
inferring out a conclusion. This kind of a systematic
approach will not just teach the child to simplify and work
out problems, it is sure to hone their critical thinking.
Another approach to instill curiosity is by, maneuvering
them to the “Socratic Method of Learning.” Here, the
teacher doesn’t merely rely on children to ask questions,
rather she can curate a set of questions with workable clues
and hints, and allow children to brainstorm answers. The
questions can be in the form of texts, videos, audios, GIFS
and images. This kind of learning builds a strong
foundation for problem-solving skills in children. Research
has time and again shown that our brain retains information
better if we’re are curious about it, thus making it more
receptive for learning.
A teacher is a significant individual to pique children’s
curiosity. They need to act as a facilitator, observer, sculptor
of children’s minds and a motivator to help them seek
answers. Every classroom is teacher-driven! An excellent
curriculum can’t get any better if the teacher in the
classroom doesn’t possess the passion for teaching. She will
always want to inspire children in the classroom. She
wouldn’t shun their questions rather, make efforts to answer
through explanation and riddling them further. She will go
the extra mile to introduce various techniques of teaching
that are suitable to tap children’s curiosity by adding an
element of fun as well. A passionate teacher is curious
herself, therefore igniting her children’s mind. Well, passion
for learning is contagious!
Did you know, that learning begins when the child is in the
womb itself? Thus, who plays a greater role in the initial
stages of a child’s curiosity? Needless to say, it’s the
mother! Hence parents play a pivotal role in their child
becoming a curious learner. Parents need to provide various
opportunities to explore and discover as this leads to
mastering and acquiring new skills. This in turn, proves to
enhance their sense of self-esteem and making them
confident learners. Answering to the child’s queries; making
a visit to the museum, zoo, parks, etc; doing activities;
storytelling, playing educational games on phones and
laptops (Psst! Limiting the screen time!) are some of the
ways to nurture the child’s thirst for knowledge.
Besides, technology has proven to harness children’s innate
curiosity. With easy access to search engines and
educational apps, they get to research information at the
click of a button. Virtual reality has made it possible for a
stimulated and experiential learning. Online platforms like
Google Museum and Google Earth give them an edge over
exploring various places and game-based learning
motivates them to learn more. The infiltrations of
technology such as these are leading the education sector
towards a new method of learning and it is sure to change
how children learn permanently. There is no doubt that
innovative Ed-Tech is going to rule the future of education.
But the challenge would be to constantly keep the flame of
curiosity burning through technology and for parents and
teachers to navigate them in the direction to sustain it.
23|December 2018|
Expert’s Insight
26. Ed-TechStartups Transforming the Indian
EducationSystem for Better
The technology advancements
are paving a creative pathway
towards empowering the
existing as well as the next-gen. The
tech-enabled discoveries are
transforming both, teaching and
learning. Acknowledging the teacher-
student relationship, the Ed-Tech
startups are embracing the technology
changes and rolling-out prominent
solutions for the well-being of the
society. These startups are redefining
the way teachers and students gather,
access, analyse, present and transmit
information. Bringing novelties to
existence, these are transforming the
education system for better.
Gone are the days where education
system was being recognized as
theoretical, exams-driven, and
impractical. Today, the emerging as
well as the existing Ed-Tech startups
are changing this scenario and
providing relevant education in simple
yet effective ways. Leveraging digital
platforms, these startups are defining
the true essence of learning and
education. A platform which is
accessible for users across India. This
implies that the combination of digital
media and education is enhancing the
distance education along with the
cultural preservation. Further, the Ed-
Tech startups are blending user
experience and analytics and
generating profitable learning
outcomes.
The changing education game theory is
developing newer opportunities which
are boosting the civilization.
Breaking the Traditional Barriers
The traditional academic approach
dealt with the content that encouraged
linear learning – an approach moving
from one chapter to the other. Basically
humans learn in pieces and have the
capabilities to connect these dots, when
necessary. Recognizing these
loopholes, the Ed-Tech startups are
working with the publishing houses,
academicians to create content based
on the past pedagogy and educational
experiences. With a number of inter-
disciplinary skills, the startups are
attaining interconnections between
technology platforms, influencers,
educators, publishers, administrators
and learners. This in turn is enhancing
the critical thinking instead of forcing
steps from a textbook. These
tech-enabled startups are developing
content that empowers the student-
teacher relationship, especially at the
school level.
Currently, the education system is a
book, which is full of chapters
showcasing personalised assessments,
VR content, parent engagement,
gamification, soft skills development,
and digital libraries. Student
networking, test preparation,
procurement marketplaces, learning
analytics, language tools, internship
location, and real-time scenario
engagement are also some of the key
areas, where the Ed-Tech startups are
benchmarking their presence.
The Practical Approach
Nowadays, the educational institutes,
especially schools opts an interactive
educational product which stimulates
the sensory system by staging a playful
atmosphere for movement. Thanks to
the Ed-Tech startups which are
enhancing collaboration and teamwork
among students, right from the
beginning with a practical approach.
As such, the students can easily
remember and recall things – they just
have to replicate their experiences and
improve on it.
The digital products initiated by these
startups boost the teachers to
conceptualize and create simulated
games that support learning. This helps
the students to interact with the
stimulations – via a motion sensor
(using hands and feet) – and solve the
games. These games are a pathway to
|December 2018|24
27. encourage students’ collaboration at right age. On the other hand, the
Ed-Tech startups also cherish epistemic games – students play various roles
like engineers, city planners, reporters, public administrators, judges and so
on, to create awareness in them about the real-world problems. Further, the
startups are working at an exponential rate in providing these solutions to
schools and other educational institutes in order to help the students learn
important real-time concepts.
Going Hand-in-Hand
The digital learning is adding various colors to the learning
and training process. But, the significance of humans in education system
cannot be understated. The Indian
Ed-Tech startups are building a perfect blend of online and
offline learning - augments human connect between the
teacher and the students, and yet automating and
personalizing the experience. This enables the
teachers to be a mentor rather than being an
administrator. Furthermore, this imparts the
students with their own independent
perspective about the education. It influences
the children at every level with the virtues
of trust, safety, ethics, relevance and focus
in cyberspace.
Future with Ed-Tech Startups
It is necessary for a student to develop
a learning-based creative thinking to
withstand the future challenges. The
Ed-Tech startups are all set to
nurture the students’ life with
problem solving skills, abilities to
deal with high level of stress and
expectations as well as
professional values and ethics.
Keeping-up the same momentum,
these startups are just at the right
position to dismantle the future
educational challenges. This is a
way towards achieving better
literacy rate in the coming years.
The future with Ed-Tech startups
would present a scenario which would
help students in collaborative
activities, ranking, and asking
questions, not just answering them! The
Ed-Tech startups are definitely a way to
bring high-end education and learning to
the masses with comparatively lower cost.
The Ed-Tech transformations are the rays of
hope for creating diversified opportunities for a
better future. All in all, these startups are one of the
key factors in shaping the Indian youth and
workforce in the coming decades.
- Rahul Niraj
Editor’s Frame
25|December 2018|
31. Catering comprehensive solutions to the Education
world, one-stop shop for the all the learning
requirements; Eupheus Learning is one of the
leading Ed-Tech companies. Sarvesh Shrivastava is the
Co-founder and Managing Director of the company.
Since its inception, the company has been consistently
delivering quality services in a cost-effective way for its
customers. To get more insight about Eupheus’s exclusive
services and uniqueness, we bring you an exclusive
interview with Sarvesh.
1. Kindly brief us about the company.
Eupheus Learning is a Delhi based Ed-Tech company
which aims to bridge the gap between in-class and
at-home learning by offering pedagogically
differentiated, technology-led solutions in the K-12
space. Our start up offers solutions that are applicable at
home as much as they are in the classroom, so that there
is no discontinuity in what is being learned.
2. Please tell us something about the Founder/CEO and
his/her contribution towards the company.
I have been working in the education and IT sectors for
more than 30 years now. After spending these many years
in the industry, I witnessed the changing paradigm of the
education sector in India. I have always envisioned
creating an organization dedicated to offering
pedagogically differentiated technology driven solutions
that lead to critical thinking and achievement of higher
learning outcomes in the K-12 space. I started Eupheus
Learning with the aim of making education fun and
engaging for kids of all learning capabilities.
We have partnered with 11 international companies so
far, such as World Book and ETS from the USA, Sanako
from Finland, Fiction Express from Spain, Primo Toys
from UK, and Robo Garden from Canada to curate
Global solutions.
3. Your perspective about the Ed-Tech Startup world.
Kids these days are smart enough and know where to
access tutorials, lectures and solutions on the internet. A
lot of youngsters are already using online learning tools
to further advance what they’ve learnt in school and
college like coding tutorials, animation and graphic
designing, programming etc. We can look forward to the
integration of online learning systems and tools within
school educational programs where kids will be able to
learn more at home also without the need of a human
teacher.
4. Mention any awards and appreciations that your
company has received.
• 20 Most Promising K12 Tech Solutions Provider 2018
– CIO Review India
• Best Training Practices – Runners Up - 8th Genius HR
Excellence Award 2018
5. Please describe the journey of your organization so
far.
Before starting this journey of Entrepreneurship, the
management team, which is leading Eupheus Learning,
did a successful turnaround of the Indian arm of a global
education entity and made it profitable in a short span of
time. But we felt that there were some unresolved
ongoing challenges which we would be able to address
only if we were doing the journey on our own.
Today, we are glad we made that transition, because now,
since the company’s inception, we have reached to over
One million students and approx. 2000 institutions who
subscribe to our various solutions. We plan to reach about
5000 schools and be accessible to at least Five million
students by the beginning of next year. We plan to create
an impact on more than 10 million student’s lives over
the next five years.
6. Kindly describe in detail about your distinct services
and products.
From an early stage, the curriculum must expose the
learner towards skill sets or talent they possess so that
they can develop those talents and not just do what
everyone else is doing. We have curated solutions for
Coding, Reading, Spoken English, Reference,
Kinaesthetic Learning, etc. so that we can cater to
distinct gap areas in the K-12 space in India. These
solutions are aligned to CBSE / ICSE and help students
gain expertise in 21st century skills which shall help
making them Employable when they grow up.
7. What has been your game of plan to tackle the
challenges in terms of changing trends, market
players and innovations happening in the Ed-Tech
startup industry?
Change is good! Innovations keep us on our toes and
keeps us motivated to out-do the best in trend. Our plan
is very simple – Learn, Unlearn and Relearn.
8. Enlighten us about any new advancements and
technologies that have had a huge impact on the
Ed-Tech startup industry.
There are three things that have had a huge impact on the
Ed-Tech startup industry- innovative ways of teaching
with technology, games-based learning.
9. Describe the unique solutions/products that make
your company stand out amongst the rest.
We offer solutions that are applicable at home as much as
Interview with Insights Success
29|December 2018|
32. they are in the classroom, so there is no discontinuity in
what is being learned; this is what sets us apart.
Unique solutions/products:
1. WORLD BOOK INC. (USA) – Age appropriate
Reference solutions in print and digital form.
2. SANAKO (FINLAND) – Language Learning digital
solution in offline and online form
3. FICTION EXPRESS (SPAIN) – Reading program in
form of Live books - students vote for the next chapter
of the book which is then written by the author.
4. CUBETTO (UK) – Coding program for three to
eight-year-old kids via wooden robot, a board and
instruction blocks (no digital screen intervention
needed).
5. WIZEFLOOR (DENMARK) – Kinaesthetic learning
program for kids thru Interactive floor
6. ROBOGARDEN (ALBERTA, CANADA) – To learn
coding in a gamified environment via adventures,
journeys and missions.
7. ALLIED PUBLISHERS – Curriculum Catalogue of
over 350 titles for both CBSE and ICSE boards.
Eupheus Learning to relaunch all titles in print and
digital forms.
8. INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR OLYMPIAD
(ISFO) – Organized by Eupheus Learning, ISFO is a
truly International Olympiad for Math, Science,
English and G.K. in India and UAE, in collaboration
with the Singapore and Asian Schools Math Olympiad
(SASMO).
9. TECHB (ATAL TINKERING LABS) – Eupheus
Learning in association with TECHB provides the best
in class hardware and training for Atal Tinkering Labs
(ATL), a Government of India initiative and is a
preferred vendor to setup the laboratories in schools
across India.
10. ETS (USA) – TOEFL Certification for kids of Age 8
– 14.
10. What is your advice to the young entrepreneurs in
the Ed-Tech Startup Industry?
There are many entrepreneur’s hoping to change the face
of education with promises to resolve an issue. But
before you do so please make sure you understand the
education sector well before entering. It is a complex
marketplace over saturated with products and idea,
therefore in order to be seen and heard doesn’t try and
solve already solved problems. Technology should
engage and improve students in the classroom, not isolate
them. Create engaging and unique products that will
bring out the best in them.
11. How do you portray the future of your company?
Tell us something about your upcoming solutions.
We plan to work towards making Eupheus Learning a
number one learning solutions provider. We have all the
ingredients to be that organization; a team of best in
industry editorial resources, dedicated sales and
marketing professionals and credible partners which
make us potentially a single possible partner for
providing engaging solutions to a decision maker at a
school.
We are going to introduce some exciting Apps and
solutions soon…
1. Analytics platform – AVOCADO
Practice makes you perfect - The mantra behind
Avocado (full of omega3 fatty acid – essential element
for brain development) It is an online platform to
practice the questions from your Eupheus Learning
textbook. Avocado App identifies the gaps and helps in
understanding 'where he/she needs help from a teacher
/ parent'. It provides active tracking of the identified
areas and provides analytics on the improvement
achieved over a period, thereby getting a clear picture
on speed as well as accuracy. Teachers can also
precisely monitor the performance of their students
and personalize teaching style/material accordingly.
2. BBC Muzzy – The world's # 1 multimedia,
multilingual, multi-platform and multi-awarded
language learning course for children.
Using captivating cartoon characters that tell a video
story, MUZZY BBC uses a natural immersion
approach to language learning that mimics the process
we all used to acquire our native tongue. The unique
MUZZY design is effective for visual/spatial, verbal,
kinaesthetic, musical, and logical/mathematical
learners.
3. Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) powered APP for
learning Grammar – RADIANT-LY
Radiant-ly app helps in brushing up the grammar skills
in a fun an interactive way. Based on the lessons taken
from the renowned and time-tested New Radiant
Readers, the app works beautifully on both, mobile
phones as well on web.
|December 2018|30
33.
34. GENEXT STUDENTS
Providing Best Home Tutors at Students’ Doorsteps
In today’s highly competitive era, every student aspires
to excel in academics to ensure a bright future. A large
number of parents and students seek after-school
tutoring to get extra edge and achieve the best possible
results. Every student is different according to their abilities
and grasping power. A ‘one-solution-fits-all’ does not work
anymore, hence, more and more parents and students are
leaning towards the idea of private home tuition. Offering
the same, Genext Students is one of its kind AI-powered
home tutoring ecosystem combining the best of physical
tutoring and technology-aided learning. The firms’ platform
helps parents and students discover and connect with the
right tutor as per relevant requirements. This tutor- student
connection is further enhanced by the firms’ technology
aided tools.
The Visionary Director
Ali Asgar Kagzi is the mastermind behind Genext Students
as its Co-founder & Director. During his post-graduation
days at London School of Economics (LSE), he was
fascinated with the use of technology in empowering
education. He was convinced that the technology could
prove to be a game-changer in the Indian context and Ed-
tech will drive the next wave of innovation in India. After
graduating, he went on to work as a consultant at
Accenture, London. However, the seed of thought around
starting an Ed-tech venture in India kept growing stronger
in him. After a short, yet highly valuable stint at Accenture,
he moved to India to put his thoughts into action and thus,
was Genext Students born.
A Determined Journey
Initially, when the firm started, it lacked the building blocks
of honesty and integrity from the parents and tutors.
Consequently, it worked closely and individually with its
first few customers to provide the best possible services.
Genext Students started receiving a lot of referrals once
these first customers were satisfied with its services. Today,
the platform acquires more than fifty percent of tutor and
student base every month through referrals. Secondly, in
order to ensure that the organization has an efficient and
lean operation to keep costs down, Genext Students built
robust tech-oriented processes to help scale quickly while
keeping its incremental costs low.
Hallmark-Quality Services
For students, along with the provision to connect with
tutors, the Ed-tech platform also provide comprehensive
digital content for adaptive learning. This content comprises
bench analysis, study notes, solutions to textbook question,
sample question papers, past year board exam papers, video
lessons along with very comprehensive and chapter wise
assessment modules. All this is complemented by in-depth
analytics-performance and analysis tools-which track and
analyze student’s study progress and their performance. The
analytics tools offer some very helpful and meaningful
information about the students such as their strong and
Ali Asgar Kagzi
Co-founder & Director
|December 2018|32
35. weak areas, subject-wise and chapter-wise scores and
performance status, historical performances, top performers
for that particular class or subject or chapter etc.
On the tutors’ front, Genext Students has created a platform
where it aggregate, verify, train and brand the individual
tutors and help them get discovered easily. In addition, it
empowers these tutors with a suite of assessing and admin
tools which help them discharge their tutoring efficiently.
These tools take care of tutors’ admin work and help them
focus completely on their core responsibility of teaching.
These also include student and batch management system,
attendance tracking system, tutor language proficiency
testing module, test generators, student progress tracker,
parent messaging and communication systems.
Filling the Industry Gaps
According to the company, more than ninety percent of
students in India opt for after-school classes or tuition.
Increasingly a large number of parents are getting inclined
towards hiring home tutors for their children right from an
early age.
Through Genext Students’ technology platform, parents and
students can locate the best-suited tutor as per their
requirement. There are individual tutors spread all across
the country and the firms' platform aggregates and verifies
alongside making them discoverable. According to the firm,
following are the gaps that are needed to be addressed in
the industry.
Firstly, students along with getting the best home tutor get
access to the digital content, extensive assessment modules,
and in-depth performance analysis. This increases their
engagement in studies and motivates them towards
achieving better results while making learning fun.
Secondly, these days’ parents are not able to keep a tab on
the progress of their child’s study regularly. The Genext
Students platform provides real-time test reports,
comparative analysis and study progress to the parents.
Lastly, for tutors, the firm has created a suite of admin tools
that helps students in discharging their duties efficiently.
There is a separate application for tutors which include
parent messaging and communication system and student
doubt clearing forum.
Prepared to Deliver Next-Gen Education
There are several Ed-tech providers, which are either
focusing on very good content or listing of tutors. However,
no one is providing the end-to-end combination of services
that Genext Students offers. Its platform has valuable
offerings and tools for parents, students as well as tutors.
This helps the company to maintain the stickiness of all the
stakeholders in the education ecosystem which is a great
challenge. Moreover, its vision is to provide the right tutor
as per the child’s learning needs at the click of a button in
order to deliver a measured learning experience. The firms’
technology development and user experience enhancements
and customer service are driven by this vision.
The firm states that, currently, the impact of technology is
largely limited to urban areas and is at a very nascent stage.
There are several innovative solutions being implemented
to make learning fun and highly impactful. However, over
the next five-to-ten years, this impact would flow down to
smaller towns and rural areas which will drive the next
wave of revolution in the country. And that, precisely, is the
power of technology that the firm is definitely going to use
it in the near future. The firms’ home tutor connect services
are available across Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, and
Hyderabad and it is planning to expand it to other cities and
states for which it already has content available.
We are an
end-to-end
tech enabled
tutoring services
management
platform
““
BOOMING
EdTech1T
H
E
STARTUPS TO WATCH
33|December 2018|
37. A dynamic serial
entrepreneur, Pradeep
Jolly, is the Co-Founder of
Wonderland and Early
Learning Village Play
Schools. Recognizing a
huge lacuna in the
preschool and
kindergarten schooling
arena, he established
these schools which have
excelled and have
become examples of
ideal pre-schools in the
country. Pradeep has
completed his graduation
in Economics (Hons.) from
Delhi University and MBA
from Durham University.
Under his leadership, Early
Learning Village has been
ranked as the “Best Brand
Identity in Asia 2018”.
Also, Wonderland Play
School has bagged an
award at ASSOCHAM
“Best School in Teaching-
Learning Practices”. Apart
from this, Pradeep has
effectively set up and
expanded many
businesses like
entertainment, numerous
hospitals and real estate
projects.
About the Author
35|December 2018|
Maven’s Mentorship
38. Education for toddlers has evolved over the years
and the use of technology nowadays is significantly
enabling and enriching the way education is
delivered in early years learning centres.
Technology is playing a key role in making it easier for
toddlers and kids to learn new concepts. Since the subject is
now explained to the kids through a screen or a gadget with
a lot of audio-visual elements, the children are able to
understand them better as compared to when they are given
mere oral lessons or explained with simple two-dimensional
pictures. For Example, rhymes are now easily picked up by
kids with the help of animated videos with alluring sound
beats.
What technology has done is that it has made kids to show
eagerness and involvement much more than in yesteryears.
Even they want to look at and experience these lessons like
rhymes and puzzles when they are taught with the help of
videos and other modern technology tools. Not just that,
they are able to learn something new faster. The hr-
dimensional videos and caricatures help them understand
things better.
These modern technology tools are also helping kids to
retain the subject matter and new learning for a longer time.
Simple oral recitation of a poem or a rhyme by the teacher
usually does not remain in their memories for a long time
but the rhymes learnt with audio-visual aid tends to remain
in their memories for far longer periods.
Children are also more adept in technology these days than
earlier. If they are made to watch something on a tab, they
don’t feel unfamiliar as they have already seen smartphones
and tabs with their parents, and possibly fidgeted with them
a bit too. Hence the teachers and instructors in preschools
are blending in the new methodologies and cutting edge
technologies along with the grooming and upbringing of the
kids these days.
Various useful new teaching methodologies are emerging in
the world, particularly in Finland and being adopted by
new-age schools for delivering maximum results and
improving overall learning experience of the children.
Phonics and other methodologies are being adopted in good
schools these days to augment the learning experience of
kids.
There are augmented reality tools that make animals come
alive on the classroom TV or smart screen with the help of
a document camera and various cards provided with the
augmented reality kit. This helps the kids discern better and
learn the sounds that animals make rather easily. Similarly,
augmented reality is also helping far better in letter
identification and letter sounds for enhanced learning of the
kids. There is marked difference in the way children
participate in the class and with the course content with
phonetic word-building and better sentence structuring.
There are applications which make use of a phone, mostly
iPad, to project the drawings of the kids on the classroom
TV in three-dimensional pictures. The iPad is mounted with
a special reflector on the top to mirror the camera of the
phone to the TV screen. All the scribbling and work of the
kids comes to life with the help of this technology. This
makes the kids want to come to the class every day.
Research done in developed countries has shown that kids
who work in pairs on an iPad fare better than those who
work independently. Thus new-age schools in India have
started inculcating these gadgets in the classroom teaching
aids and then making kids work on them in pairs. This has
shown remarkable results in collaborative skills of the kids
in India too.
Technology tools are also helping bridge the gap between
parents and the teachers. There are various new ways
through which parents can communicate with the teacher,
stay updated with their child's progress at school and know
exactly where their wards may be lacking in class. There
are apps and tools through which teachers can convey the
exact areas where the child can be improved to the parents
and then parents can work on those aspects at home with
the child.
There is ample evidence that both parents and children are
continuing to show more inclination for new-age and
technological tools for learning. Schools, academicians and
technology professionals are sharpening their focus on the
children and are open to adopting any new technology
which has proven efficacy and has the ability to enhance
education experience and learning of kids.
Technology is here to stay and will only evolve for the
better. Only modern schools that adopt these technology
tools discreetly will survive in the long run as they will be
able to deliver more to the kids and their parents in a
meaningful way.
|December 2018|36
39.
40. SECRETS TO PICK-UP THE RIGHT
Ed-Tech Tool
The educational universe is witnessing technology advancements at an
exponential rate. Recent upliftment in access to technology through bring-
your-own-device (BYOD) and 1:1 initiatives are rolling out blended and
virtual learning opportunities for the students. These advancements are becoming
the cornerstones of novel discoveries – tools that elevate a student’s learning
experience to exceptional levels. The traditional classrooms are evolving into an
enriched tech-based space where the educators are looking for guidance on how to
choose the best Ed-Tech tool in order to enhance the learning outcomes.
Ed-Tech tools have started becoming an integral part of a classroom. These tools
can effectively empower the students as well the teachers when integrated wisely.
As modern classrooms are being transformed by technology, it is necessary to know
which tools are the choices to improve learning in the classrooms.just right
Acknowledging the increasing number of tools available, let’s learn how to make the
right call and choose the perfect Ed-Tech tool for a better education system.
Clear Learning Objectives
The tools which overcome the traditional standards of education and fulfill the learning goals
can prove to be the best for attaining a one-of-its-kind student-teacher relationship. It should be
built on a foundation of clear learning objectives, competency-based and should frequently assess
student progress until mastery is attained. Also, tools which facilitate learning objective as its prime
motive can help students to learn in a more creative manner and explore the frames of education system
with a simple click.
The Ed-Tech tools should be effective in satisfying the evidence-based requirements of the Every Student
Succeeds Act (ESSA) with respect to the clear learning objective. These evidence tiers include strong,
moderate, or promising evidence. Institutions prioritizing evidence-based interventions or strategies while
developing improvement plans will boost the education system with unique capabilities.
Engaging Students at its Best
With tools where students are more likely to participate and voice their thoughts, better student engagement can
be achieved. The Ed-Tech tools should engage students by delivering solutions with a choice of when and how
they learn. These tools should pre-assess student knowledge and construct learning activities at the student’s
zone of proximal development. Tools that allow students to co-engage with others leverage the theory – learning
is socially constructed, and it provides opportunities through interaction for the tool to elicit higher-level
cognitive skills through discussion, debate, and collaboration. This in turn, creates a win-win situation.
|December 2018|38
41. Accessibility at Ease
It is significant to choose a tool which is accessible to all students in the classroom as well as
at home. When choosing a tool, remember, the ease of access is the key to success. So, go
for the one which uses a simple internet connection or Wi-Fi, allows for a single login in
and is safe and secure. A tool which should be able to easily use, navigate and
troubleshoot student problems. A tool enhanced with tutorials, guides and supports
teachers and students – enabling students to use the technology with minimal or no
supervision from the teacher. Also, this will lessen the time that teachers need to
teach the functions of the tool to the students.
Effective Assessment – Leverage Technology
Technology that can make Ed-Tech tools eye-pleasing and engaging can surely
provide teachers with real-time data of the student performance, thereby lending a
hand in students’ progress. Tech-enabled assessments can craft detailed
information, help drive students’ learning experience towards a pathway of
self-development. A tool which can help teachers in collecting data on the progress
and performance of their students would be the best for achieving milestones. This
would also target specific skills and knowledge of an individual. Also, these tools
need to be adaptive – based on Computer-Adaptive Testing (CAT). This would offer
accurate assessment data on students from a wider range of abilities. It will also
eliminate the loopholes in fixed-form tests and empower customized learning paths that
meet students more precisely.
Supporting Sound Teaching
Change is the name of the game and choosing the right Ed-Tech tool in the constantly changing
technology landscape is definitely a challenge. This implies that it is significant to link
decision-making processes to sound foundations of teaching in order to generate a better learning
result. Therefore, the institutions would focus on implementing tools which serve the students and
teachers who use them. Fostering an engaging differentiated learning experience that connects with
students and helps increase their knowledge and skills in an enhanced way.
The Next Big Thing
While 2017 was an enthusiastic year for the passionate educators, institutes, erudites and other educational
organizations, the end of the year 2018 will witness discoveries like never before. The Ed-Tech tools are coming
up with limitless possibilities to transform the walls of classrooms into a best-in-class educational setting. There
is a bright future waiting for the students with incomparable opportunities. In this robust environment, where
new devices, apps, and even completely new technologies are entering the fold on a daily basis, the Ed-Tech
tools will bring creativity, collaboration, and flexibility of the social and home lives to learning. The future
outlook is brave enough to buck the current norm of standardization and unleash the potential of teachers and
students at its best. This is the key to unlock newer success doors and a way towards civilization.
- Rahul Niraj
Roots of Transformation
39|December 2018|
42. LES TRANSFORMATIONS
Designing Result-oriented Solutions Empowering Education
Les Transformations (LT) is a pioneer in providing
developmental learning services to schools across
the globe. Les Transformations envision a future
where learning is an effortless and continuous process. With
this vision in mind, Les Transformations is dedicated to
teacher education both in-service and pre-service. This is
achieved through various programs that focus on overall
development of pedagogical skill set of the teacher and
track their learning patterns.
LT’s learning platform – SURAASA –helps teachers
manage their career profile and enables them to explore
work opportunities globally. The programs provided by LT
are Certified by international bodies from Dubai and UK.
With growing demand from various countries, the company
is gradually becoming a global provider for quality and
tangible teacher education.
LT started on-ground research almost a decade ago and got
itself registered as a company three years ago. Their core
offerings include teacher learning solutions, teacher
affiliation and online certification programs for individual
schools, for private group schools and government-run
schools at district as well as state level.
The Proficient Leadership
Ankit Khanna is the Co-founder of Les Transformations.
Setting the corner stones of the company, Ankit has led the
genesis of innovative learning environments through
integration of pedagogical methodologies with data science.
Through his proficiency in strategy planning and business
acumen, he has developed solutions aimed at enhancing the
quality of educators and education across the country.
Rishabh Khanna is the other Co-founder and Director of
the company who is focused onEducation Management and
Learning Development in schools. He is a Cognitive
Scientist with a research focus towards the education
domain. He has a rich entrepreneurial operational
experience in diversified educationalorganizations while
developing and leading them from scratch.
Distinctive Solutions Filling the Loopholes
Educators are the core of any educational institution and
with the rapid change in industry dynamics, the need to
upskill educators is growing. LT is a pioneer in
tech-enabled certified teacher education with detailed
analytical support for all learning programs. Its courses are
accredited internationally and are based on its proprietary
pedagogy to provide international qualifications. The
company offers prominent programs not only giving
exposure to international teaching methodologies but also
unlocking global professional opportunities. LT’s programs
take care of both pre-service and in-service teacher
education. They are bridging the gap between the
Ankit Khanna
Co-founder
Rishabh Khanna
Co-founder Director
|December 2018|40
43. theoretical knowledge and practical implementation in the
classroom. LT’s is the first company which is transforming
intangible teacher training to evidence-based tangible
teacher education which leads to better student learning
outcomes.
Online learning can become quite monotonous if not
curated properly. LT’ online learning modules are gamified
and provide much human interaction during the learning
process. Teacher from across the globe are connected via
the courses to interact with each other and share their
queries, experiences, and learnings. Acknowledging the
pace of change that the world is witnessing, the company
specializes in developing the full potential of one of the
most valuable assets any organization
possesses – Knowledge. It wants to make its contribution in
strengthening the schools to withstand the complexities of
the fourth industrial revolution.
Awarded as the “Best Teacher Training Company” by
Indian Education Congress three times in a row, LT is
embracing cutting-edge technology to give teachers and
students the freedom of learning irrespective of place and
time, be it school, home or anywhere else in the entire
world. Company’s statistical models effectively gauge the
learning levels and education leaders on the platform
provide a global exposure to the participants while learning.
Their products also enable teachers to connect with each
other and share their experiences.
More about Les Transformations
Driven by an open work culture, people at LT come from
different countries and time zones and collaborate to create
a seamless experience for learners. This pursuit drives every
team member to learn from each other and creates a diverse
culture in the organization. This has helped LT to clinch a
global perspective in all its products as well.
Enlightening the Ed-tech Entrepreneurs
Over the years, the key mantra that Ed-Tech is ‘Ed enabled
by tech’ has helped the company to stand tall and relevant
in its sector. In these years of experience, LT has seen some
wonderful tech products not been implemented as they were
unable to drill smooth Ed transactions and educator
convenience. It advices the beginners to go to the
educationists, understand their pain points and foresee how
their products solve that problem.
A Tech-enabled Future
Ed-Tech will make education transparent and will make
human capital and skillset validation easier. Cognitive
technologies will create seamless education transactions
that might get accounted in blockchain enabled ledgers and
might make many current educational functions redundant.
LT is striving to spearhead ‘Cognitive Technologies’ and
tech-enabled learning experiences using AI.
Currently, the company has a presence in two countries and
is all set to launch its products in two more countries in
2019. It has been chasing the latest technologies and will
upgrade its products with Big Data and AI in not so distant
future. In short, it has already begun the development of AI
based interactive learning environments to provide a novel
online learning experience.
Bringing
Transformation
in schools with
continuous teacher
education
““
BOOMING
EdTech1T
H
E
STARTUPS TO WATCH
41|December 2018|
47. Indian Education Sector has been taking leaps and
bounds to reach to a place where it’s a win-win
situation for everyone involved. Over the years,
education in India has evolved, with new technologies,
experiments and innovative ideas. Not just these, we have
also adopted westernization in education, and that too is
working wonders for us.
We have adopted and practiced several methods to impart
effective knowledge to people. What we have failed to
realise is that over the years, these methods have diverted
towards money-making rather than spreading education.
Educating someone is a noble deed, and the nobility of
education will pay you for life, if not materially.
India has one of the world's highest population of school-
going children. However, we wonder, if the quality of
education has gone beyond the brick and mortar system.
What India lacks at present, are effective education
methods, and that's where the focus of every aspiring
edupreneur should lie on. And now that the Government has
allowed a 100% FDI on Education Sector, the inflow of
ideas with huge investment should be a cakewalk.
Let’s get straight here; the prime ladder of success for all
aspiring edupreneurs, would be to prioritize on the needs
and the expectations of the industry. Once that’s identified,
half the battle is won, and there will be no stopping
thereafter. If during the process, money-making becomes a
necessity, then it’ll be justified, because you, as an
edupreneur, will be providing the worth of the money you
are earning.
As of now, amongst all the trends that are hovering around
in the education industry, the few ones that an edupreneur
can leverage on, are mentioned below:
1. AUGMENTED REALITY (AR) AND VIRTUAL
REALITY (VR):
Now that our country is progressing towards being
dependent on technology for almost everything,
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) is the
next big step in education. Both of them have become
every millennial’s dream and such high-tech devices
will only lure them to be motivated to gain more
knowledge about a variety of things, including their
curriculum. Most highly advanced schools and
institutions have started to adopt AR and VR as one
medium of learning, right from course studies, to other
subjects of importance like social issues, environment
and nature, and much more.
2. LEARNING THROUGH GAMES AND OUTDOOR
ACTIVITY:
This method has slowly invaded the structure of studies
in schools, as children are more enthusiastic to learn
more and more things and gain more knowledge. Such
activities and games not only keep them involved in
studying effectively, but also teach them the importance
of physical fitness and good mental health.
3. TEACHING BY CORPORATES:
Seeing a concern for future of employability of people,
many big corporates have stepped in to provide custom-
made courses for students. This, as a part of the course
curriculum, have been widely accepted by Management
institutions and UG/PG colleges. Under this methods,
corporates train the students, not only from the
knowledge but also from the skills point of view, as
their main focus is effective employability of students.
4. BALANCE BETWEEN TECHNOLOGY AND
HUMAN NATURE:
When it comes to process, technology has always taken
the lead. However, it’s not to be forgotten that a human
presence and vibe is important too. Education is a thing
of faith and trust, and it can’t be fulfilled by gadgets and
robots. Backing by them is still acceptable though.
Spreading education in its purest and the most faithful
form is the responsibility of an edupreneur, who’s a
human. When these two culminate together, they create
an ultimate solution which takes the plunge to fulfil its
purpose of a knowledgeable environment.
5. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI):
All you have to do is sit back and relax and instruct
Alexa or Google to teach you the subject of your
interest. From art to maths, to politics and science, just
instruct the AI-friendly device and you are good to go.
These trends aren’t enough. Newer trends and mediums
have been coming up, day in and day out, which the
edupreneurs can leverage on. The point is that, the
traditional brick and mortar system of learning is no longer
justifiable in today’s time, since it’s not making much
difference to the future of the educated. In some parts of the
country, education is still considered to be unnecessary,
however, the fact is that they haven’t been exposed to a fun-
filled, effective and more purposeful learning till now.
The latest trends involve majority of technology, because
most of the surveys, including the independent ones, have
proven that people prefer spending more time on their
available gadgets. As of now, for edupreneurs, it’s
high-time that they leverage on all available trends, and
invest wisely on the latest, trends, obviously considering the
pros and cons of each. Every trend may involve different
level of skill set, investment, resource deployment, but then
all it takes is one idea to make it all happen.
45|December 2018|
Edupreneur’s Perspective
48. WONDERSLATE TECHNOLOGIES
A Digital Step towards Smart Learning
Today’s digital learning has flooded with Static
Content and Legacy systems. This static content
has many limitations in this digital world including
the lack of Smart Notes, Recommendations, Learning
Patterns, Dynamic Test Preparations, and Performance
Analytics. Many digital education systems are still focusing
largely on the operations than learning. Even the eco system
is fragmented due to multiple digital strategies and
technologies.
Here comes Wonderslate Technologies, a tech-enabled
learning platform, which is successfully embracing the
concept of Smart Content and empowering the education
space through Annotation, Test Generation, Multi-mode
learning, Audio/Video Learning, etc. Wonderslate is a
platform built to cater comprehensive solutions to the
education world. It is a one-stop shop for the all the
learning queries – adopted multiple marketing strategies to
cater sub-segments within the education segment revolving
around Quality, Alignment with the learning trends,
Adoption, and Multi-point monetization.
Established in 2015, the company is a pioneer in building
solutions for the stake holders of the current education
system. The company proficiently offers solutions which
are well equipped with key differentiating features for the
education segment including Content
Developers/Publishers, Institutions
(Schools/Colleges/Coaching Centres), Teachers as well as
Students.
About the Maven
Anand Achyut is the Founder and CEO of Wonderslate
Technologies. He is a passionate Enterprise Architect turned
Entrepreneur. Anand has a ravishing experience of more
than two decades in building enterprise applications,
e- procurement systems, distributed computing, software
security, information risk management, data analytics, and
architecting bespoke client applications. With sheer
determination and unified efforts, he has efficaciously
managed technical teams spread across different geographic
locations.
The Success Saga
Since inception, content aggregation and smart features
have been the foundation of Wonderslate products.
Wonderslate’s agility and the research mindset helped it to
solve various complex technology issues and create a niche
in its sector. The concept of blended learning had
challenges in adoption. With internet becoming affordable
and content becoming smarter, it started taking pace.
Students are now getting used to multimodal content and
online tools for tests and assessments.
The Workshops, Pilots and Demos to the eco system helped
Wonderslate to popularize the concept and effectiveness of
blended learning. Today, the company is prominently
adapting to the emerging markets and rolling out services
transforming the world for better. With each passing day,
Anand Achyut
Founder CEO
|December 2018|46
49. the company’s end-to-end deliverance concept is getting
more traction and adoption in the market.
More about Wonderslate
Wonderslate stood first in the Ed-Tech Hackathon 2018
conducted by a media platform. The company is a strong
believer in maintaining a principled work-ethical culture.
While startup dynamics cannot be underplayed, every
employee enjoys freedom and responsibility as operating
principles at the company. It focuses on learning and
building a high-quality product, which can withstand the
complexities of the market and used by millions. Team
Wonderslate is consistently aware that it is working on the
cutting-edge technology as well as tools.
Over the years, the company has established itself into a
one-of-its-kind brand with its unique capabilities
comprising:
- Streamline the learning experience.
- Increase the effectiveness through enrichment features and
tools.
- Transform and Scale
Enlightening the Pathseekers
The emerging entrepreneurs have the advantage of the
technology evolution happening across the world. Ed-tech
as a sector is quite a closed sector in terms of change but is
always open for meaningful solutions or services. Any idea
can be a meaningful one if it can be connected to the users.
Wonderslate believes that solutions should not be an
overhead, instead they should simplify or dismantle the
existing issues and problems seen in the sector.
A Bright Picture
Education as a segment is going through successive wave
of changes. The fundamental methodology of teaching and
learning is evolving in a huge way. On the other hand,
India’s consumption of the internet is growing at an
exponentially rate. Internet is becoming affordable and easy
access to the internet is diminishing the digital gaps which
existed in the various sectors.
Education sector too, capitalized on the shortfalls that
existed when the internet was not a household thing.
Educators now reach out to students across the globe
through blog and video lessons. Students find it convenient
to get their questions answered whenever they are in doubt.
This trending scenario has encouraged the innovators to
embrace technology that influenced the education sector in
a lot of positive ways. Thus, overcoming the conventional
barriers and making learning free of constraints. With the
availability of multi deliverance platforms, education
content is on its way to add an extra flavor to the
civilization. The future is full of game changing zests like
Short yet Informative learning, Artificial Intelligence equals
Customized learning experience, Gamification, and
Analytics. The schools, colleges and institutes can combine
the traditional classroom approach with digital learning
features in order to revamp the education deliverance.
An independent research clearly suggests that blended
learning has performed way better than traditional learning
alone. Students perform better in the blended learning
approach and learn efficiently. Wonderslate is an effort to
bring the blended learning methodology into the education
sector. Its future products will bring Multi Content Learning
experience with a more of AI in Test Series and
Assessments. Students should have the access to the best
content across the world and Wonderslate’s multi
monetization points would motivate to publish more
content in the near future.
Learn
through
our Smart
Content and
Solutions
““
BOOMING
EdTech1T
H
E
STARTUPS TO WATCH
47|December 2018|
50. Omnichannel Agent
and Customer
Engagement Solutions
Simplify and personalize the customer experience,
empower agents and achieve business success
with one workspace for all channel interactions,
application integrations, and CX reporting.
