Leaders

Today, edtech platforms have created an immersive and flexible learning environment by allowing students to learn at their own pace and allowing educators to leverage digital resources to make learning more enjoyable and collaborative.

One such platform that has been making strides to bring in the needed innovation is Eduauraa Technologies, a learning software that delivers high-quality online education that is intelligible, inexpensive, and accessible. The founder of the startup, Akanksha Chaturvedi is a Gen-Z Edtech disruptor who is known for her vision, grit, determination and larger-than-life vision to transform the education sector in the country. The 25-year-old has caused a stir in the edtech space with her brain child Eduauraa. A month after Eduauraa launched its modules for 6th to 12th, JEE, NEET and spoken English, the platform created a wave of disruption because of its economical price point. This has urged leading edtech platforms to rethink their high prices and redesigning their price policy to match the bracket Eduauraa offers.

Akanksha strongly feels that education is an important pillar in the development of the nation. She created Eduauraa with a sole purpose to ensure that every Indian can exercise their constitutional right to an education by receiving high-quality education. As they learn through the app, students get an easy-to-use, pleasant experience; auto-suggestions and learning analytics provide students with a customized learning path. Students can co-create and design the optimal learning and knowledge exchange experience on the platform.

As a young entrepreneur, Akanksha has come a long way thanks to the in-depth research that she has delved during the early stage. Her academic career, paired with her professional experience, has helped her in developing finesse as an entrepreneur in the edtech space.

In an exclusive interview with Women Entrepreneur Magazine, Akanksha Chaturvedi, Founder & CEO, Eduauraa Technologies walks us through her educational and professional journey along with the unique traits of the company:

Take Us Through Your Early Educational Journey And The Prior Industry Experience That You Bring To The Table.

Born and brought up in Mumbai, I went to Ecole Mondiale World School. While in school, I picked geography and economics because I wanted to understand the dynamics of land, economics and demographics to analyze real estate trends and urban planning. Since my family business is on the similar lines, somewhere the inclination was to build a career in real estate. As I was always academically inclined, I topped my school.

Following that, I was admitted to one of the best college in UK, University College London which is known for its real estate programs. While studying real estate and urban planning for my undergraduate degree I did a lot of internships in the UK. I worked at Ernst & Young, Infosys, and then in my family's partner business in the UK. Thereafter, I went on to get a Master's in Business from Columbia Business School. When in Columbia, I specialized in business marketing & business finance and undertook several extra modules from different streams. I made the most of the flexible program.

While studying in the US and UK, I chose programs that placed an emphasis on the actual public system. Furthermore, public schooling, healthcare and the overall education systems was very strong in these countries, which contributes to the economy's overall strength. There I learned how growth and progress takes place in the nation, wherein, the two pillars which can change the face of any society were education and healthcare.

What struck me during these programs was my peers' perception of India. They'd be amazed by my command in the English language. Theyhad this image of India, and it impacted me in some way. Finally, I returned to India and began working in my father's real estate company. Every day, I'd sit down and learn about a new department, as well as operating processes and architecture. Despite the fact that my field of study was the same as the work I was performing, I recognized my heart was not in it. After three months, it was a wrap.

What Motivated You To Establish Eduauraa Technologies? Tell Us About The Underlying Idea Behind Starting The Platform And Its Unique Features.

Continuing the story, at that point, an individual approached my father for a job. She had prior expertise in the Edtech field, which was nothing close to the business that we were running. My father introduced us, and after conversing with her, my interest in the industry deepened. In my spare time, I began my own research, wherein, I quickly discovered a loophole. My younger sibling was in school at the time, and I realized that while we could afford to spend money on schooling, spending a large sum of money on an online program didn't make sense. I reasoned that if the wealthy aren't prepared to spend money on it, who will? Movies and music may be purchased online for as little as Rs 99, but this is not the case with education. And that's when I had my answer: if there is a future for this industry, it must be affordable. Also, I realized that in order for us to make progress as a country, education should be accessible to all. Since India has a young population, there’s immense scope for edtech apps, especially in smaller cities and towns.

Aside from affordability, we have greatly improved the user experience on our app and Learning Management System over the last year by adding expanded levels of AI, ML, and human interaction for personalization and progress tracking.

What Are The Various Roles & Responsibilities That You Currently Shoulder At Eduauraa Technologies? What Are Some Of The Most Pressing Challenges That You Face In Your Current Role And How Do You Successfully Tackle Them?

My key role as CEO is to ensure income growth, business relationship management, and the maintenance of relationships with partners and operations. A considerable investment is required to run an edtech company. It was initially tough for me to find an investment. I would pursue people and wait outside workplaces for hours on end for a single meeting. Aside from that, I had to learn the processes; I would sit with a book to comprehend the technology, flow, and competition's structures.

In reality, as a startup, challenges have been plenty. For an instance, in order to ensure quality education, I initially went out and selected teachers to record sessions. It was difficult to get these teachers who were used to working in an offline environment to sit in front of a camera and record. We started in a small space that wasn't even conducive for working in. Next, selecting the ideal teachers and resources was difficult. Some teachers had to be flown in. Even when we had the right teachers, shooting a session was a completely different affair. The sessions had to be videotaped, and the shoots may last up to 12 hours, which was difficult. Teachers getting jittery would cost us, because renting out these studios is fairly expensive.

“With our cutting-edge technology and high-quality, low-cost education system, we positively think that we will be able to provide equitable opportunities to students studying across all boards in english, hindi, and marathi mediums”

And when it came to specialized content for competitive exams, we were faced with a different set of challenges. Further, we are Mumbai based and most of the teachers were based in Tier 2 cities. Since its inception, today, Eduauraa has come a long way seeing its fair share of challenges.

In Your Opinion, What Have Been Some Of The Most Significant Milestones That You Have Achieved In Your Professional Journey? What Has Been The Driving Force Behind Your Success As A Business Leader?

My greatest achievement has been realizing my vision of making education available in rural areas of the country. There have been numerous milestones along the way, beginning with the proposed revenue split agreement with Zee5. The primary goal was to democratize education in India so that no student would be denied a proper education due to the high costs of online learning. Furthermore, disrupting the Indian education scene and allowing the Prime Minister's vision of Digital India for 1.2 billion Indians has been a motivating force behind my efforts to develop this edtech platform.

How Do You Foresee The Indian Edtech Space Evolving In The Near Future? What Steps Do You Take To Keep Eduauraa Technologies Aligned With These Changes?

Since the pandemic, educational institutions worldwide have transitioned to e-learning. Quality education, which was previously isolated to particular pockets, has made a stir with the help of edtech platforms by directing the flow of educational resources to where it is truly needed.

Through their brand ethos, Eduauraa seeks to democratize the online education sector in India by empowering over 310 million students. The platform's purpose is to ensure that high-quality education is widely available throughout the country. With our cutting-edge technology and high-quality, low-cost education system, we positively think that we will be able to provide equitable opportunities to students studying across all boards in English, Hindi, and Marathi mediums. We have significantly improved the user experience on our app and Learning Management System since last year by adding enhanced levels of AI, ML, and human interaction for personalization and progress tracking.

What Would Your Advice Be To Young Women And Girls Who Also Aspire To Become Business Leaders And Entrepreneurs In The Future?

I, too, began when I was young. And I was never afraid to hustle as a young entrepreneur. I believe in the value of education and would advise young women to invest in it. I also believe in following one's heart, which I did. Finally, don't be scared to take risks.