An ed-tech business pitch made by Karthik Raj, a Class VII student of Amrita Vidyalayam at Puthiyakavu in the capital district has been selected among the top 20 business ideas submitted by students of Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATL) from across the country. Karthik made it to the top 20 from over 9,000 contestants.
Karthik developed the business proposal for EduEasy, a web portal aimed at imparting quality education to middle-and-low-income children in Tier II, III, and IV cities of the country.
Nearly 50% of the children complete their schooling in their mother language. The National Education Policy (NEP) also recommends a three-language formula for school education. In order to cater to this requirement, Karthik designed EduEasy, a low-cost ed-tech to provide quality instructional materials in English and mother languages using a freemium business model. For students who require personalised attention, EduEasy provides a multi-tiered premium subscription.
Karthik went through two rounds in the selection process. In the first round, over 9,000 children took part in a nine-week ATL Tinkerpreneur summer boot camp organised by the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog. Karthik made it to the top 100.
AIM then nominated Karthik for an exclusive Atal Catalyst Programme conducted by the Indian School of Business. Through the programme, intended to mould young minds who conquered the battle of ‘Digital Tinkering and Business 101,’ Karthik received an opportunity to connect with Sai Charan Tej Kommuri, an ISB alumnus, and Gayathri Manikutty, AIM mentor. Karthik’s business pitch was selected after the second round.
