ET BureauMala Sathish is a happy mom. Her seventh grader son Kaushik’s love for math has reached new heights after he started using picirql, an online math learning programme of Bengaluru-based edtech platform Quanted.
Kaushik, who studies in PS Senior Secondary School in Chennai, is just one of many school students across the country who have started seeing math in a different light with the help of picirql that helps students from grades six to 12 across syllabi. “We felt there was a big gap in the market. While there are a lot of startups, coaching classes and test preparation platforms, trying to figure out how to get students to improve their performance by three to five percentile in the next exam, there were very few that were addressing the huge conceptual pitfalls that exist,” said Sudharsan Srinivasan, CEO at Quanted.
Srinivasan, along with his wife Mridula Naresh, started Quanted almost a year ago. Picirql’s aim is to make mathematics relatable and interesting. To achieve this, the startup uses animations to show various concepts visually to students.
“We use visuals in a very effective way, by relating math to real life situations and problems, as well as relating math to science. We even go to the origins of where they (concepts) came from and also the rationale behind learning these. For example, we all learn geometry, but we try to relate it to very different applications, say, like in astronomy,” said Srinivasan.
The content, which is designed in-house by a team of math experts with IIT and Ivy League education, is delivered on a weekly basis to the students. The student has to demonstrate a certain level of mastery of the module before moving on to the next one. The whole learning experience is also gamified to develop healthy competition within themselves.
Naresh, chief operating officer at Quanted, said, “We have a contest called ‘Class of pi’. It is a monthly series of online math contests. We invite students to do a 15-minute rapid fire test online. It even has a live scoreboard,” Parents, too, are kept in the loop of their child’s progress. They are presented with weekly reports on how their child is faring. “Parents get weekly reports on how many questions have been answered, the accuracy of the answers and what questions they missed, which areas where they might need more help. There is also a benchmarking along with every parameter, so they get to know how their child has fared as against the other children. We provide analysis in visually friendly graphs,” said Naresh.
Quanted, which has received angel funding of close to $1 million from a group of investors based in Hong Kong, Singapore and the US, makes revenue through subscriptions. Either a school can tie up as partner or parents can go to the platform and subscribe to three, six or 12 months’ plans.
“My son keeps solving (problems) just out of enthusiasm, without me having to force it. Kids can do these at their own pace. It has developed a nice competitive feel among themselves,” said Sripriya Srivatsan, whose son Anirvin Srivatsan is a part of the programme. The startup, which presently has more than 4,000 students on its platform, is looking to expand into more schools and countries, in the near future.
Kaushik, who studies in PS Senior Secondary School in Chennai, is just one of many school students across the country who have started seeing math in a different light with the help of picirql that helps students from grades six to 12 across syllabi. “We felt there was a big gap in the market. While there are a lot of startups, coaching classes and test preparation platforms, trying to figure out how to get students to improve their performance by three to five percentile in the next exam, there were very few that were addressing the huge conceptual pitfalls that exist,” said Sudharsan Srinivasan, CEO at Quanted.
Srinivasan, along with his wife Mridula Naresh, started Quanted almost a year ago. Picirql’s aim is to make mathematics relatable and interesting. To achieve this, the startup uses animations to show various concepts visually to students.
“We use visuals in a very effective way, by relating math to real life situations and problems, as well as relating math to science. We even go to the origins of where they (concepts) came from and also the rationale behind learning these. For example, we all learn geometry, but we try to relate it to very different applications, say, like in astronomy,” said Srinivasan.
The content, which is designed in-house by a team of math experts with IIT and Ivy League education, is delivered on a weekly basis to the students. The student has to demonstrate a certain level of mastery of the module before moving on to the next one. The whole learning experience is also gamified to develop healthy competition within themselves.
Naresh, chief operating officer at Quanted, said, “We have a contest called ‘Class of pi’. It is a monthly series of online math contests. We invite students to do a 15-minute rapid fire test online. It even has a live scoreboard,” Parents, too, are kept in the loop of their child’s progress. They are presented with weekly reports on how their child is faring. “Parents get weekly reports on how many questions have been answered, the accuracy of the answers and what questions they missed, which areas where they might need more help. There is also a benchmarking along with every parameter, so they get to know how their child has fared as against the other children. We provide analysis in visually friendly graphs,” said Naresh.
Quanted, which has received angel funding of close to $1 million from a group of investors based in Hong Kong, Singapore and the US, makes revenue through subscriptions. Either a school can tie up as partner or parents can go to the platform and subscribe to three, six or 12 months’ plans.
“My son keeps solving (problems) just out of enthusiasm, without me having to force it. Kids can do these at their own pace. It has developed a nice competitive feel among themselves,” said Sripriya Srivatsan, whose son Anirvin Srivatsan is a part of the programme. The startup, which presently has more than 4,000 students on its platform, is looking to expand into more schools and countries, in the near future.
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