1Mby1M Incubation Radar 2013: Invention Labs, Chennai, India

Invention Labs develops augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) solutions like Avaz that help children with speech disabilities develop communication and language skills. Avaz represents ideas visually, as picture symbols that can then be sequenced together to create sentences that are spoken out. Unlike its competitors, Avaz is not English-specific and not only helps in communication but also in building language skills. >>>

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1Mby1M Incubation Radar 2013: Mad Marketeer

Online marketing has become hugely popular and effective in recent years with the rise in social media activity and mobile access. However, for small non-profit organizations that have few resources, navigating the labyrinth of marketing activities and following an effective marketing strategy is tough and often expensive. In 2007, Katharine Coles, a veteran marketing professional, founded a company that strives to provide professional but affordable marketing solutions to the non-profit segment.

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Instructure in the IPO Pipeline

Within educational institutions there is an increased demand for learning management systems (LMSs), which help to integrate technological solutions with traditional methods to assist with classroom learning. Analysts peg the domestic LMS market to be worth $1 billion. Within the LMS, online courses are becoming a very popular segment. According to research by Ambient Insight, the number of post-secondary students in the U.S. taking online classes is estimated to grow 11% annually over the period 2010 through 2015 to 21.13 million. It is not just massive open online courses (MOOCs); today the Internet is being used as an effective teaching aid by both higher education providers and by K-12 schools.

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What is the Future of Liberal Arts Education in America?

Ever since I read this recent WSJ article ‘At Harvard, Humanities Lose Status‘, I have been disturbed by this question. Actually, I have been thinking about the issue for longer, and wondering how the American Higher Education industry will evolve.

I am curious what your thoughts are on the subject. Here are some of mine:

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The Indian Startup Eco-System Wants Acqui-hiring!

I spent large chunks of time in the last two days with my friend Sharad Sharma, one of the true deep thinkers of the Indian startup eco-system. I first met Sharad when he invited me to co-chair the Nasscom Product Conclave in Bangalore with him in 2010. I really enjoyed working with him, and over the years, have come to appreciate what he is trying to do for the Indian eco-system.

Sharad, by the way, is one of the 20 odd effective angel investors who invest in the technology sector in India. While the total number of angel investors is much larger, many of them come from outside the sector, and hence are not capable of leading deals. If you look at Indian Angel Network or Mumbai Angels, for instance, a vast majority of the angels made their money elsewhere (like real estate), and often find it difficult to fully grasp what’s happening in the software, mobile or Internet businesses, let alone networking or semiconductor. Thus, these lead angels are critical for the eco-system to mature.

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Trend Spotting: Love and Startups

There was a time in Silicon Valley when VCs did not like the idea of funding couples. Nonetheless, Cisco and 3Com – two legendary Valley startups – were founded by entrepreneur couples. These days, the startup world seems to nurture a lot more romance… Sometimes he is the CEO, sometimes she. Sometimes they switch roles. To have a baby. Or a few babies. Or not. In any case, the bias against entrepreneur couples needs to be over. Entrepreneurship is a passionate affair. A powerful aphrodisiac. Better acknowledge that phenomenon.

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Learning Disability Apps and Important Innovations Underway

In 2012, we saw some serious movement in the educational technology market. From massive online open courses (MOOCs) to iPad apps, the industry is seeing rapid progress on the wings of technology. Today, I will introduce you to another innovation that is positioned for rapid adoption.

Introducing the Avaz App for Autism
Electrical engineer Ajit Narayanan was in the right place at the right time, poised to welcome the impending tablet revolution. >>>

Women Entrepreneurs: May Be, Baby!

Over the years, I have spoken with many women entrepreneurs who had various questions around balance and flexibility. The most critical question comes up when these entrepreneurs face the have a child vs. start a company question.

One of the best conversations I ever had on the subject was with Sara Sutton Fell, founder of Flexjobs. >>>

1Mby1M Incubation Radar 2013: Insane Logic, United Kingdom

The educational technology sector, or “edutech,” is seeing both advances in and greater attention to niche markets. The growing integration of technology into people’s daily lives has provided a great opportunity for better learning and developmental apps. One such product comes from Zoe Peden, a co-founder of Insane Logic, a 1M/1M premium member company. >>>

Thought Leaders in Mobile and Social: Interview with Bobby Yazdani, Founder and CEO of SABA (Part 1)

Bobby Yazdani is the chief executive officer of SABA, one of the industry’s leading learning and talent management providers. Bobby holds a BA in applied mathematics from the University of California at Berkeley. In 1997 Bobby founded SABA, and he took the company public in 2000. Today the company has revenue of more than $100 million. In this interview Bobby talks about different ways of learning through mobile and social platforms and the adoption of his technology in enterprises today. Further, he shares insights into what he believes the future of education will look like.

Sramana Mitra: Bobby, let’s start with some context about SABA. I have been following the company for many years, so this would be an opportunity to introduce the company to the audience as well as bring me up to speed about your evolution.

Bobby Yazdani: A number of colleagues and I founded the company back in 1997. The core catalyst behind the company and our products was the introduction of the Internet and the subsequent shift of many enterprise business processes to the Internet. >>>