AI Investor Forum: Gus Tai on AI in Education (Part 6)

Sramana Mitra: We just discussed very thoroughly the K through 12, but in higher education, where we are dealing with much more complex topics and material, having the framework of a college or a university framework of teachers and professors, having a grading system or a degree system etc. and being part of that construct is actually helpful.

AI Investor Forum: Gus Tai on AI in Education (Part 4)

Sramana Mitra: Now, the equation starts to change as we get to higher education, right? There’s the big experiment that came out of MIT and Harvard edX, which started putting all the lectures online. It was the beginning of these massive online open courses (MOOCs). Today’s technology can go much further with all this personalization and Generative AI stuff. However, the same model of children being able to learn more with that personalized, infinitely patient teacher or professor in college still holds.

AI Investor Forum: Gus Tai on AI in Education (Part 1)

Gus Tai, Investor, Board Member and Retired General Partner at Trinity Ventures, discusses ideas and opportunities in Education with an AI-augmented framework.

Building a High-Impact EdTech Venture from Alabama: QuantHub CEO Josh Jones (Part 2)

Sramana Mitra: Okay, so we’re doing an Entrepreneur Journey story. I need a journey. So give me timelines. When did you do what and what led to what and so on. So, you were trying to do this business and your Alabama college education was from what year to what year? Seven years, you said.

Josh Jones: I was at the University of Alabama from 1998 until 2005.

Building a High-Impact EdTech Venture from Alabama: QuantHub CEO Josh Jones (Part 1)

Josh is building a Data Science training company from Alabama. It’s a very interesting model, going deep into high school level skill development in what the market needs today.

Sramana Mitra: Hi, Josh. It’s great to have you. Let’s start at the very beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born, raised? What kind of background?

Building a Terrific EdTech Venture in India: Pallav Pandey, CEO of Uolo (Part 6)

Sramana Mitra: This is very interesting. The way you’ve stepped through the line of thinking of why you’ve arrived at these decisions is very instructive. Where are your schools?

Pallav Pandey: All over India. These schools are very different from typical SME clusters. SME clusters are very local. That is not how schools are. Schools are evenly distributed across India. The only way you can go and cover schools is if you figure out a telephonic way to reach out.

Sramana Mitra: Definitely.

Building a Terrific EdTech Venture in India: Pallav Pandey, CEO of Uolo (Part 5)

Sramana Mitra: Education is the only passport to get to the next level.

Pallav Pandey: Absolutely. Everybody in India is very clear that if I have to go to the next level, it is my child who can take me there if educated properly. People are spending on education. If you are able to do EdTech in India at a thousand rupees per annum, then every single family is going to buy. We didn’t know how exactly it will play out. Blume got excited, so they put in some money.

Building a Terrific EdTech Venture in India: Pallav Pandey, CEO of Uolo (Part 4)

Pallav Pandey: Then we had another divine intervention, I would say. He started collecting whatever money was due from schools so that he can pool up whatever was left. He said, “There is one school in Delhi which was opposite to your house. They were supposed to pay us some amount. They’re not paying us. They want to meet somebody senior.” The principal was insisting on it.

I met the principal. She said, “I’m very sorry to hold your payment to meet you.” She thought I was the founder. She said, “I really wanted to meet you. We love your product. This is how we use it.” It was a very simple ERP. Think of like WhatsApp for schools so they can do the parent-teacher communication via the app. She said, “I will refer you to a school I used to work with. We have three branches in our current school. Before referring you, I wanted to know who these guys are.”