Creya Learning: Transforming the Edu-Tech Domain with Realistic Solutions

Age and experience is no bar for the entrepreneurial minds who are on a mission to break the stereotypes of running the show with traditional business models. While technology provides the momentum to innovate, infinite possibilities and ideas give wings to new business models. Be it Information Technology, Finance, Education, Healthcare, and other sectors, entrepreneurs are exploring new territories and creating a market for themselves.

The Indian education system is one sector that has gained the attention of the entrepreneurs over the last decade. With one of the largest population of youth and a vast gap in skills and knowledge required for success in the 21^st Century, there is a vast scope of innovative models to emerge in the education ecosystem.

Acknowledging this striking gap, a team of seasoned entrepreneurs came together to create an innovative platform with an intent to change the future of every child and in turn transform the future of education in India. Creya Learning & Research Pvt Ltd. is the brain-child of Venkatesh Datla, Hari Verma, and Praveen Vudoagiri. Friends and ex-colleagues, this co-founder trio were in senior leadership roles in one of the largest US Education company as well as IT start-ups, before taking the final plunge to entrepreneurship in education.

The Leader Speaks

While Venkatesh completed his Engineering and Master’s in Business from MDI Gurgaon, Hari finished his Masters from NITIE post Engineering and Praveen did his Engineering from SV University. Their professional journey is an even blend of large corporations across domains and geographies as Asia Pacific, Europe, and Africa, and start-ups, before co-founding Creya. This experience assisted them in a long way to understand the start-up culture.

For Venkatesh, the biggest source of motivation is his dad who encouraged him to push his limits. He feels that it’s important for his family and close friends to understand what he is doing. While managing a start-up, very little time is spent with the family and friends while going through the ups and downs, and hence the constant support from the friends and family is what keeps him going.

Every profession comes with its baggage of challenges alongside the rigid structure and monotony that might set-in beyond a certain point. “We were early in the market with our integrative STEM program and Design Thinking in Indian education system much before they became buzz words. So that meant we had challenges of creating the market and that motivated all of us to go all out and create what is going to shape the learning for India,” says Venkatesh.

He adds, “if you are restless, want to do something new every day, get out, after you have learnt enough.” He further states that it’s always beneficial to experience a cross-section of work environments before starting an entrepreneurial journey. Working with different companies in various verticals throws a wide variety of situations to face and gives the right idea to face people with different mind-sets.

For the aspiring entrepreneurs, Venkatesh says that a person has to be prepared for a long haul as not every start-up goes to be a unicorn within the first three years. A genius mind, having an exceptional pool of talents, raising money in the most appropriate times are some of the other elements that help to stay afloat in the initial years.

The Core Idea 

Conceptualized in 2011 and headquartered at Hyderabad, Telangana, it has a talented workforce of 33 employees. While doing surveys across India as a part of their previous job, the trio figured out that school students were very good with theoretical concepts but were not too sure about how and where to apply them. They were grossly ill-equipped with skills for the 21^st Century. This was the spark that fuelled the idea of creating a platform that enables students to have practical experience.

Creya XEL is India’s pioneering program for STEAM Learning & Design Thinking for the 21^st Century Skills such as Thinking Skills, Digital Skills and Life Skills for K12 students. The goal was to make students combine emerging technologies with interdisciplinary concepts and solve for real-world problems.

The emphasis was on helping students see the connections between classroom theory to real-world problems outside the four walls of the school. The program is also unique; in that it gets children exposed to all of the emerging technologies like Engineering Design, Robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), 3D Printing, Coding, and Digital Media & Arts. It brings in concepts of ELA, Social Studies  and Arts along with Math, Science and ICT that makes Creya XEL the pioneer and leader of integrating Arts in STEM Programs. It’s also the only program in the market that is aligned to the NCF as well as the P21 Framework for 21^st-century skills.

Over the years, Creya learning is delivering its promise with utmost dedication by offering the latest equipment, curriculum & resources and training and support. Every day, over 50K+ students across India and UAE must be experiencing the Creya XEL STEAM Learning and working on solutions for making the world a better place. Be it the launch of a co-branded AI & Computational Thinking Program in partnership with IIIT Hyderabad or Creya students winning the IIT Kharagpur Young Innovators Award consecutively for 3 years or the largest number of project selections at Maker Faire 2019, the impact of Creya Learning in trail blazing.

Decoding the Future

As a pioneer, the company sees a lot of scope and tremendous traction in the coming years.  Expansion to new territories beyond UAE and Oman is on the cards. It has recently partnered with India’s leading AI Research Institution to bring a pedagogically proper AI & Computational thinking to High School students as well as one of China’s largest robotics company to bring in Early Grade Robotics.

On a concluding note, Venkatesh and co-founders Praveen and Hari feel proud in stating that Creya learning is delivering transformational impact by staying true to the philosophy that it is not about learning tech for the sake of it but tech for good.

For more info about Creya Learning’s innovative services, kindly refer https://www.creyalearning.com/