Institutes that use technology tend to rely on two or three solutions which help them manage some essential functions, but don’t necessarily help them improve their offering or fulfill their aspirations. These solutions are not integrated and users have to manage each individually. By offering a modular, end-to-end solution, Ken42 enables institutes to not just manage their day-to-day functions from a single dashboard. It also offers opportunities for them to improve the quality of teaching, design futuristic and rich syllabi, and leverage their alumni and mentor networks, to develop a memorable brand with greater reach. Education stops being linked to a brick and mortar structure and begins to be an extension of a certain brand promise and experience.
The idea for Ken42 was formed long before the Pandemic Outbreak happened. Ken42 had already met with several institutions and received a favorable response. Before the lockdown happened, the team at Ken42 was immersed in the platform, putting many of the ideas to work. “We have regular update calls and a lean, close-knit team with experience in education and EdTech who work collaboratively, even using some of the product features such as the marketing cloud and process flows to collaborate and remain accountable to each other”, says Ganesh Raju, Founder, and CEO, Ken42.
A serial entrepreneur himself, Ganesh is also the Founder and CEO of Turbostart, a sector-agnostic bi-yearly program for early-stage start-ups. In late 2019, when they were accepting applications for its first cohort, Ganesh noticed that out of 1000+ applications, about a hundred of them were for EdTech. This led to Ganesh realizing that there was a huge opportunity to offer them as part of a platform that would enable the digital transformation of educational institutes. Upon talking to educational institutes, it became quite evident that this was something universities and schools needed to deliver a better experience and experience real growth. Today, Ken42 is a holistic platform that offers everything from admissions and fees management to opportunities for students to start their businesses, study abroad, or improve their chances of employment.
Having quite a unique backstory for its name, Ganesh says, “With 42 coming from the book, ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ in which the answer to all of life’s questions is ’42’ and Ken being another word for Knowledge, I felt this was a perfect fit for our platform”. Ken42’s relationship with Turbostart had helped the startup get in touch with investors who are keen to invest in exciting ventures that show potential for disruption and growth. Many came forward themselves to be a part of Ken42 and some actively partner with us, helping us build our networks and fuel growth. Having a self-motivated, high energy team in Delhi and Bangalore, that comprises of an eclectic mix of experts
from different fields, the team of Ken42 consists of many members with deep experience in the field of education. The team is highly collaborative and passionate about education and set their milestones for the product and other functions.
Institutes are under tremendous pressure to deliver even with the lockdown in place. The focus is on avoiding learning loss rather than learning new concepts. More and more institutes have been approaching e-learning platforms, rather than these platforms approaching them. There is also a shift taking place from the demand for online classrooms and proctored exams to a more holistic platform that can improve the quality of graduates’ institutions are putting out. While many professionals look to e-learning to improve their skills, giving the e-Learning business the impetus it’s been waiting for, there is a need for EdTech to support institutions as well, and the scope to help them deliver more than curriculum-based learning, such as daily practice, branded extra classes and upskilling opportunities. Having about 1,00,000 students using Ken42, the startup plans to go
overseas next year, implementing their e-learning platform in several international universities.