Smartphone and gadgets have become so commonplace these days that it is hard to imagine a life without them as it was about 15 years back. Such is their penetration that not only the youth or the working professionals, but the kids are also hooked up to them to such an extent that a better part of the day is consumed with a Smartphone in one hand. While some call these kids 'smart', most people are worried about this trend which is resulting in kids becoming lethargic and averse to physical activities, giving rise to may health issues.
Dentists by profession, Dr. Prateek Jain and Dr. Saloni Jain saw this problem of 'smartphone' kids from close quarters. Dr. Prateek says, 'There were many patients who used to give their mobile to their kids when they came for treatment. Our friends also said this is a big issue for them. The kids are only engaged in mobiles and computers and aren't much interested in activity based games. This is how our idea for Curious Cobo was born.'
At a time when the world is moving towards smart gadgets, the idea of coming up with activity based learning might seem like a backward step at the first instance.
Dr. Saloni explains, 'It is a well proven fact that the maximum development for any child happens between the age of 1 and 6 years. In order to ensure that the child realizes his or her full potential in this age group, it is very important to ensure that he or she is introduced to DIY activities, which Curious Cobo offers.'
It won't be wrong to say that they are handling an extremely tricky audience, one which never runs out of curiosity and is always on the lookout for new things. Dr. Prateek tries to explain this to us, 'We have in-house child learning experts who pass on guidelines to the designers before the designers get to work and come out with the final product.' Dr. Saloni also chips in and adds, 'All our activities are age appropriate and reinforce what the children learn in the schools in their age group, thus adding to their knowledge'.
As a start-up in the field of education in India, Curious Cobo has entered an already crowded market. When asked about their views on the education scenario in India and their plans to change it with Curious Cobo, Dr. Prateek responded, 'Indian education system is majorly based on rote learning. Even the competitive exams fall under the same pattern. But it doesn't come to much use in everyday life where basic conceptual clarity is what matters. This is what we aim to do through our boxes. We are looking forward to partner with organizations which can enhance our reach and push the level of education in the country. We are also planning to reach out to certain pre-schools so that these boxes can be incorporated in the students' learning from the very beginning of their education journey.'
Over the past decade or so, a number of education based start-ups have flooded the country, with each one claiming to bring something new to the fore. One of the most fascinating concepts to come up over the past few years is the concept of augmented reality. Does it bother them as a threat, we asked the entrepreneur couple. Dr. Saloni chose to answer this. She said,
'Ours is a product which takes the kids away from gadgets and harmful things which might inhibit their growth, whereas the concept of augmented reality is diametrically opposite since they look to push the kids toward high end gadgets at an extremely tender age.'
One of the major concerns with the start-ups that focus on kids is their focus or the lack of focus on safety of the child. Dr. Prateek reassures us, 'All our boxes are made keeping in mind utmost safety for the child. All the material we use is non toxic, doesn't come with any expiry date and is durable, ensuring that the children enjoy it for a long duration.'
With almost everything available to be bought online on e-commerce websites, it is obvious for the new entrepreneurs to be concerned about competition from major players such as Amazon and Flipkart. But Dr. Prateek has different thoughts. He says, 'Rather than seeing them as a competition, we see them as partners. Companies like Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal have a pan India reach. Collaborating with them would help us reach a wider audience and strengthen our supply chains.'
Before we let them go, one mandatory question that we needed to ask them was that as a new comer in the world of education, how to you view Brainbuxa's contribution to improvisation of Indian education scenario. 'Brainbuxa is doing a fabulous job by creating awareness about the various aspects of education in the country. We wish them all the best in their future endeavours,' says Dr. Saloni before signing off!
If you are also an upcoming entrepreneur looking to change the future of the country and wish to propagate your story to the millions of people across the country, get in touch with Brainbuxa now!
