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When traditional classes gave way to virtual ones thanks to the pandemic-induced lockdown, Shekhar began scouting for a good Math tutor for his nine-year-old to help her with her doubts in the subject. But like any other parent, Shekhar realised that finding a skilled tutor who is capable of providing quality education at affordable prices for their child can be an arduous task.

In the vast ocean of edtech startups, Shekhar chanced upon ConnectBud – a cohesive platform where students currently studying in the top engineering colleges in India and the US pursuing B.Tech, M.Tech, B.Sc and M.Sc double up as tutors. When it comes to subject knowledge, they are well-versed with the latest topics in the curriculum and they can effectively communicate with students across all age groups.

Anyone who wants or needs to learn or teach something can possibly benefit from ConnectBud. This California-based startup with a state-of-the-art development centre in India offers classes across a wide variety of subjects ranging from Python to Scratch coding classes, to simply offering help with daily homework to extra-curricular activities like music, chess, drawing or languages. What’s more, interactive 1:1 classes are priced at as low as $5 per hour. Moreover, ConnectBud is Sur.ly-certified, making it a safe website from potential threats for kids to access.

Core value proposition

It all started when ConnectBud founder Naveen Bachkethi decided to connect kids who want to learn coding with the student tutors of the current generation. “We wanted to help computer science and engineering students by giving them opportunities to share their knowledge with the younger generation. This way, they can get some financial benefits as well as help and nourish the younger generation. That time, we looked at the online coding platforms, which were very expensive for the parents as well as the tutors who were not skilled enough to teach the kids. And our value proposition of engineering students to teach younger kids coding classes, homework help, math help, extracurricular activity was spot on a home run,” he recalls.

Today, with a pool of tutors from more than 250 universities across the globe, ConnectBud has successfully completed 3000+ classes with 95 percent renewal rates. The syllabus for all the courses offered by ConnectBud are scientifically designed. Given that every child is unique, parents are allowed to change the syllabus to suit their kids’ requirements. “Everyone learns at their own pace and in their own style. At ConnectBud, we always encourage our tutors to create individualised lesson plans and learning experiences that foster a sense of inclusivity and boost the learning capabilities of all students, no matter their age or learning abilities,” he adds.

The selection process for the tutors is stringent. The teams at ConnectBud are built based on the assessment of candidates’ competencies and their professional achievements. Explaining the hiring process, he shares, “We only allow qualified graduate students for registration on our ConnectBud portal after verifying their college id and email id. After the registration, our executives verify their communication skills and tech skills for the final hiring process. We support people in raising their own competences through participation in training and conferences in the field of specialist knowledge and soft skills.”

The user journey is simple: Once you book your class and hire the tutor, you can chat with the tutor to figure out the timing and date of the classes. The tutor will then send you the Google Meet link according to your preferred dates and timing. Parents can opt for a free demo class and can easily chat with the tutors. There is also a quick refund option in case they are not satisfied with the class.

Online tutoring landscape

When every moment of our daily life is being shaped by technology, how can education be any different? With online tutoring enhancing the traditional education system by improving the pedagogy and learning process, the potential for scalable individualised learning has opened up new avenues of learning for students of all ages, while also promoting collaboration and inclusivity.

By 2026, the online education industry is set to grow by $11.6 billion. This proves that the edtech revolution is not just a temporary adjustment but a permanent solution. Games and simulations are being picked up as educational tools to make learning an immersive and fun experience. Because of the affordability factor, students belonging to different income categories and social classes can get access to quality education with attractive visuals and expert teachers. Edtech will venture into areas where traditional education cannot, through personalised classes, interactive tools, and engaging ways of delivering lessons.

Leveraging the potential of the sector, ConnectBud is eyeing to grow vertically and horizontally by integrating more countries and expanding its user base. “Few exciting corporate tie-ups and acquisitions are on the pipeline and our management team is working on that. We have set achievable milestones based on the changing requirements of the global ed-tech arena,” Naveen reveals.

For more information on ConnectBud, you can reach out to support@connectbud.com