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Math anxiety is common among children and adults alike. Much of it stems from the manner in which mathematical concepts are taught in schools.

Teaching mathematics often lacks a connection with practical applications. As a result, students do not see the relevance of mathematical concepts in the real world. This hinders their engagement with the subject, eventually resulting in fear and anxiety.

Vidya Jayaraman’s learning startup Inteligen seeks to address these challenges by making math learning fun.

Driven by her understanding of the gaps in math education and the positive impact of game-based learning, Jayaraman founded the learning startup Inteligen last year.

The B2B and B2C startup focuses on game-based learning for mathematics and critical thinking for a diverse audience, including children and adults.

“This idea was to create games that not only educate but also engage, allowing learners to take ownership of their learning process,” says Jayaraman, who is an ardent advocate of hands-on learning experiences over passive instruction methods.

What Inteligen offers

The Bengaluru-based startup offers three mobile gaming apps:

• Num Craft for ages 8 to 99, which focuses on algebraic thinking and helps solve equations, understand patterns, and apply mathematical operations;

• Chess Roll for ages 12 and above, which combines chess strategy with dice elements; and

• Magic Math Spellcaster for ages 3 and above, which teaches basic arithmetic operations and the place value concept through interactive activities and puzzles

Inteligen has also created activity books, in both digital and physical formats, to enhance classroom teaching, improve numerical fluency, and make learning numbers fun. The books use mind maps and colour-coded manipulatives, such as coloured tiles, blocks, and shapes, which help learners visualise abstract concepts.

“This approach emphasises conceptual learning through workbooks and practice via games, catering to today’s tech-savvy generation,” explains Jayaraman, who comes from a family of mathematicians.

Inteligen is also prototyping a ‘Math Teacher Bot’ to teach using the playway methodology globally.

“Our approach is designed to be inclusive, catering to diverse learning needs without segregating on the basis of ability,” says Jayaraman.

According to a study by scholars Yen, Chen, and Chan in 2019, a game-based learning environment improves students’ performance and increases their positive attitudes towards mathematics compared to traditional teacher-led methods.

Impact of Inteligen’s game-based approach

In 2023-24, students from Grades 1 to 5 at a government school in Ramagondanahalli, Bengaluru, used Inteligen’s activities and games to enhance their math learning experience.

Inteligen initiated an independent evaluation of the impact of its game-based learning programme at the government school.

According to the Annual Status of Education Report, which assessed enrollment and learning outcomes, there was an increase in numeracy skills among children after Inteligen’s intervention programme.

About 70% of Grade 1 students in the Ramagondanahalli school could read 2-digit numbers versus 26% in other state-run schools; nearly 70% of Grade 4 and 5 students could perform division, compared to only 6% and 13% in the state, respectively.

The early years

Jayaraman has eight years of work experience in chemical engineering, working with companies such as ThyssenKrupp, Supreme Petrochrem, and Project Toyo Engineering India.

After becoming a parent, she found it challenging to balance work and personal life; so she quit her job and started an after-school coaching class for Grades 8-12. This is when she noticed widespread math anxiety among children.

Jayaraman explains, “Recognising that math foundations need to be established in early childhood rather than waiting until Grades 8 or 9, when foundational gaps are harder to address, I focused on understanding how to effectively help children grasp mathematical concepts from a young age.”

To understand the issue better, she participated in after-school programmes for high schoolers and spent many years working closely with students and teachers to understand the root causes of this fear.

While doing her research, Jayaraman found that students’ fear of mathematics stemmed from the rigid and abstract style of teaching, which lacked practical applications. Additionally, traditional methods such as rote memorisation and repetitive drills triggered disinterest and anxiety in children, overshadowing their curiosity for the subject.

Jayaraman decided to do something about this and make math learning fun for children. She went on to develop a comprehensive math programme that incorporated activity-based learning, enabling children to engage with the subject in a hands-on way.

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This led to the birth of Math Adventures, a B2B educational platform for K-12 students, in 2013. The programme offered activity-based learning, supported by technology like short videos, clickers, MCQ tracking, and a question bank app.

The Math Adventures programme, which leveraged technology for instructional materials, was acquired by BYJU’S in 2018. Jayaraman was with BYJU’S till 2023 before she parted ways and started Inteligen.

Business model and growth

While Inteligen’s games are free to play, the startup earns through advertising revenue on its apps. For individuals who prefer an uninterrupted ad-free experience, it plans to charge a small fee going forward.

Currently, Inteligen’s games are available on Play Store, and they have cumulatively clocked 42,000 downloads till now. The gaming apps will be soon available on iOS.

The games and puzzles market in India, which was valued at $18.40 billion in 2023, is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.5% from 2024 to 2030, reaching nearly $32.57 billion, according to Stellar Market Research.

The offerings in the market include Prodigy, an online learning platform that uses an interactive, game-based approach to teach math concepts; brain training games by Rention; brain games by DIPDEY and KRIDEZ; and traditional board games such as Monopoly, Chess, and cc sold by Funskool and Hamleys.

Commenting on the startup’s unique selling point, Jayaraman says Inteligen integrates learning and play and aims to provide value beyond mere entertainment.

According to her, the education products in the market currently emphasise testing over learning and adopt a one-size-fits-all approach, thus neglecting adaptive and active immersive learning.

Inteligen was bootstrapped with an initial investment of Rs 2 crore from personal savings, family and friends. It now plans to raise between $500,000 and $1 million for team expansion (its team currently has 12 members), game development, and digital marketing.

The startup aims to create 7-8 games every year. It has developed two educational workbook series (physical books): Math Explorer for PreKg to Grade 8 and Math Essential for Grades 1 to 10. They are currently in production, and the company is talking to distribution partners to take these resources to schools.