Blog

Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia’s startup ShowReel has turned into an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered learning platform. It has partnered with Delhi-based Jamia Millia Islamia to launch its inaugural entrepreneurship programme.

Bhatia, who sold the first free web-based email service Hotmail to Microsoft for about $400 million in 1997, founded ShowReel in 2021. Initially focused on connecting users through short videos for job seekers and founders, the platform is now shifting to AI-powered learning due to low user traction.

Silicon Valley-based ShowReel aims to transform global education for the AI era.

Students can access courses and short-form videos through an inquiry-based learning app. The platform will use AI for course design and assess students’ verbal responses, further analysed by algorithms to gauge critical thinking.

The app will offer 14 modules covering diverse entrepreneurship topics and grant six credits upon course completion.

The Jamia-ShowReel platform aims to help students apply their knowledge within a dynamic environment that encourages open-ended exploration, experimentation, and discovery while hoping to make education more accessible.

“By levelling the playing field and granting equal education opportunities, we are focused on embracing the transformative power of AI to change the way young minds think, making them adaptable to the continuously evolving world of technology,” Bhatia said.

The platform aims to cultivate creative thinkers and problem-solvers equipped for the jobs of tomorrow.

The ongoing concern for job seekers is the fear of job displacement due to advancing technology, motivating companies to provide products and services to meet the increasing need for skilling, reskilling, and upskilling.

According to ShowReel’s website, it plans to introduce micro degrees. It will start with a micro degree in entrepreneurship to meet the growing demand for education in this field. The micro degrees are priced at under $99 each, varying by country.