Exclusive Interview with Minal Anand, CEO & Founder, GuruQ

Missing a class is not something today's schoolgoers would fancy even in their wildest dreams. Fortunately, COVID had this one silver line, i.e., making children understand the importance of attending school and the pleasant virtues of being taught by teachers in a classroom environment. But not all students are fortunate enough to grasp what is taught in the classroom to compete with their peers. Resorting to tuitions can absolve them from having to cringe at all complicated stuff floating around and escape the heat of the moment. But where can they find the teachers who can teach them the way they understand? GuruQ, an online tutor platform, understanding this predicament very well, has launched its portal to guide students through well-planned classes, with suitable tutors and convenient schedules. Analytics Insight has engaged in an exclusive interview with Minal Anand, CEO & Founder, of GuruQ.

1. Kindly brief us about the company, its specialization, and the services that your company offers

GuruQ is India's best tutoring platform that connects students with the right tutors. With the GuruQ platform, students can personalize their tuition classes with respect to the mode of class (Home or Online), type of class (individual or group), and budget. A platform like GuruQ seeks to remedy the flaws in the education system by enabling students to connect with qualified, certified and vetted tutors who can make the entire learning process wholesome and interesting by focusing on the strengths, weaknesses, and IQs of each student. Students gain a firm understanding of subjects where every doubt is cleared and every concept is explained in detail. A tech-driven education that goes beyond the textbook will allow our students to compete globally and succeed. We offer tuition for students from kindergarten to class 12 for all the major boards in India via both online and offline modes. GuruQ offers tuition for all the subjects of the arts, humanities, and science streams, tuition for foreign languages such as French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Italian, and Russian as well as tuition for entrance exams such as SSC, Medical Entrance, and Engineering Entrance. 

2. With what mission and objectives, the company was set up? In short, tell us about your journey since the inception of the company.

GuruQ –one of its kind digital platforms that connect tutors and students, was founded with the core objective of creating an enabling environment for quality education. Today, parents and students are usually faced with the challenges of finding the right tutors, who can provide quality education, are reliable, have a good teaching background, and suit their budget. Tutors too, have their set of challenges like finding students at their preferred locations, managing erratic schedules, timely assured payments, and many more.

The core objective of GuruQ is to bring convenience and ease to the process of tutor selection for students and their parents, and in turn, simplify the work life for thousands of tutors across the country. To build a 21^st-century model of education and to attain this level of individualization, GuruQ has used advanced new-age methodologies and the latest technologies. GuruQ intends to provide a plethora of avenues for the holistic learning and development of students. 

3. Kindly mention some of the major challenges the company has faced till now.

COVID was a major setback to the education sector, and it was no different for GuruQ. Here at GuruQ, we turned it into a blessing in disguise. In 2020, GuruQ was just limited to providing offline tutors but with the COVID, it had to upgrade our products to include online tutoring and there was no looking back after that. The reach became limitless. E.g., GuruQ could facilitate the top IELTS tutor for a student from a remote village in UP. The support we received from our tutors and the response from the students was overwhelming. Every business faces obstacles at some point, but at GuruQ, we think that these obstacles can pave the path for something better.

4. What is your biggest USP that differentiates the company from competitors?

The GuruQ platform is centered around how students can make the most of their limited time and resources. Students can use various search parameters to quickly and easily find tutors to match their exact requirements. Students can get on-demand tutoring anywhere, anytime. To deliver true quality, GuruQ helps students make informed decisions based on unbiased reviews & ratings of tutors by other students and parents. Moreover, the GuruQ team continually monitors and ensures that all tutors are meeting the Quality Standards that we demand from our tutors.

GuruQ does not offer video tutorials. It is the 'Skype' of teaching and learning. GuruQ doesn't follow the 'one size fits all model because every student is unique and has different needs. Students have the flexibility of customizing each class with their tutor and studying exactly what they want to. In addition, they can also make custom study plans with their tutor. The objective of this platform is to make life easier for students' parents and tutors.

The key ingredient of quality tuition is the tutors. GuruQ is forever on the lookout for enthusiastic, experienced, and qualified tutors with the right aptitude and attitude. Tutors undergo a stringent multi-level vetting process (includes verifying their knowledge, qualifications, experience, skills, teaching techniques & background) and only the best tutors are inducted into the GuruQ community. Once part of the GuruQ family, the tutors are then given a proper orientation in which they are familiarized with the GuruQ quality standards, modern global teaching tips, techniques, and methodologies. The tutor has the liberty to set their working hours and we don't limit them in a price bracket. The tutors set their price/hour varying based on their qualification, experience, and teaching methodology. We in true essence personalize the tutoring experience for our students and tutors.

5. How is IoT/Big Data/AI/Robotics evolving today in the industry as a whole? What are the most important trends that you see emerging across the globe?

Technology is playing a pivotal role in improving education quality and taking it to the next level. During COVID, the world has witnessed how technology proved to be a savior in Education. At all levels whether school or higher education. Now there are embedded technologies like AR, VR, and gamification which can make learning more involved, engaging, and fun.

Technologies in AI and ML are helping teachers evaluate their students in a better way along all aspects of cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains and setting up a customized learning path for an individual student. At GuruQ we are breaking the barriers and boundaries of location, geography, and timing when it comes to tutoring. Our App and Web platform helps thousands of students to find tutors for their specific needs at the price they can afford. We are working on creating a robust system that would be mapping the student to the exact tutor just in a couple of clicks.

6. How is Machine Learning (ML) shaping the IT/Big Data/Robotics industry today? How is it changing the role of CIOs and Leaders?

Machine Learning is providing breakthrough advancements every day in all fields one can think of. Data is ubiquitous, and with faster, efficient, and more accurate algorithms springing up every month, ML algorithms are being crafted for a plethora of tasks; from being able to analyze and predict consumer purchasing patterns to handling customer queries using chatbots to even detecting a possible fraud occurring in real-time. With the use of computers, vision brands have been able to help consumers see how certain products look on them or in their homes, and with Natural Language Processing developers/creators have been able to open up their products to a diverse audience through instant translations. All in all, using such advanced tools has been able to make the industry more user-friendly, cost-effective, and also creative.

CIOs and Leaders of today can now leverage and be well equipped with ML tools to catch important trends in time and act on them. For example, in Ed Tech, leaders can gauge and learn how a student is using various study resources provided by them, and thus, in turn, create more engaging, detailed, and up-to-date content. This helps students to create a better sense of understanding of the subject while establishing brand-consumer trust by providing the best-valued services. In e-commerce, not only has the data-driven approach provided consumers with better offers and deals, but brands are now looking forward to changing their delivery modes by using drones which can deliver goods faster and cheaper by using energy-efficient route planning algorithms, while simultaneously computing safe obstacle avoiding paths. Elsewhere in the creative and entertainment sector, CIOs are employing ML-based image processing tools to create ever-more stunning graphics to grip the customers' imagination. One can certainly say that information and technology leaders now have nifty tools in their arsenal which open a variety of possibilities across industries.

7. What are your growth plans for the next 12 months?

We are not at liberty to reveal the exact plans but we have the kind of functionalities and technological advancements to be adopted, that will change the game for the tutoring business. We specifically have in mind the convenience of our students and how can we further meet their tutoring needs. The new technological launch will personalize the choices of students.

We also have geographical expansion plans to reach remote parts of India and have already hit the overseas market. We are working on making the technical and the review part more robust before that. GuruQ is also looking for collaborations and acquisitions to make the platform a one-stop solution in the tutoring segment.