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: After clicking on global fame, virtual tutors from India are getting a nod from tech and BPO veterans too. Take Vienova, for instance. Offering online tutoring education services to students across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, it has received funding from Indian Angel Network, comprising offshoring veteran Saurabh Srivastava and BPO pioneer Raman Roy of Spectramind fame.
And they are hopeful of repeating their offshoring success story. “We are exporting our own services. This helps in developing technology for remote areas,” says serial entrepreneur Saurabh Srivastava. “In the next five years, this will be a multi-million-dollar market. Like it happened in software,” he says. Global online tutoring is a rapidly growing segment within KPO (knowledge process outsourcing). Various analyst reports predict it will grow at a compound rate of over 50% from less than $200 million today to reach $2-4 billion within five to seven years.
“We have done a lot of technology work for other countries,” says Raman Roy. “We can utilise this opportunity (to do something for our own country). It has unmatched potential,” he adds. Heavily leveraging on technology—using high-end compression to provide real time interaction—Vienova already has more than 250 tutors catering to thousands of students in US. It aims to grow rapidly based on several strategic tie-ups with US-based innovation focused companies. It can work on a normal broadband connection,” says Parikshit Jain of Vienova. “Even the timings for the programme are extremely flexible,”he adds. Parikshit’s brainchild matured into Vienova and today boasts of offering new opportunities to Indian teachers. “To be honest, teachers in India are not paid very well,” adds Srivastava. “Education is not only at post-graduate level but almost every level,” adds Srivastava. Teachers can earn up to 75% more than their present salary through this medium,” claims Jain.
But why would, say American students like to interact with Indian teachers while they can be tutored by teachers in their school or locality? “Indian tutors are more focused on the subject as well on soft skills, while American teachers are focused on soft skills,” adds Jain. Competing with Tutorvista and Growing Stars, Vienova is riding on plans to customise as per students needs.
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