EnglishHelper has technology-based solutions that make
You may see less online humor around English speaking classes because of the efforts of a startup like English Helper which has developed tools to make the language easier to learn
June 26, 2013 / 15:20 IST
By Avanish Tiwary
“Think of me as an inventor. I like solving problems,” says 57-year-old Venkat Srinivasan, an Indian-born, US-based serial entrepreneur, innovator and academician who loves solving problems by creating technology-based products. His dexterity extends to the linguistic field too, which has propelled him to create ReadToMe, a software that helps people communicate in English better.The software comes with an in-built English course with exercises of different levels to enable a user to learn to speak, read, write and comprehend the meaning of each word. It reads out sentences and words so that pronunciations are understood. Later, a user can repeat the sentences and record it to ascertain what he or she has learnt.Learning the alphabet
In early 2010, Srinivasan decided to launch EnglishHelper based on the ReadToMe software in the US which helps teach people of other communities-African, Chinese, Korean and others-living in the US to communicate in English better. EnglishHelper aims to teach communicative English. “In the US,” says Srinivasan, “there are many people who have migrated from other countries and find it difficult to communicate in English. We have found an answer to their problem.”The product worked seamlessly and was accepted, which encouraged Srinivasan to foray into other markets. “I knew that the market in India was always ready to learn English. I knew I would not have to motivate people, but give a better alternative to what was already there,” says Srinivasan, Executive Chairman, EnglishHelper.First lessons
Though the software worked in the US, Srinivasan wanted to check if it would work in India. In 2010, Srinivasan tested EnglishHelper with a few Indian users. The Delhi-based firm’s first few clients, some private and public schools in the national capital, were using ReadToMe in their classrooms and saw an improvement in the children’s reading and understanding of the language.There is firefly-a web version of ReadToMe with almost all its features-which forms a small part of EnglishHelper’s business. Individuals keen to learn English enrol and pay for this program. It works on Windows and Android platforms and does not need any installation or IT support.ReadToMe has a series of structured programs entitled ‘Helper Series’ customized to the needs of different segments: Teachers, job seekers, and those at varying levels of proficiency in English. The course duration is around 45-75 hours and is available on ReadToMe and firefly platforms. Srinivasan was looking for someone with managerial capabilities who could build the company in India. “We got to know each other through a common friend,” says Sanjay Gupta, CEO, EnglishHelper who came on board in the summer of 2011.Classes for all
Once on board, Gupta focused his energies on providing an end-user satisfaction in the firm belief that proliferation of the software would take care of itself if he achieved his goal. Gupta visited schools for a first-hand take on the product’s user-friendliness and effectiveness. “One of our clients from Agartala asked if we could translate words from English to Bengali. Even though direct translations are not recommended, we did it seeing the need,” explains Gupta.ReadToMe is distributed by partnering with schools and private corporations. The latter uses it as a training tool for staff. In early 2012, EnglishHelper partnered with K-Class (Knowledge-Class), the education arm of infrastructure and financial services company IL&FS, which has a reach of over 500 schools, both public and private, across South India and Maharashtra. K-Class sells portable machines called K-Yan, assembled with a computer and a projector, to schools with study materials.Ninad Vengurlekar, Vice President, IL&FS Education says, “They are our content partner for our English course. Before using EnglishHelper’s ReadToMe, we were offering a basic grammar course in K-Yan. But now I can say to my clients that we have a complete solution to learning English.”Gupta says, these days Indian corporates are eager to upgrade their staff’s communications skills, and a large number of them are choosing ReadToMe for its features. “It neither requires any assistance nor does a user need to go anywhere to learn. Corporate clients prefer us as it saves their time,” says Gupta, refusing to divulge names.Larger good
Though EnglishHelper is a for-profit company, Srinivasan says that its social impact is undeniable if used by many. “Though we are a young company and there is a pressure to build a revenue stream, yet we keep our price at discounted rates. We can price it higher to increase revenue, but we are not into that,” Gupta says. Gupta and Srinivasan reveal that during sales meetings, pricing is the last topic that is discussed. “First, we try to understand the need of the clients and then show what the software can do for them. Only when they are satisfied, we talk about the price, which is open for discussion,” Pricing differs for each client according to the negotiations, they add. In March 2012, US-based Omidyar Network, a philanthropic investment arm of eBay Inc., invested an undisclosed amount in EnglishHelper. It generally works with for-profit ventures which have a visible social impact. “We liked its multi-sensory approach to language learning, which included all the learning aspects-reading, writing and listening,” said Mallika Singh, Director, Omidyar Network.Post-investment, EnglishHelper has grown manifold, resulting in 100,000 ReadToMe users across 100 cities. The English language learning industry, according to Singh, is a billion dollar segment and allows EnglishHelper to enter non-English speaking regions like China or South Asia.Role play
Talking about Srinivasan’s skills, Gupta mentions, “He is the chief innovator. He has experience in germinating, seeding and building organizations ground up.”Gupta is using his past experience of working with companies across industries, and divergent work cultures, to grow EnglishHelper. Srinivasan says he does not interfere in daily operations, but provides oversight and ideas to his team in India.The startup is soon launching WritingAssistant which Srinivasan feels is a revolutionary product. “The software helps people write English correctly. It gives the user word suggestions, corrects grammatical mistakes and even understands the mood of writing, which is quite unique,” he says. Currently in the beta stage, it is being tested with a select number of people. Gupta believes when commercially available, the product will be a big hit in the market. And fulfil Srinivasan’s aim of helping more people speak and write English well.> Entrepreneur India May 2013
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