In Conversation with Khuzema Shipchandler, Co-Founder, Classo
Classo an ed-tech startup, that provides complete information about various courses and professors online is one of a kind initiative co-founded by Khuzema Shipchandler & Nahush. A thoughtful idea developed into a promising venture, Classo has all that it takes to be the best online coaching centre. The concept behind classo was to introduce students to an experience they would cherish and make their lives easier. The main idea behind creating classo was to create a platform that has educational content from established and reputed coaching classes in one place, and for the students to have the choice to learn from their favourite offline professors without having to travel to the classroom, or having to sign up for different classes on different websites.
The aim was not just to start up a new venture or a business but to ease the lives of thousands of students across the country, both financially and academically. It helps every student choose the professors and courses of their choice without any economical or regional barriers.
The DBohra team recently interviewed the co-founder of classo to know more in-depth about the ed-tech startup which seems to be a brilliant idea. We were in awe after knowing the details and the answers to our questions.
1. We would like to know more about you and what made you start Classo.
First off, I would like to thank Al-Tijaarat al Raabehah for giving me this opportunity. I am a Chartered Accountant by profession and co-founder of Classo, an ed-tech startup. After graduating, I spent seven years working across consulting and mergers & acquisitions (M&A). It was a great experience working with top-class professionals and servicing the world’s largest corporates and businesses. It was during one of these stints that I met my co-founder Nahush, also a Chartered Accountant, and the seeds of Classo were sown.
Classo is an outcome of a personal problem that both of us faced while undergoing coaching for CA, after which it became a mission for us to ensure that no other students face the same issue, and that’s where the drive comes from. During our CA Days, physical coaching was the norm. And in India, no matter what one wants to study, one has to go through the pains of cracking a competitive exam. There are thousands of coaching centers preparing students for these competitive exams, all concentrated in a few big cities. Students come from small towns, spend a lot of money on accommodation, tuition fees, living away from their families who are often struggling to make ends meet – with an only dream – to crack an exam and get a job. I had to go through a similar ordeal, where I joined a coaching centre and did not like the teaching methods. I was stuck I had no options and couldn’t rejoin.
Most of the students join such courses with a lot at stake and still have no trials or options that’s where we thought we need to step in. So, we took the opportunity to build something that could not only provide students with the right information about all the options that are available to them in terms of coaching for competitive exams, but also a medium to study from these top coaching classes without having to uproot their lives.’
Also, the covid outbreak led to a difficult situation for students. Therefore, we wanted to provide them with lectures from top professors on Classo at a fraction of the cost. Our courses are priced in such a way that any and every student of India would be able to access quality education at pocket-friendly rates.
The purpose behind starting Classo was simple-Providing a smooth learning experience for students. The insights from our personal journeys as CA students gave birth to Classo. Through Classo, we are eliminating the unnecessary time and effort that goes into finding the right tuition and also the pressure to stick to the one you opt for. We offer courses created by some of the most talented professors across the country that also include course outlines, videos, chapter-wise structure, and self-study activities. Each course provides demo lectures to make decision-making easier for the student. All in all, we feel that Classo is a flexible and scalable solution for aspirants of India. The covid situation accelerated the business for startups like Classo and provided much-needed traction in an unprecedented time.
2. What made you switch from service to business?
The primary driving is and always will be the farmaan aali and khushi of Aqa Maula TUS – that we mumineen, the Bohra community are a business community, and that as mumineen we should be business-minded and not service minded. Over the course of the seven years, I spent in jobs, I must admit that I learned a tremendous amount in terms of knowledge, skills, grit, handling pressure situations, and so on. However, I always felt that the impact that I could make would be far greater if I was doing something on my own. In a job, the effort-reward ratio is quite often skewed more towards the effort, rather than the reward. No matter how much effort one puts in, the reward is more or less stable. In our own business, no matter how small, the rewards, in the long run, are a fair show of the effort that is put in, and with the right efforts, strategy, and dua mubarak of Aqa Maula TUS, in business even the sky isn’t the limit. The control of our destiny is in our own hands, and we have greater independence of what we can do, how we can do it, and what sort of impact we have on our stakeholders.
Further, being in the business allows me greater flexibility in terms of how I lead my overall life, and achieve not just my professional but also personal goals. It gives me the opportunity of attending Ashara Mubaraka without having to worry about taking leave, to attain a good balance of deen-o-duniya and lead a more fulfilling life.
3. What makes Classo different and what does the future look like for Classo?
The idea of Classo was born when we noticed that while there are several Edtech companies providing their own educational content, there is no platform to enable students to view educational content from established and reputed coaching classes in one place. Existing ed-tech platforms have their own faculty teaching courses and do not provide the student with a choice to study from whoever they want. Every student is different and his or her needs may also differ from another, therefore it’s important to give them a choice that is suited to them. Further, we provide an opportunity and a platform for budding professors of India to educate students of tomorrow.
Our model is extremely simple – any professor can register themselves and become a part of the teaching community. The backend such as tech integration, sales efforts, reaching out to students, digital marketing, etc. is taken care of by Classo. All the professor needs to do is focus on their teaching quality and experience, which is their strength.
Similarly, any student can sign up on the platform and avail the courses they wish to take. Classo looks after the distribution and delivery of offline course material if required by any student. Moreover, we have a 1,000 square foot storage facility for books along with online study material that is provided on the website and Classo app. In terms of marketing, we are utilising various social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram to reach out to the right audience.
Till today, Classo has recorded 6000+ sign-ups, 35,000+ users, and 6 lakhs+ hits on the website. We have been receiving an overwhelming response from the CA fraternity for the services we have been providing through Classo.
In the near future, we are aiming to welcome more students as well as professors to the Classo family by scaling it across India. We also plan to expand our services to other career fields where students from all backgrounds can come and gain a quality learning experience. Moreover, we aim to provide a more personalised and effective learning experience to students by leveraging technology using AI, machine learning, and data analytics.
4. Any tips or advice for people who are looking to start up a new venture?
Never Give Up! Difficulties and challenges are inevitable, but if there’s one thing that the greatest entrepreneurs and personalities from all folks of life have taught us – it’s perseverance! Never give up on your dreams
And courage – especially when starting new, and at each juncture of your entrepreneurial journey, it’s crucial to demonstrate courage and do business fearlessly.
Also, I would like to say Invest time in the execution of your ideas. I realised that no idea is big or small, it’s the execution that gives it shape. Your ideas are worth your time and effort and hence working towards their execution is the key. Also, I strongly believe that perfection is the enemy of profitability.
And last but not the least: Think ahead, think fast. Ideas are no one’s monopoly. This is the greatest learning I experienced in my journey as an entrepreneur. Hence, remember that coming up with an idea is just the first step, working on it will eventually lead you to success!
Therefore folks you now have an amazing platform to yourselves that will help both students and professors achieve their goals. The world is heading at a fast pace and so are people blooming with exceptional ideas and turning them into inspirational businesses. Dbohra will keep bringing to you such inspiring stories and keep you up to date always.
