AI tools are enabling Teachers, Minal Bhagat, Ensonic Computech

How has your segment grown in the last year?

We are in the ed tech segment. Now based on this ed tech segment, we are into basically products which are related to digitization. That means hardware products like smart classroom components, virtual classroom components, hybrid classroom components, and especially video conferencing components.

For instance, interactive touch panels, cameras, speaker phones, podiums, mics, and many things are there. So when it encompasses all these things, what has happened is the usage of this product has grown exponentially, especially after COVID. Because due to COVID, people were at home and there was no way to communicate. So these things worked wonders for them. And that's how the things came. So initially during COVID, it was completely virtual. Everything was happening online.

We sold a lot of cameras and mics and speaker phones, etc. And then when COVID was over, the thought of digitization came into the picture. So now the hybrid mode is working where we are having offline as well as online meetings, as well as the classroom. So education has completely gone towards that. With the National education policy coming into force, the whole focus is on digitization going to the villages. It's extremely difficult to even define a composition.

Because we're not talking about now 100% anymore. I'm just giving you a small component, in a state more than 12,000, 15,000 crores is getting sanctioned just in the education department for digitization. So the growth is too good which I cannot explain the percentage.

What are the new techs which are emerging in this Ed-tech segment? Is there any new technology which is currently in trend?

Initially, the first project was at a district level in Jharkhand village where the district was looking at digitization. So the first thing that came into mind is whether I will be able to you know instead of a normal whiteboard but the blackboard, with chalk and pen can I do a digital board over here? That was the first challenge. So that has grown people have now started adapting that technology of writing on a digital board. And the now new technology which is going to come up is the AI-based technology, where we are not even talking about just writing on the board, we are talking about creating content on the board, we are talking about using the AI tools which are available already like Google, Chat, GPT, a lot of things are there, which could be enabled to create the content for the teachers.

Now the world has become so open and creativity can go manifold. AI and the latest tools of writing software are enabling teachers to create very powerful content themselves. So one is we are having book content on the screen. So the books can be brought on the screen, that is the first thing and second, due to this, we have a visualizer. Through the visualizer, on one side you can have textbook content on the right-left side and on the right side you can have content which is online available like for example, solar system. If I just write solar system, I can get so many videos on solar system. I can have the textbook as well as online, both together. And thirdly I can create a PPT where I can create my content. So a lot of things are happening in this. 

What are the challenges in this business and how do you strategize to tackle them?

We are a startup company. We started our business seven years back. So when we started, we had no capital. The only capital we had was our skills which we could engage in the market. So going to our first customers, going, talking to them, telling them, please give us advance based on which we will be doing the business was itself a very big challenge and as an OEM taking advance and then working is like something unheard of especially in the IT industry where people are talking about credits so that was very difficult and most challenging part. Secondly, we started from Kolkata but today we are in almost 16 states in India. And our factory is now in Jaipur. And where my partner Sandeep is taking care of, not only Jaipur, Rajasthan, but also the north part of India, but he's also taking care of the full, completely technical front. Where and what products are to be brought in, and what's going to be the next trend for the future, that's what he is primarily involved in.

He's more inclined towards that. I'm more inclined towards marketing so he focuses on Rajasthan primarily and I am focusing on the East primarily so what happens is he is working on the depth model I am working on the width model so this is how we worked just a minute okay so this is how we worked and the challenges was creating the right strategy, becoming flexible at the right time, going with the changes at the right time, right thoughts is very important and starting from zero with no money and then growing to, we've almost crossed more than 60, 70 CR. And today we are growing fast. We are, we started with two, we are a team of around 80 now.

What is your prediction for the next five years as an OEM? 

We are working towards growth. With the Make in India initiative and the NEP policy, the government is also focusing towards that. And we are working under the Make in India initiative and are moving towards that line. And I'm sure today we'll be very soon coming in the top three in India. 

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