Interview With Mridu Andotra - CEO & Founder of GeniusMentor

1.) Describe about your Business & Founders

I am currently running two businesses. One is Futureanalytica that we have co-founded. It’s a machine learning platform that helps you do the complex data-science process in just a few clicks. The other is GeniusMentor, an education platform, that aims at working on child’s mindsets & teach them subjects that truly matter in life. We aim to have a mindset report card that addresses character traits like Self-Control, Self-Discipline, Grit, Resilience, Delay-Gratification, etc. . attributes that are more important than marks and degrees. Every child is different has different interests, capabilities’ & learning speed then why the same curriculum for all. We aim at customizing the individual curriculum for the child based on their interests, learning speed & learning capabilities. So, our main focus is to give children a strong mindset & curriculum based on their interests, learning speed & learning ability.

2.) What is the biggest challenge of being a CEO & how you overcome it?

Being a CEO, is not a challenge, it’s a responsibility. It’s the incumbency of carrying out your vision in the right manner. Connecting with people, who value your vision & will work rigorously to make it into a reality. Yes, you do face challenges especially when you are not a big team & have to handle every task individually, which is the case in most start-ups. But as long as you trust your vision & stick to it, things start becoming less difficult & more adventurous. Running a start-up is a journey, it’s a process. As long as you focus on the process, not just the results, you enjoy & learn from the ups & downs that every start-up goes through.

3.) Where do you see the company in next 5 years & how you would bring the change?

In the next 5 years, I see GeniusMentor helping parents & educators to come out of the conventional education system & focusing on a child’s mindset more than marks & degrees. GeniusMentor aims at making a much-needed shift in the next 5 years in our education system i.e changing the focus from – One curriculum for every student to a Customized curriculum for every single student(based on their interests, learning speed & learning capabilities). In the next 15-20 years, most of our jobs that require human intelligence will be taken over by Artificial Intelligence. All humans will be left with is to be adaptable, imaginative, flexible & creative. Mindset will be the biggest asset more than marks & degrees. Currently, our education system is preparing our children for the past. We aim in the next 5 years to disrupt the age-old ideology & prepare our children for the future.

4.)Did you ever feel like giving up like giving up on being a CEO & what motivated you to pull this off?

Being a CEO, is not just about a designation or position. It’s about being a visionary. And any vision can be converted into a reality by taking persistent actions, working hard & constant hustle. I never came across this thought of giving up. I am in a complete obsession with the vision, that I hold for GeniusMentor. My vision is what motivates me to get up every morning & work hard to make it into a reality. I am enjoying every bit & piece of the process of entrepreneurship.

5.) Describe your biggest achievement

My biggest achievement is the decision that I took to permute my idea into a reality, even when I was questioned, advised & suggested by many. When you see that seed, that little idea, taking its shape & growing, it’s a great feeling. So, yes my biggest achievement is that I listened to my hunch & now seeing that idea taking a firm shape & growing.

 6. ) From where you get the idea for business

I believe, entrepreneurship is all about solving a problem & not depending on govt. , people or big industries to make that change happen, but rather by taking individual initiative & working with persuasion & committing yourself to that vision. I got the idea for my business by observing around me, I could see many students & children stressed & depressed, in my very close circle, despite having huge talent, creativity & intelligence. The reason for their stress was mainly two-

1.) Fish asked to climb trees- These were the children of parents, who will push their children to run the rat race, without realizing that their child is different & have innate, unique capabilities.

2.) Fixed& weak mindset of children- These are the children, who considered talent & intelligence more than effort & hard work. If their talent & intelligence are not appreciated or acknowledged they will feel stressed & depressed.

So, I decided to work on these 2 key areas-

a.) By changing parent's psychology & providing a customized individual course for every child based on their interest, learning speed & learning capabilities, so that not every fish is asked to climb a tree.

b.) By having a strong mindset curriculum & Report-Card that teaches students growth- mindset, self-control, Grit, Resilience, optimism, etc.

7. ) What was your aim to start the company?

The aim to start the company was to fix the loopholes that we have in our education system & parenting. Everything has changed at a substantial pace & will continue to do so in the future too. Then, why the same 1000-year-old education system. Education should prepare children for life. They should prepare children for the future, not for the past.

8. ) Tell us some of your failures?

There are many, but I don’t take them as failures, but rather as a part of the process. You start a thing, thinking it will work this way & that way, and at times it doesn’t, then you pivot and try another way. It’s a continuous process. Failure is when you stop growing, when you stop learning that’s when you fail. Starting a start-up is a big long–term process. From that small idea into a company, it involves many phases, turns & ups, and downs. If being a CEO you get bogged down by failures, then it’s difficult to run a company. Learn from failures, pivot, quickly learn & unlearn that’s the process every startup should follow.

 9. ) What is the role of your family in your successful career?

Ans- The biggest role of my family was being growth-minded parents. Never, in our family, our results were appreciated or criticized. It was always the efforts, the process, the character traits, the values & procedure that were sermonized. I don’t remember if even once, I was compared with any of my neighbors or relatives. I was allowed to find my path, make my own decisions & then work on it with conviction. When I started they had no idea what a start-up is, how it works. What AI is, What data-science is. They had no minute idea about any of the things. All they observed, was that I had a dream, passion & dedication to work on my idea & they supported me in that. In start-ups you don’t get results immediately, you start getting results after 2-3 years. So, if your family is supportive & not result-oriented you already have an edge.

10. ) What is your message to the young generation & their parents?

Ans- To the young generation, I would say- Don’t aim for a comfortable life, aim for a productive life. Listen to your hunch, trust yourself, don’t fear failure. Don’t start something to prove someone, rather choose something that you will do, even if you are not getting paid, because that will be your true passion. Most of the people work day-night for pay-cheque, but when you work hard not for salary but passion, that’s when you change your life & life of others too. You come in that rare air population and end up doing something great.

To the parents, I would say- Every child is different with some intrinsic, congenital & unique capabilities. Don’t force your child to run the rat race & let them choose their path created, crafted & walked upon by them. Let them explore & create their own life.