Sivakarthikeyan V. is founder-CEO of the Bangalore-based HappyMongo Online Solutions Pvt. Ltd (estb.2016), an ed-tech company providing digital learning solutions including language lab programmes, brain-training simulation games and apps embedded with Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies, to education institutions. 

Among HappyMongo’s flagship products (Mongo is a character starring in its language lab programme) are Big Talk, a mobile app to practice public speaking; Doodles, a 5D colouring book, and Blossoms & Spring, an interactive web-based learning app to improve listening, speaking, reading, writing, maths and general knowledge skills. With marketing teams in the UK, Singapore and Sri Lanka, the company claims 50,000 student subscribers including 15,000 in India.

Newspeg. On the occasion of the company’s second anniversary in February, Sivakarthikeyan conducted a two-day workshop at Bangalore’s top-ranked RV College of Engineering to familiarise students with new-age AR and VR technologies. 

History. A mechanical engineering graduate of Madras University with proven apps development expertise acquired while working with Cisco Systems, GE and Wipro for over a decade, Sivakarthikeyan quit a high-profile corporate career in 2015 to go solo and pursue his “true passion” — education. Two years ago, he promoted HappyMongo with a capital investment of Rs.30 lakh.

Direct talk. “It all started with developing brain-training games for my children, and an effort to make their learning experiences as interesting as online gaming. The idea of children learning science while playing online video games excited me. To make this possible, I began intense research of AR and VR technologies and how they can be used to enhance the learning experiences of children. For instance, our unique language lab solution is a combination of stories and gaming programmes designed to improve the listening, speaking, reading and writing skills of children. We have also begun working with publishers to AR-enable their textbooks, and have set up AR/VR labs in schools and colleges to train young students to use these new technologies,” says Sivakarthikeyan.

Future plans. Encouraged by enthusiastic public response to the company’s products, Sivakarthikeyan has ambitious plans for the future. “AR, VR and Mixed Reality are the technologies of the future. We are committed to researching these technologies for use in the education and other sectors for providing immersive learning experiences and virtualising training modules. Our target is to sign up 10,000 schools and higher ed institutions in India by 2020, and also service the tourism, fashion, engineering, and real estate industries,” he says.

 Paromita Sengupta (Bangalore)