Tagline
An app-based platform for skill-sharing as well as education via Internet
Pitch us on your solution
The classrooms are overcrowded. Personal trainers are expensive. And there is just no quick way to PRACTICALLY learn from the experienced people. These problems exist when one tries to acquire non-academic skills as well.
Our solution to these problems is a platform, with which a learner can put up a learn request. Trainers around that place will get notified. After some negotiation, the learner will choose his trainer. A trainer will have reviews from other learners, it will make the selection process easier. A learner can hire a tutor for even ONLY ONE HOUR. That means, he can learn exactly what he needs without subscribing to a full course.
We are calling our platform Aalo. We believe that it will play a ground-breaking role for the learners to express their full potential. Undergraduate students will also be able to share their skills and knowledge with others to make some extra money.
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What is the problem you are solving?
Bangladesh has advanced tremendously in the recent decades. But comparing to other developing countries, we're still lagging behind. If we dig deeper into this, we will find the reasons for this are as follows:
- Firstly, the classrooms are overcrowded. So, minimum 60% student can't learn effectively from classes. So that, gradually the drop out from the schools.
A Crowded Classroom
- Inability to hire personal trainer; as most of the people of developing countries belong to middle class families. They can't just afford them.
- The course based educational infrastructure which creates an acute lack of showing and developing creativity.
- The teacher-student ratio was 48.43 in Bangladesh (Source: The Globe Economy) whereas this average ratio in the developing countries is 11.23 (Source: Wikipedia).
- Basically, in Bangladesh, personal skill trainers demand about US$ 5 per hour. Again, many potential trainers can’t show their ability because of lack of inexperience. Besides, the trainers are not verified from any organization. So, the learners get puzzled.
- The modern generation loves to learn with cartoons and animation. But there is scarcely any animated educative contents in Bengali.
Who are you serving?
We are mainly serving all kind of learners in Bangladesh. There are total 23.9 million students. According to the national budget of Bangladesh, US$ 2.185 billion was allotted to the education sector. That means about US$ 92 is allotted for every individual student. According to The Economist, minimum US$ 500 should be spent in developing countries. So, we aim to serve the economy overall. (Source: Wikipedia)
Again, many of our undergraduate students can't do any part-time jobs because of unemployment problem. Potential trainers can't bloom their careers as they can't exercise their skills. The students don't get good opportunities for internship. We'll serve them too.
When users will download the app, they'll be able to let the trainers know what they need. The trainer will response to their request and provide them with personal training. Thus our solution will address the people of Bangladesh. And if we get opportunity, we want to serve all the third world countries.
What is your solution?
Aalo is basically an internet-based skill-sharing and educative app.
We are basically combining three theories here. They are the Ivan Ilich Theory, Paulo Freire's 'Pedagogy Of The Oppressed' and Macolm S. Knowles and Stephen D. Brookfield Theory.
Combining these models and theories, we are going to use technology in improving educational infrastructure. Following this process, a person can educate himself greatly and can learn through interaction. Technology creates PLE(Personal Learning Environment) including PLP (Personal Learning Plan) and PLN (Personal Learning Network).
- Facilities:
- A person can register at Aalo as a learner or a trainer. A learner can give a request which will include what type of skill s/he wants to learn, how much money he'll pay per hour (minimum US$ 1), days as per his/her convenience and any special message. After mutual negotiation, the trainer will train the learner with his/her desired skills. And textual learning will be topic-based so that the learners can use their valuable time.
- The personal skill trainers in Bangladesh aren't verified by any certified organization. We'll verify them by ratings given by learners and experts.
- In Aalo, students will be privileged by performance graphs and personality test so that the trainer will understand how to treat with the learners. We'll hold contest as we want to make learning more fun.
- Here, many people will be able to do part-time jobs. They'll get opportunity to earn for his/her education. Thus unemployment problem will be solved a little bit.
- The modern generation loves to learn through cartoons and animations. Our experts will make attractive animated learning contents and videos which will be free for everyone. The youngs will learn more effectively.
- We'll give the opportunity of student internship. Thus students will be able to learn works practically and gain realistic experience.
- The students will get the opportunity to have a real-time chat with their classmates.
- In future, we want to make the education sector based on Augmented Reality(AR) and Virtual Reality(VR).
2. Technology:
To make a smartphone application that will run on any major smartphone operating system, we used a cross-platform app development framework called 'Flutter'. We are using Google's Firebase backend for improved performance.
Consequently, we are making education SMARTER - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound, Evaluated (this can be self evaluated) and reviewed.
Select only the most relevant.
Where our solution team is headquartered or located:
Mymensingh, BangladeshIn which sector would you categorize your solution?
Describe what makes your solution innovative.
In today's marketplace, the practice of innovation isn't just about creating new products. It's about discovering completely new markets that meet previously unknown and therefore untapped customer needs. And in the age of Internet commerce, the act of innovation becomes an even greater challenge.
In the conventional ways, the trainers are chosen with a very little pre-existing knowledge about them. But with Aalo, one can find his trainer very easily because he can see what other learners have said about them. It makes choosing trainers very convenient. Also, with this technology, meeting the trainers in person before starting a training session is unnecessary.
Aalo will serve with animated video tutorials which is a new concept for the learners of Bangladesh. Again, personal skill learning isn't so much cheap anywhere in the world. We are providing a very short topic based course in a a very cheap amount which can be a blessing for the third world countries to accelerate their education sector and prepare a skilled manpower.
Through Aalo, we will be able to create a completely new market. Therefore, we'll also contribute to the economy of the country.
Why do you expect your solution to address the problem?
Technology in learning has an important role to play in equitably preparing all learners to lead successful and happy lives, and helping Bangladesh to prosper.
Learning must be more student-centered—that is, it must be built on a foundation of strong relationships, responsive to basic needs, driven by student interests, respectful of their identities, adaptive to their academic needs, relevant to their lives beyond school, and not confined within school days and walls. And with Aalo, we can make this foundation stronger.
Our main goal is a student-centered leaning system. Our theory of change is two-fold. They are-
1. Trainers, who are the closest of learners. They should have a larger role in training the unskilled folk.
2.Policy must enable and support innovation, by creating space, removing barriers, and creating a climate of encouragement.
But to reduce present inconvenient system, we are proposing 6 action points to build our new strategy.
1. Personal skill trainer blooming both learners as well as his career.
2. Policy enables and encourages innovation and creativity.
3. Topic and technology based educational infrastructure.
4. Learning STEM and the 21st Century skills.
And thus we'll be able to make the education sector more and more effective and make Bangladesh a prosperous country.
Select the key characteristics of the population in Bangladesh your solution serves.
In which countries will you be operating within the next year?
How many people are you currently serving with your solution? How many will you be serving in one year? How about in five years?
We are still working on our app. As we haven't submitted our app yet, we have no user yet. We'll release our app on October 13, 2019. Our estimated learner at the end of the year will be about 1000 and trainer will be 300.
After this year, in 2020, our estimated learner will be 6000, trainer will be 2000 in Bangladesh. We'll use Search Engine optimization (SEO), Artificial Intelligence, Content Marketing, Email Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Marketing, Video production for this.
After 5 years, In 2025, we esteem that our total user will be about 91000 where there will be 21000 trainers and 70000 learners in Bangladesh. We'll like to convert our project into Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) to make our education sector more effective. We will continue our previous marketing strategies.
What are your goals within the next year and within the next five years?
“A goal properly set is halfway reached.”
-Zig Ziglar
To give a broad, balanced coverage of all important areas in our solution, we tried to set goals in some of the following categories:
The Next Year, 2020:
- Scalability: We want to spread work with our solution at both rural and urban areas in all the districts of Bangladesh. Besides, we want to start our work in the SAARC as well as the above mentioned countries.
- Standard: As we, co-founders of the solution, are still college students, we want to learn more and more about Software Engineering, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and the Education sector.
- Financial: As we are taking 10% of the wage paid by the learner, at the end of the year, we want to have a profit of US$ 15,000 approximately. Again, we aim to achieve more US$ 10,000 from our marketing sector.
- Public service: We want make our app more user-friendly and available to people from all walks of life. We want to provide scholarships also.
After 5 years, 2024:
- Scalability: There will be about 150 third-world countries in 2024. And we aim to serve learners from all of them.
- Standard: We want to graduate in Computer and Software Technology and specialize in AI, AR and VR. We want to make the education sector of the world based on AR and VR. We want to make the learning system based on AI.
- Financial: We want to make a profit of about US$ 125 Million in 2024.
What are the barriers that currently exist for you to accomplish your goals for the next year and for the next five years?
Barriers to goal setting come in all shapes and sizes and hold us back from achieving your goals. All of the barriers can be planned into our goals so we can avoid them when they are presented. We have enlisted some barriers existing for us to accomplish our goals.
In 2020:
- Financial: While beginning our start-up, we will face financial problems most as we are mainly students and we don't have any source of income. We don't have sufficient money to follow our marketing strategy.
- Technical: We don't have any powerful high-performance devices for our work. We are also deprived of high-speed Internet.
- Market barriers: We can face artificial barriers made by our competitors.
- Security: Verification of learners and trainers is a great risk for us as they can deceive us by giving wrong information about them.
In 2024:
- Legal: When we will start to business outside Bangladesh, we can face some legal problems.
- Technical: There will be lack of specialized engineers and content creator. Again, devices for AR and VR are actually too high.
- Cultural: The educational culture varies from country to country. We'll face difficulties to cope with every culture.
- Market Barriers: Artificial barriers can be made by our competitors from different countries.
- Security: We can face hacking and other cyber crimes.
How are you planning to overcome these barriers?
We have made a decent scheme to overcome these barriers. Otherwise, we won't be able to spread our solution for the betterment of the learners.
- Financial: We will try to find partners and funds to accomplish our goals and start our start-up.
- Legal: We'll appoint good lawyers in all the countries. Again, we will always be respectful to the constitution and laws of every individual country.
- Technical: We'll try for scholarships and funding to study our needed subjects and get high-performance devices. We'll appoint engineers and make committees in every countries.
- Security: We'll appoint a handsome amount of Cyber Security Specialist for our cyber security.
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Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofitHow many people work on your solution team?
Full Time Staff: 6 (all of them are the co-founder of Aalo)
Part-time Staff: 16
Student-Ambassador: 128 (1 male and 1 female in every district)
And we are encouraging student internship.
For how many years have you been working on your solution?
1.5 Years
Why are you and your team best-placed to deliver this solution?
Aalo has some ambitious people who are working make the education sector better in Bangladesh. They are-
Ranat Das Prangon: He is a great programmer having knowledge about C, C++, Java, Javascript Python, DART etc. & has vast experience at sales & business development. He is working as CEO at Aalo.
Sajid Hasan Naeem: He is also an exciting programmer being extraordinary C, C++, Java, Javascript Python, DART & working as CTO at Aalo. He is the content creator & greatly creative.
Md. Tanvirul Islam : He is a great ambitious leader having many leadership courses and working as CCO at Aalo. He has vast knowledge of communication skills.
Nahid Hassan Shovo: He is a great web developer and working as CIO at Aalo. He has greatly experience at Information Technology.
Wasif Islam Saad: He is with a good marketing mind working as the COO at Aalo.
Zunaed Sazzad: He is the CFO of Aalo having a great financial skill.
We have won several prizes at local and national level competitions like National Science Fairs and so on.
Some news channels and online news portals have also covered our work.
https://bit.ly/2ZqpX3w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHjqX9RVrbA&feature=share
https://bit.ly/2HwkyN1
With what organizations are you currently partnering, if any? How are you working with them?
We are not partnering with any organization.
What is your business model?
Aalo aims to generate US$ 125 Million in revenue in 2024. Aalo is not any traditional skill-sharing business because it doesn’t employ any trainers or admits any learners. Aalo basically connects the learners and trainers and takes 10% of the fee from the wage.
Aalo's Business Model in a nutshell:
- The Trainer- Anyone with necessary quality and verification, can be an Aalo trainer in any Aalo covered city. After screening, every trainer is enlisted in the Aalo server and given an Aalo identification code. This provides a steady income to anyone with necessary skills and knowledge without additional hazard or investment.
- The Passenger - Registered Aalo users download the Aalo app to their phones and if they need a trainer, they can get a trainer via the Aalo app. They can also contact the trainers on their phone after confirmation. This service is convenient for the learners, provides them relatively low cost comfortable service.
- Payment - Aalo sets the least wage US$ 1/hour. Learners don’t have to pay any cash to the drivers. They'll pay to Aalo before. And after the completion of the course, trainer will get his/her payment. Payment is secure because learners pay only via digital banking system using Aalo app.
- Dividing the Profits - Aalo divides the payment, usually 90% to the trainer and 10% to Aalo.
- Future Growth – Aalo needs to invest in Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality development for future growth. This will help Aalo to grow their business.
What is your path to financial sustainability?
Aalo is following 'Organizational Support Model' to gain financial sustainability.
The organizational support model is usually external: Business activities are separate from social programs, net revenues from the social enterprise provide a funding stream to cover social program costs and operating expenses of the nonprofit parent organization. (Source: www.4lenses.org)
Aalo is going make a chain of trainers to address the educational problems in Bangladesh. The whole process is centralized. We also aim to work hard to counter the effects of brand marketing by other companies through educational campaigns that promote lower cost personal skill training. Again, we are encouraging student internship to make the students experienced which is a lucrative offer for the students. Aalo will have an average profit margin of 20% to 25%, and profits are used to cover the costs of developing the app and other procedures. To date, this skill-sharing and educative platform enables the people to self-fund themselves without external subsidy in four to five years.
We also seek for donations and funds so that we can work more and more to implement AR and VR in the education system and make a sustainable financial system within 10 years.
Why are you applying to the Tiger Challenge?
We want to get fund to make our education based on technology. As a result, we need some fund. Again, we want to prove that we can be teenager, but we are capable of do something for the country as well as for the world. That's why we are applying to Tiger Challenge.
What types of connections and partnerships would be most catalytic for your solution?
With what organizations would you like to partner, and how would you like to partner with them?
We want organizations like Khan Academy, Hippo Campus etc. beside us. They can accelerate our solution.
Solution Team
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Sajid Hasan Naeem CTO, Bra!nCh!ld
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Nahid Hassan Shovo CIO, Bra!nCh!ld
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Md. Tanvirul Islam Sajin CCO, Bra!nCh!ld
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Ranat Das Prangon CEO, Bra!nCh!ld
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Wasif Islam Saad COO, Bra!nCh!ld
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Zunaed Sazzad CFO, Bra!nCh!ld
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Our Solution
Aalo