Kerala startup launches online education platform to upload 'voiced-content'

Kochi's Startup Village-based Verbicio Tech LLP has launched an online tutorial platform that enables students to access and upload educational materials free of cost.

The educational platform, Exam Voice, also enables users having a Facebook account to upload content in slides, PPT or PDF formats along with image and voice to make learning process easier.

"This is basically a platform for students by students," Verbicio co-founder Midhun Sankar told Techcircle.in. "Here, the user can upload content in his own voice and interpretation and share it with friends who can access it for free," he added.

Using this platform, a student can access content related to specific exams, such as CAT, GRE, GATE on topics related to science, engineering and aptitude. The platform also enables students to access solved papers of previous years, topic-wise questions and vocabulary building. Exam Voice can be accessed on smartphones or PCs connected to the internet.

According to Sankar, who founded Verbicio with his friends Bibin George Varghese, Joel Varghese, Nakul E Sibiraj and Midhun KS – all below the age of 25 and of different colleges in Kerala – last October, this platform also provides students with an opportunity to 'earn while learn' by uploading content.

As of now Verbicio is not looking to generate big revenue. "We will display advertisement of companies with whom we will have a revenue-sharing agreement, depending on the traffic coming to the website," Sankar added.

The startup is now scouting for funds to develop and scale up its flagship product and is already in talks with a leading angel fund. "We are planning to raise around Rs 20 lakh. We will use the amount to improve the offering and scale the business," Sankar said.

Sankar said that the idea of an education platform took shape at one of his seminar presentations during college days. "After each presentation, the teacher had to go through the project of each and every student. This prompted me to think of launching a common platform for the teacher to access PPT presentation on a single platform. Hence Exam Voice."

Exam Voice, which employs nine staffers including the founders, was founded in last October and it took the startup two months to develop the platform.

"The specialty of our platform is that we have taken the concept of slide sharing to the next level. It means the user can also hear the explanation of the answers, besides viewing them," Sankar added.

Verbicio is in the process of uploading more content on the site. It is equipping itself for a small scale rollout in Kerala's professional and degree colleges as well as schools. As part of the marketing plans, it is also organising programmes in educational institutions across Kerala.

(Edited by Prem Udayabhanu)