Shailendra Dhakad is the cofounder of Codeyoung, which is making coding accessible for kids across the globe. He is our first edtech entrepreneur on the show, and it was a super fun chat, jumping into his story. A kid from Gwalior who got into IIT Delhi, and pursued a B.Tech in Engineering Phsyics. He later identified his passion for coding and charted a new path for himself.  Through his years of volunteering for social services from 2nd year of college, he had a lot of interactions with underprivileged kids, which helped him realize the talent of kids out there. Over time, he began to question the accountability of formal education systems in place today. There is a large chunk of youth out there who dont have the skills, which are necessary and relevant to get meaningful jobs out there today which add value. 

His vision while starting out was that why cant coding be introduced to kids as added skill like music, dance ,etc rather than an academic subject. They believe coding shouldn't be a niche, it should be a norm. This is a very fresh perspective on making coding mainstream for kids. They started in December 2019, right before covid hit, and they rode the wave of challenges that came their way to launch their pilot, which was wildly successful. Then there was no looking back. A team of 300 strong now, codeyoung is at the forefront of its sector, pushing the boundaries to help make coding accessible to everyone.

Please share this episode with as many people who would find some value or inspiration from this story! We are always open to feedback and guest suggestions, send your emails on [email protected]