We are pleased to announce our investment in ThinkTac, a pioneering education technology company dedicated to transforming traditional learning methods through experiential and 21st-century skills pedagogy. At Malpani Ventures, we are big believers in application-based practical learning for our kids rather than walled theory. ThinkTac offers precisely this!

With a focus on science and mathematics, ThinkTac offers comprehensive programs mapped to various national and international curriculums, including CBSE, NCERT, ICSE, Cambridge, and several state boards. Additionally, the company provides custom programs tailored to meet specific school needs. These programs, comprising Annual Programs, Thematic Programs, and Workshops, are designed to foster active engagement and deep understanding through tactile activities termed TACtivities™.

Key Features of ThinkTac's Experiential Science Learning Programs:

• Comprehensive Coverage: ThinkTac's Annual Programs are intricately aligned with the science curriculum, covering over 80% of all topics through a series of TACtivities. These activities, ranging from making toys to conducting short and long-term experiments, ensure a holistic understanding of scientific concepts.

• Educator-Facilitated Learning: All ThinkTac programs are facilitated by trained Educators using a scaffold approach. Educators assess learners' capabilities and provide tailored support to encourage independent exploration and learning, fostering confidence and capability development.

• Hands-On Learning Experience: ThinkTac provides learners with simple, mostly repurposed materials for TACtivities, enabling them to engage in hands-on learning experiences. From straws to Neodymium magnets, the carefully curated materials encourage "making," "tinkering," and other tactile activities, promoting problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity.

• Integration of Life Skills: ThinkTac programs operate with small cohorts of 15-25 learners, facilitating personalised attention and effective integration of critical life skills. Learners are encouraged to collaborate, communicate, and think critically, preparing them for real-world challenges beyond the classroom.

• Innovative Pedagogy: ThinkTac's commitment to generating curiosity and fostering exploration among students through experiential learning sets it apart. By empowering teachers with activities, content, and technology platforms, ThinkTac ensures that students actively engage in making, observing, exploring, and learning scientific concepts. Assessment for learning tools help connect concepts to the real world and develop competencies.

ThinkTac's custom Learning Management System (LMS), unLab, is a comprehensive platform for content delivery, resource access, and student assessment. The platform features a Teacher Corner, empowering educators to customise courses, add assessments, and track student progress through analytics. This integration of technology facilitates personalised learning experiences and efficient management of educational resources.

What exactly are the specific 21st-century skills that ThinkTac focuses on developing in students?

ThinkTac addresses the 4Cs (Critical Thinking, Creativity, Communication & Collaboration). This is added as a layer on top of the hands-on activity that helps children master the concept. 

As an example, students learn to make a Stethoscope with plastic tubes, metal wire, a bottle cap, and a balloon. When mapped to heartbeats & circulatory systems, the student observes/ explores their heartbeat and also the location/size of their heart.

- Critical thinking & Problem solving are developed by posing a series of problems like “Can you make it work without a balloon (serves as a diaphragm)”, “How do you increase the sound level”, “Can you create a microphone using this method”…

- Collaboration is developed with group assignments and asking children to conduct broader experiments. Analyzing the standing, sitting, and lying down heart rates of varying age groups and genders is a group project to be carried out by children.

- The simple nature of the models and the ability to modify the design and materials allow students to think of a solution, implement it, and tweak things. It also enables the use of the model in varying environments and settings. The models are designed to encourage creativity within students.

Meet the Founding team:

ThinkTac is run by a set of passionate and experienced team members. Ravi and the team have scaled organisations in the past, built products, and delivered exceptional returns. A desire to revolutionise the Indian education system has led them to go all in on ThinkTac. Ravi Rangan, the CEO, brings over 30 years of entrepreneurial expertise, cultivating organisations at the nexus of technology and impact, with a track record of scaling businesses nationwide. 

• Vishal Bhatt, the VP of Products, combines 11 years of systems programming with a decade-long dedication to education, fuelled by a passion for promoting science and understanding child psychology. 

• Ayan Chatterjee, the Chief Growth Officer, leverages 20 years of diverse operational experience, specialising in setting up and scaling unique business models in Tier 2 and 3 regions, with a strong focus on B2B/B2M strategies. 

• Procheta CV Mallik, the Principal Scientist, brings seven years of experience crafting experiential science curriculum, igniting curiosity among thousands of children and educators, anchored by a Ph.D. in Astronomy. 

• Lastly, Raghu AP, the Partnerships Lead, offers 25 years of multifaceted expertise in operations, training, and sales, with a keen eye for establishing and managing remote BPO operations, complemented by a Master's Degree in Arts. 

After interacting with the team, we couldn’t be more sure of ThinkTac’s capabilities of transforming the way we learn.

The Journey towards Holistic Learning for All:

ThinkTac's innovative approach to education focused on experiential learning and technology integration, addresses the evolving needs of modern classrooms. With a strong emphasis on teacher empowerment, student engagement, and curriculum alignment, ThinkTac is well-positioned to drive positive outcomes in education.

Investing in ThinkTac allows us to support the transformation of education through experiential learning and technology integration. The founding team is on a journey to reach all the young minds of India irrespective of the school’s stature.

ThinkTac is committed to expanding its offerings beyond science and maths education, with plans to introduce programs in Foundational Learning (3 – 8 years), Engineering, Technology, and Entrepreneurship in the coming quarters. These programs will further enrich the learning experiences of students and broaden the scope of experiential learning.