Interview: Diwakar Chittora, CEO & Founder of Intellipaat, an e-learning platform

An interview with Diwakar Chittora, CEO & Founder of Intellipaat, an e-learning platform

Mr. Diwakar Chittora, CEO & Founder of Intellipaat, embodies visionary leadership in the e-learning sector. Under his guidance, Intellipaat has flourished as a premier platform, offering cutting-edge technological education globally. His innovative approach and commitment to quality have redefined online learning, empowering learners worldwide.

Can you tell us about your journey from IIIT alumnus to founding Intellipaat? What motivated you to start an ed-tech company?

Diwakar Chittora: A combination of diverse experiences and unquenchable curiosity led me from IIIT Bengaluru graduate to founding Intellipaat. Various positions worked in the past with companies like American Express, Mercedes Benz, Wipro helped me develop abilities and provided me with a strong foundation in the tech sector.

But my desire to democratize high-quality education is what drives my entrepreneurial spirit. These qualities were crucial when we started developing Intellipaat. My mission is to equip professionals and students with the abilities required in the cutthroat job market of today.

In order to support the government of India’s goal of becoming a hub for human capital, we are launching multiple programs for graduate students and helping them to advance their careers in high-demand skills and offering instruction in their mother tongue.

Intellipaat has grown significantly with over 10 million learners across 150 countries. What do you attribute this success to, and how has the journey been so far?

Diwakar Chittora: We have always been a customer-first company. All our courses have been designed by thinking of the end-goal in mind, which is making our learners job-ready. We have aligned the following features to achieve this:

1. Diverse and Job Oriented Course Offerings
2. Industry Partnerships and Certifications
3. Instructors from top companies like Meta, Google etc.
4. Production-level hands-on labs
5. Positive Learner Experience and Word of Mouth
6. 24×7 Technical Support

What makes Intellipaat’s approach to online education unique compared to other ed-tech platforms?

Diwakar Chittora: Intellipaat’s approach to online education is unique due to our commitment to a learner-first philosophy. Our emphasis is on four main pillars: excellent content, cutting-edge training methodology, round-the-clock support, and thorough job assistance.

Our collaboration with over 500 MNCs and partnerships with prestigious universities like MIT and IITs shows that our programs come with rigor, and are employability-driven. With relationships to more than 3000 MNCs for job placement, we offer career services such as resume preparation, mock interviews, and training in soft skills.

Our 95% client satisfaction rating and audited learner outcomes are a testament to our commitment to quality education. Furthermore, over 1 crore people worldwide have subscribed to our free educational resources on YouTube, demonstrating our dedication to providing accessible education.

How does Intellipaat ensure the quality and relevance of online degree and certification programs in today’s rapidly evolving tech landscape?

Diwakar Chittora: The technologies evolve very fast in today’s world and so we have to keep our courses as well. We do the following things to ensure, we are up to date with all the changes happening around us:

1. Industry-Driven Curriculum Design: Most of our courses are aligned to their official certifications by reputed companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, etc. When certifications get updated, our courses get updated too.
2. Partnership with Top MNCs: Most of our courses are in collaboration with top MNC’s where the curriculum has been vetted by real hiring managers
3. Continuous Feedback Loop: All our courses are taught by experienced and qualified instructors who are real working professionals, if they feel there is anything outdated in the curriculum, they promptly reach out to our Learning Managers
4. Continuous Update: Our in-house content team revisits each course within a 3-month time period to look for/upgrades.
5. Hands-on Learning with Real-world Projects: All courses have extensive hands-on labs, which solve product-level problems.

With the global expansion of Intellipaat, what are some of the key challenges you’ve faced, and how have you overcome them?

Diwakar Chittora: The international expansion of Intellipaat has presented us with a number of significant obstacles, which we have skillfully surmounted. Accent issues or Content localization have helped to overcome linguistic and cultural barriers.

We’ve updated our round-the-clock support system to account for different time zones and made investments in scalable cloud infrastructure to guarantee a flawless experience. Customizing our career services and conducting in-depth research was necessary to adjust the courses to the demands of the job market.

Our ability to effectively grow and establish Intellipaat as the fastest-growing edtech in India and a prominent player in the global market is a result of these strategic initiatives.

What trends do you foresee in the online education sector over the next few years, and how is Intellipaat preparing to stay ahead of the curve?

Diwakar Chittora: Trends in online education that are expected to emerge in the next few years include immersive technologies, micro-credentials, personalized learning, and an emphasis on hybrid skills. AI-powered personalized learning will adapt instruction to each student’s needs and professional aspirations.

To increase engagement, Intellipaat is investing in AI-driven learning pathways. Professionals looking for rapid upskilling will benefit from the rise of micro-credentials, so we’re increasing the number of modular, stackable courses we offer.

Immersion learning experiences can be achieved through the integration of VR and AR, and we are investigating collaborations in these areas. Furthermore, we provide soft skills training as part of our career services as it helps boost learner confidence during the interaction with the employer and present themselves in a better manner which eventually leads to cracking the interviews faster.

With a focus on lifelong learning, Intellipaat regularly updates its course offerings and comprehensive career services to help students stay competitive. By anticipating these trends and adapting proactively, Intellipaat aims to stay at the forefront of the online education sector.

As someone deeply involved in education technology, what advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to enter the ed-tech space?

Diwakar Chittora: Below is my advice to all the aspiring entrepreneurs who want to build something big in the ed-tech Industry:

1. Identify the Problem and a specific Niche: It is very important to identify which domain you are going to cater your services in. Once the domain is figured out, identify the problems in that domain, and laser focus on providing solutions for the same.
2.  Leverage Technology Extensively: Create immersive learning experiences using technologies like AR, VR etc. Create immersive hands-on labs/classrooms which can help foster an environment of innovativeness and learning.
3. Create Value-Driven Content – Content is king in the ed-tech industry. Create outcome-oriented courses that directly address the problems of your learners.
4. Offer Strong Customer Support: To ensure a good completion rate, ensure you can offer help to your learners at every step of their learning journey. This can be achieved by offering a strong customer support.
5. Leverage Networking and Partnerships: Build relationships with educators, institutions, and other ed-tech companies. Partnerships can provide valuable insights, resources, and market access.

Mr. Chittora’s journey with Intellipaat exemplifies a transformative force in e-learning. His steadfast dedication to excellence continues to shape the industry, ensuring Intellipaat remains at the forefront of technological education. With a vision for the future and a passion for empowering learners, Mr. Chittora’s leadership underscores Intellipaat’s commitment to delivering impactful and accessible online learning experiences.

Read more Success stories of Indian entrepreneurs, Women Entrepreneurs & startups stories at SugerMint. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn