Swati Gauba Kochar, Woman Entrepreneur & Thinker in Chief, Kidspreneurship

Interview with Swati Gauba Kochar, Woman Entrepreneur & Thinker in Chief, Kidspreneurship

Swati Gauba Kochar is an accomplished and multifaceted professional with an impressive career spanning over 15 years.

As the Founder & Thinker in Chief of Kidspreneurship, a leading Edtech company in Singapore, she aspires to transform the education system through early entrepreneurship education.

Swati holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology(IT) and a Master’s in Communication Management and Entrepreneurship from Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA).

With over a decade of experience in marketing & communication, Swati has worked with global MNCs such as Syntel and GroupM, and leading media houses like Times Internet.

Swati has a wealth of entrepreneurial experience to her credit as well. During her stay in Singapore, she has provided strategic consulting to startups and SMEs to establish their digital marketing function and achieve sustainable growth.

Swati’s passion for empowering students and promoting the science of happiness has led her to become a certified Trainer & Coach specializing in Kids.

She is an eminent mentor and coach for many students, providing them with the guidance they need to succeed.

In 2016, she was among the top 8 women from South and Southeast Asia who participated in the Female Foundry Program by Dentsu Aegis Network in Singapore. Her drive to make a positive impact on the education system has earned her a reputation as a visionary.

Can you share the inspiration behind founding Kidspreneurship and what motivated you to create an outcome-led holistic learning platform focused on exposing students to an entrepreneurial way of life?

Swati Gauba Kochar: My decision to start Kidspreneurship was influenced by my experience while working with a robotic and coding academy.

I noticed that students were being taught “how to code” without learning “how to think”. It felt like teaching them to run before they learned how to walk.

To address this gap, I decided to develop a curriculum that specifically focuses on nurturing entrepreneurial thinking. I

nitially, I created a short course, but soon realized that technology skills alone were not sufficient to prepare children for the future.

This realization motivated me to develop a more comprehensive program that prioritizes the holistic development of the whole child.

How does Kidspreneurship differ from traditional educational approaches?

Swati Gauba Kochar: Kidspreneurship aims to bridge the divide between the industry and academia. Through a participative, play-based, and probe-based experiential pedagogy (3P), students are fully engaged in the learning process. This approach ensures that students are actively involved and immersed in their learning experience.

What unique features or methodologies does your platform employ to engage students and foster their entrepreneurial skills?

Swati Gauba Kochar: The platform has several key features:

• It offers frameworks and engaging content, including videos, worksheets, and quizzes for effective learning.
• The assessment approach is holistic, covering emotional intelligence (EQ), social intelligence (SQ), and creative intelligence (CQ).
• Students have the opportunity to tackle real challenges and participate in competitions to apply their knowledge.
• Project-based learning is emphasized, allowing students to create a portfolio of their work.
• The platform follows a unique teaching method, ensuring a distinct and effective pedagogical approach.

Could you provide an overview of the learning resources, curricula, and products offered by Kidspreneurship? How do these resources cater to the various age groups and learning needs of students?

Swati Gauba Kochar: Our course is organized into three levels: ThinkPreneur, CreatePreneur, and LaunchPreneur. Each level comprises 12 streams, which are covered in approximately 30 to 36 sessions.

Our program is designed for students aged 8 to 14 years. Regardless of their age, every student begins with the ThinkPreneur level, as it establishes a solid foundation.

To support their learning, we provide various resources for each topic, including videos, worksheets, quizzes, and assignments.

At the end of each stream, students are expected to work on projects. The entire program is carefully structured to ensure a continuous learning journey for students.

Entrepreneurship is often associated with real-world experiences. How does Kidspreneurship incorporate practical, hands-on activities and projects to help students apply their learning in a practical setting?

Swati Gauba Kochar: We collaborate extensively with industry partners to provide real-world problems for children to work on.

These industry partners assign projects specifically for young learners. The culmination of these projects is a demo day, where the young learners have the opportunity to showcase their ideas.

This demo day happens regularly, ensuring consistent engagement. Furthermore, we have identified project opportunities that enhance the learning experience and reinforce the desired outcomes of each lesson.

Assessment and feedback play a crucial role in the learning process. How does Kidspreneurship evaluate the progress and development of students?

Swati Gauba Kochar: Our main emphasis is on providing regular feedback to students, along with quarterly performance assessments that are visible to both the school and parents.

Additionally, we conduct an annual assessment to track improvements in areas such as creative intelligence (CQ), social intelligence (SQ), and emotional intelligence (EQ).

Our aim is to develop a system that positively impacts student performance by focusing on growth and improvement, rather than fostering excessive competition.

Parental involvement is often key to a child’s educational journey. How does Kidspreneurship engage parents and guardians in the learning process, and what support or resources are provided to help them reinforce entrepreneurial principles at home?

Swati Gauba Kochar: Parents play a vital role in their child’s education. We actively involve parents by regularly engaging with them.

In fact, when we collaborate with schools, our initial workshop is specifically designed for parents. Additionally, we provide a dedicated section where we share tips and advice for parents on how they can foster entrepreneurial thinking in their children.

As the Chief Thinker of Kidspreneurship, what challenges have you encountered in developing and scaling the platform? How have you overcome these challenges, and what lessons have you learned along the way?

Swati Gauba Kochar: One of the challenges we face is the traditional mindset that prioritizes academics and grades. To overcome this, we have shifted our focus towards schools that have a more progressive and open-minded approach. This strategic shift has enabled us to grow and expand more quickly.

What advice would you give to educators and parents who want to instil an entrepreneurial mindset in their children or students? What steps can they take to support the development of entrepreneurial skills from an early age?

Swati Gauba Kochar: First and foremost, it is important for our society to decrease our dependence on grades as a means of measuring progress.

This approach has been found to have negative effects on a child’s overall development. Instead, we should promote a culture that values and nurtures creativity and innovation.

If we don’t provide opportunities for children to explore and exercise these qualities from a young age, they may lose their ability to think creatively and innovatively.

In your opinion, how can entrepreneurship education contribute to shaping the future of our society and prepare students for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead?

Swati Gauba Kochar: There are numerous urgent problems that require solutions. By fostering an entrepreneurial mindset in the younger generation, we can contribute to addressing some of these societal issues.

The key is to start preparing students early on, as it is the only way to instil an entrepreneurial mindset—a perspective that sees problems as opportunities.

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