Meeting them at a popular food joint with music screaming out aloud, this bunch of youngsters was bubbling with energy. All of them below 30 years age stood out from the normal crowd not only for who they are but for what they do with a passion to bring a change in the education system.
Abhilash, Bhanu, Apeksha, Sahitya and Srikar are a part of the &beyond team. It is a six month old Hyderabad based socio-academic student portal with over 10,000 of their kind already registered. They call themselves a smart ecosystem that bridges the gap between students, colleges, alumni, institutes and also companies offering placements.
"&beyond is a one stop solution for all things 'student.' We aim to make communication and collaboration very much easier for students. While getting relevant information is almost impossible for them, we take the burden upon us to sort it and customize it the way they want it." says Abhilash Bandi, co-founder of &beyond.
Abhilash, Bhanu and Srujan, founders of &beyond are 2007 alumni and also childhood friends. Srujan Gottemukkala is from IIT- Madras while the other two are from the Gokaraju Rangaraju Institute of Engineering and Technology.
"A common friend's brother applied for his engineering supplementary exam at JNTU. He paid the fees but the authorities failed to record it later, and he had to repeat his whole year. That's when we were discussing that there is a pressing need for a smart and organized channel for students where all their needs are addressed." says Bhanu Prakash Kantala, co-founder &beyond.
After conducting a survey of about 52 colleges across AP and gathering feedback from hundreds of students, the outcome shocked them. They laid the foundation stone for their cause early in 2012 and did a lot of ground work. In June 2012, they tentatively rolled out their beta at a Computer Society of India event. They have been running in beta mode till now but a plan to release the main product soon is in process. Also, they have expanded the web services to Karnataka and Tamilnadu apart from AP.
&beyond is a platform for students to vent out and reach out to other students so that they are informed and also entertained. There are academics, fun and connect options. They provide a virtual replication of the college notice board and information about projects, college directory, mentors, lecturers, scholarships, notifications, exam dates, results, career path, education clubs and more. In fun option, students can upload photos and challenge others like ‘who can eat more ice creams in one minute.’ Show off is where you can flaunt a newly bought watch or phone. Filmy-meter where you can rate newly released films moreover throw ends at films. The connect option helps students reach out to other students, lecturers, mentors, company executives and alumni.
“We conduct different events all through the year. Currently, the dope awards are going on where the natural talents of students are recognized and a democratic voting system helps them win prizes. The six categories are Book worm, Best student, Mr and Ms Looker, Mr and Miss Show off and Nautanki Baaz that is open till June 30." add Apeksha Badagavi, Operations lead, &beyond and Srikar Chepuri, Marketing head.
While Abhilash did his masters from Bond University in Australia, Apeksha, Bhanu, Sahitya and
Srikar are software professionals. They all are also founders and volunteers of Helping hands society. They have been mentored by Satyam CEO, IIM alumni and Serial entrepreneurs.
“We aim to reach a stage where &beyond becomes a commodity for every student across India. We are rolling out city by city. But, we have locally customized features. We have our own team of technicians. Our motto is 'you don't have to reach &beyond. &beyond fits into your lifestyle.” They all say collectively.
By Uma Pranathi Narayan
Published in DC during its 75 year anniversary celebrations
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