Sarah, 14, a Class IX student, asked her mother, “What’s the biggest or top job that I can aim for?” Coming from a teenager who was yet to opt for the mainstream of studies in higher secondary school, the question stumped Sarah’s mother. In her school days or even later, such a thought had never crossed the lady’s mind, herself a postgraduate in biotechnology.

A good number of students who pass out of school would have an idea of the line of studies they would pursue — medicine, engineering, accountancy, to name a few. And they would get in somewhere at the bottom of the rung in the corporate world, and work their way up. But there are some like Sarah who eyes the “top job” from Day One.

Enter Clever Harvey, a subsidiary of Callido Learnings with operations in 28 countries, which has set up a specialised Junior MBA program for children who aim high. This course is for students in the age group of between 13-16 or Class 8-12. This online education facilitator seeks to bridge the gap between what students learn in classrooms and what they have to apply in the workplace environment.

“There are three courses to choose from: JuniorCEO, JuniorCMO and JuniorCTO. The USP of this program is to give students exposure to these roles and teach the fundamentals of business and entrepreneurship,” says Madhu Agrawal Co-founder and COO, Clever Harvey.

“Unlike in the past, now anyone with a good idea can go to the market and mop up funds for their start-up. The US economy has been like this for a long time — what they call the ‘American dream’. India is reaching there now. The ‘Junior MBA’ is enabling all young ones to learn the ropes of the business and be ‘Aatmanirbhar’, explained Madhu.

No competition now

Madhu claims Clever Harvey is the “first mover” in this field in India. “While there are some courses like this overseas, they are usually much longer. Our courses are unique for the amazing student work achieved in just 10 hours,” she claimed.

Over 3,000 students have enrolled in Clever Harvey’s course till date, helping it register revenues of over ₹1 crore. The company, which has received Series A funding of ₹4 crore (it’s now looking for another Series A funding), has raised its staff strength from about 10 in April 2020 to 60 now.

Headquartered in Mumbai, Clever Harvey has offices across the country. Marketing is done mainly through social media and word of mouth. “Our courses are certified by Dr Fruzzetti of Brown University. We are in conversations for corporate tie-ups for formal recognition of the program,” said Madhu.

Success stories

Some students of Clever Harvey have launched their ideas as actual businesses. Take, for example, www.virtudopt.com , where users can adopt pets virtually; they need not own them but can get the satisfaction of 24x7 live audio feed with two-way audio, pictures and video of the ‘VirtuPet’. This service is especially useful for frequent travellers, low-income users, and users with allergies. Speaking to BusinessLine , Haashir Ahmed Sheikh, a Class IX student of Vidya Shilp Academy, North Bangalore, a promoter of the company, said the plan is to take it to other cities (based out of Bengaluru) across the country soon. Anish Garg is the other brain behind this project.

Others ideas en route to becoming businesses include: Eye Spy — a software that assists online teachers to monitor the attention span of students by tracking their eye and neck movements; and The Brick Company — a sustainable and affordable solution to make bricks from waste materials.

The cost for one course is ₹7,499, and for all three courses (Junior CEO, JuniorCMO and JuniorCTO) ₹12,999.

“Students can taste different career choices in 10 hours, and not lose precious time in making that choice,” sums up Madhu on the high point of Clever Harvey.

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