Imagine how it would feel about traveling around the world and learning about those places by remaining in the same place. Sounds quite exciting, right? As years are passing by, the invention of the latest technologies seems to make our lives much more comfortable and more thrilling. Nerdiz.com is a virtual reality (VR) education platform which has taken this concept to a new level. Using VR technology could make education a lot more fascinating for children.
Nerdiz.com envisions facilitating all schools and students with VR content around Bangladesh. It is working to establish a VR lab in schools. It is a virtual reality education platform in Bangladesh, which explores numerous applications of virtual reality in the education field.
Pradeepta Kumar Saha, CEO, and founder of Nerdiz, has faced many difficulties to bring Nerdiz to the platform it is standing on today. To know more about its journey and plans in Bangladesh.
Introducing VR education in Bangladesh is a very disruptive and innovative idea. How did you come up with it?
Pradeepta Kumar Saha: Virtual Reality (VR) is a new way to tackle a globally widespread problem we had been facing until now. When I was a child, I was a visual learner and could learn better, when I saw the subject in reality. I knew there were others like me. Once, we were taken to Lalbagh Fort for a field trip which was followed by an exam. Surprisingly, for the first time, I scored good marks on a history exam, which gave me direction to work toward it. While looking for a solution, I stumbled upon virtual reality technology, which is an effective solution as students would now not only read but would be able to experience their educational content.
Now tell us about your journey! What kind of challenges did you face?
I started developing the idea and plans in 2016. During that time, VR was not that popular and was looked upon as something only possible in science-fiction films or, at best, in developed nations. When I shared this concept, people showed skepticism. However, I firmly held the vision. With no coding or VR knowledge, I commenced my journey and learned anything I could. It was a one-person show until I developed a prototype. From there onwards, people started joining, and that is how we expanded.
How did you receive traction from your target audience? Please tell us in detail.
It was a tough task finding whom to target. In terms of VR headsets, the purchase decision for children is totally in the hands of their parents. We are mainly pushing our platform to the schools so that we can get access to those students. Through our initial social media videos, we received a lot of attention, and several schools also approached us. We have been very active on social media. We have also carried out our sessions in schools and achieved good word of mouth, which helped us a lot.
Tell us about how NERDIZ makes Money!
NERDIZ is a product built by my parent company NVR Studio. NVR studio is a production company and product development company that offers customized AR/VR. 3D modeling and other tech solutions. The majority of the revenue comes from NVR studio. However, in the future, we want to see our content used by institutions and NGOs on a subscription basis.
What are your current major activities at NERDIZ?
Currently, we have an open platform, Nerdiz.com, which is accessible to all. However, we are mostly focusing on schools and providing VR sessions where students can be taught and instantaneously shown those things. We have already worked with several NGOs and social organizations such as – It’s Humanity Foundation (IHF), Youth Voice, and Teach for Bangladesh and conducted sessions in schools.
Tell us a bit more about NVR Studio!
NVR studio is the parent company of NERDIZ. NVR studio is an AR/VR and IT solutions company. From NVR studio, we develop products and also provide customized solutions to Brands as well. Some of our customers are Newzealand dairy, Nagad, British council, CRI, BRAC, and many more.
What are your plans? What do you wish to achieve from this?
Pradeepta Kumar Saha: We want to expand our services in NVR studio and grow our team so that we can create impactful products like Nerdiz and develop VR labs in schools. Within this year, we want to impact more than 40,000 students and reach remote places in Bangladesh.
My vision through NERDIZ and NVR studio is to create experiential products and experiences for the customers. Through Nerdiz, I have the vision to provide visual learning for all.
