Dr. Kripa Sundar: Encouraging EdTech Learning

Enrolled in 11 educational institutions across seven educational systems globally on purpose, moved cities once every six years, and well-versed in multiple languages besides a doctorate degree – one might think all these credentials cannot hold true for just one person. But Dr. Kripa Sundar, a management consultant-turned-learning scientist, boasts of all this and more. She strives to make learning more effective using the power of data.   

Dr. Sundar’s early experiences with the education industry taught her that there is no “one size fits all” approach when it comes to learning. Armed with a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and an advanced diploma in management accounting, she works towards supporting businesses that aim to create an impact through data-driven decisions and make learning more efficient, effective, and engaging. A client’s need to reconceptualize an education program to make it commercially viable spurred Dr. Sundar’s career switch from working with Deloitte and a leading investment bank into education.  

Improved Potential   

Dr. Sundar founded EdTech Recharge in 2020, a boutique impact consulting and research firm focused on supporting edtech companies and executing their evidence-informed product strategy. Her expertise lies in research on concept mapping, seductive details, and science learning to bring better edtech to learners. Her motto is to design and execute accessible and actionable research for educational organizations. She firmly believes that sustainable and scalable learning products should deliver in terms of value. And that can be achieved by taking strategic product and market decisions through efficiently executed research.    

Her consulting and research firm EdTech Recharge offers services including Impact Definition, Impact Design and Delivery, Impact Monitoring, and Recharge Rx and Rally. Alongside, she also pioneered two innovative impact offerings: the 5*2-hour Product Crystallization Rally and ad-hoc consulting hours to support those who need guidance in their product, impact, and research journey. With her vast expertise in the subject, it is no surprise that Dr. Sundar spent 100+ hours last year mentoring , coaching, and training edtech entrepreneurs, besides taking part in professional workshops, online courses, and additional coaching. She lists some of the projects undertaken, including, but not limited to, supporting the product team to envision product features inspired by research evidence, learning analytics, and setting up the data strategy to inform the company’s learning engineering potential.   

Love for the Written Word   

Since its inception, EdTech Recharge has catered to more than 30 organizations, including solopreneurs to global companies across nations, servicing over 500,000 learners. Dr. Sundar recently added another feather to her rich hat by publishing a book for young children (<7 years) and their caregivers called How do I learn? which details key scientific findings.  A mother of two little girls herself, she understands the challenges of getting young minds to learn and cultivate study habits. Hence, with her book, which features inspiring illustrations and supportive parent resources, she wishes to provide a space for conversations and serve as a stepping stone to building healthier learning traits. Dr. Sundar says that her book shares key findings from cognitive science, educational psychology, and neuroscience in simple, everyday words with the goal of helping learners understand how we learn.   

Power of the Mind   

Dr. Sundar’s mission is simple yet impressive: to educate through entrepreneurship. With every conversation she holds, she aims to share her learning. Research is not everyone’s cup of tea and to help understanding its nuances is the key. With her services varying according to the goals of the clients, Dr. Sundar wants customers to be well-informed regarding why they are paying an X amount for what they are paying and be open to learning for overall growth. In her own unique approach, she balances business aspects and impacts to ensure all-around development.   

A female entrepreneur herself, Dr. Sundar understands that nothing comes easy. “Always listen to your customers to figure out what they want. Fold into your strengths and have a safety net ready at the same time to fall back on. No one knows you better than you, so define your success and work towards it. Everyone looks more successful than they feel, so do not lose hope even when things seem far from perfect. Just keep going,” added Dr. Sundar.