startups And Financing
We talked to some of the women co-founders of our Alumni community. Although they are of different age, innovate in a different vertical and have a different role within the company, all have in common the determination and the way they used their knowledge to shape their company and generate a positive social impact, through their start-ups.
Now it's the turn of Evelina Necula, entrepreneur in EdTech and communication specialist. Evelina is the co-founder of Kinderpedia, the communication and management solution for education, developed in Romania and used by over 150.000 users from over 2.000 schools and kindergartens, from Europe and the world.
The past 7 years she has been involved in research, pilot projects and communication campaigns dedicated to early childhood education. In 2019 she launched the “Kindergarten 2.0” series of events, that promoted the involvement of parents in education from the early years and the use of technology as a collaboration tool and communication channel between kindergarten and family.
Kinderpedia users’ feedback is one of my main sources of motivation. Their words paint most eloquently the impact we have every day with our product. I am glad to hear both teachers and parents talking about the value of better communicating with the school, how this has consolidated their trust and facilitated the involvement of the family in education and the collaboration between the two parties.
I am also excited to see principals and teachers from schools and kindergartens talking about how Kinderpedia helps them save time from administrative activities, allowing them to focus their efforts more on the teaching act.
The experience we offer to each type of user and the way we bring the school closer to them using technology, inspires me and encourages me to continue on this path!
I am also proud and grateful that Kinderpedia community includes education leaders such as Lect. Dr. Oana Moșoiu, Prof. Dr. Anca Nedelcu, Elena Lotrean, Oana Moraru, Valentina Secară, Măriuca Talpeș and many other prestigious names who joined us in events and innovative projects.
The events organized by Kinderpedia in the last two years have brought together thousands of inspired and dedicated teachers and educators. Their positive vibrations are an extremely valuable fuel.
The wide recognition of the innovative character and the social impact that Kinderpedia has earned in the last two years in Romania and in Europe is, for me, another source of energy and inspiration. The European Commission awarded us the “Seal of Excellence” as SME Instrument, Phase II. Kinderpedia has been recognised as a "Tech for Good" company by the European Business Angels Network and received an award from Amazon Web Services in November 2019, in Brussels.
At country level, Kinderpedia won the “Innovator of the Year” award at the Business Review Awards Gala, in March 2020. Business Magazine presented Kinderpedia among the most innovative companies in Romania, in an edition dedicated to innovation, for two years in a row. We are also the winners of the first prize from the “Innovators for Children 2019” accelerator and got the third prize at the Startarium competition.
A popular saying among entrepreneurs is that "it takes 7 years to be an overnight success", so determination and resilience are important traits for anyone who sets off an innovative start-up.
There is a need for a vision, that initial “why” that eloquently summarizes the transformation the founders aim for, in a certain field, the society or the world. This "why" opens doors and generates a wave of support, because it proves that your proposition is not only for you.
A good understanding of people and what motivates them is a big plus for founders because it helps them attract those important vectors needed by a start-up to pass the project stage and become a business; they may be partners, customers, ambassadors or key team members.
Last but not least, the founders should dedicate an equal share of time, energy and other resources to strengthening their team, as the share allocated to build the product.
I am fascinated by the way technology transforms education, in all its forms. Curricular content is influenced by new digital technologies, both as depth and as presentation. The way we communicate and organize in relation to the school is also reinvented by technology, which creates a digital, personalized and secure work environment, for each user.
The pandemic year we are just leaving behind, has forced us to rethink how students can get access to education. Technology has shown that it can be a facilitator, offering comprehensive virtual classroom tools. Assessments and monitoring of student progress will be profoundly transformed by technology. Currently, we are actually working on a new Kinderpedia module which will allow teachers to record students’ progress and share it with their families.
If I were to refer to only one technology, I believe that Artificial Intelligence will bring a lot of value into education, by customizing the educational content according to the individual progress of each student.
Find out more about Kinderpedia.
SeedBlink S.A. is registered in the Register of the Romanian Financial Supervisory Authority (ASF), under number PJR28FSFPR/400001, as of 03.11.2022 with an EU passport as per European Securities and Market Authority (ESMA) register of crowdfunding services providers.
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