All hands on tech

• Technopreneurs are embracing new emerging opportunities in artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technology, but that’s not the be-all and end-all.
• Khairul Anwar Mohamad Zaki, CEO of 500-backed edtech company Pandai, revealed that before launching the platform, the team had already amassed a wealth of experience in the education industry having spent 12 years on the ground, visiting and engaging with schools nationwide.
• He believes that this hands-on approach, combined with active participation in global educational initiatives, gave the team a comprehensive perspective on edtech. Such collaborations have helped the team onboard thousands of students, and significantly improve the students’ academic attainments.
• “Sometimes, we were too focused on building the tech, leading to features that were not as widely used as we hoped. In edtech, education comes first, technology second,” he added.
• Khairul shared that Pandai’s initial fundraising round was the largest round for a Malaysian edtech company.
• He also explained that participating in the Y Combinator (YC) accelerator programme was particularly transformative as they learned to focus on achieving high growth and always talking to customers.
• Pandai also runs an internship programme. “Our philosophy is to give interns real work and responsibilities. Some even become co-leaders of their projects or teams,” Khairul shared. “We maintain an open hierarchy where interns can communicate with the senior management team and initiate projects.”
• Read the full story here.