Adeetya Jain: Equipping young minds with financial literacy through Ecobyte Kids

(October 25, 2024) At just 17 years old, Mumbai-based Adeetya Jain, a senior at Rahul International School, is not your typical high school student. Trained under entrepreneur Namita Thapar, of Shark Tank fame, at her Thapar’s Entrepreneurship Academy, he is building a platform poised to change how children learn about money. As the founder of Ecobyte Kids, a pioneering initiative aimed at making financial literacy accessible to children, Adeetya is on a mission to empower the next generation with the knowledge they need to navigate the world of finance.

The platform’s journey began during the pandemic and has since evolved. With the vision of blending education and technology, Adeetya Jain is now making use of AI to transform Ecobyte Kids into a personalized financial literacy hub. “Our goal is not just to make finance and economics interesting, but also to make them accessible for children across India,” Adeetya shares with Global Indian.

A vision born in the pandemic

The idea for Ecobyte Kids came to life toward the end of the COVID-19 lockdown in 2021. While the world was struggling to adjust to the new normal, Adeetya saw an opportunity to create something impactful. “We started building a team with the goal of creating a Market Viable Product (MVP) and were able to do it in eight months right after,” says the youngster who now leads a team of 30 young volunteers who are below 18.

Initially, Ecobyte Kids was conceived as a fun, digital newsletter aimed at teaching financial literacy to kids between the ages of 9 and 16. “To make financial news and information interesting for children, we created a sample four-page newsletter that was graphic and funky but at the same time enriched with simplified economics and finance concepts,” Adeetya shares. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and this small project quickly grew into a full-fledged venture. “Soon we positioned ourselves as a digital media startup for finance and economics with a niche target audience,” tells the young entrepreneur.

From newsletter to tech-backed learning solution

Ecobyte Kids is steadily evolving. Today, the platform is transitioning into an AI and Machine Learning-powered financial literacy hub. “Our focus on content creation remains intact,” Adeetya says, “But we have started exploring and executing a lot of tech-based initiatives to deliver our content.”

He and his team are working on personalized learning modules that adapt to different age groups, ensuring that younger kids receive simpler explanations while older children are introduced to more complex financial concepts. “To put it simply, the level of jargon and intensity of concepts will vary even in the 9-16-year-old age group,” Adeetya explains.

One of the upcoming features of Ecobyte Kids includes an AI-powered chatbot and a natural language processor, which will help users easily access simplified financial knowledge. “Our digital solutions, including the chatbot, will only provide verifiable, easy-to-understand and accurate content,” Adeetya shares.

In addition, his venture is working on delivering content in multiple Indian languages, ensuring it can reach children from different linguistic backgrounds. 

Entrepreneurship in the DNA

“For me, entrepreneurship is the most viable extracurricular activity. It is something I derive a lot of joy from – almost an escape from the rigorous academia in high school,” says Adeetya, for whom entrepreneurship also runs in the family. Both of his parents are successful entrepreneurs, and their example inspired him from an early age. “My parents are originally from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, who came to Mumbai to study and then established their entrepreneurial ventures,” says the youngster, whose mother runs an interior designing firm, while his father has his own pharmaceutical company.”

Their entrepreneurial drive has been a constant source of inspiration for Adeetya, encouraging him to take risks and follow his own path. “They have truly guided me along the way, and I certainly derive inspiration from them to take risks and to continuously innovate.”

Shark Tank fame Namita Thapar – a mentor

It wasn’t just his family who inspired him. Adeetya credits entrepreneur Namita Thapar for playing a key role in his development as a business enthusiast. “Namita Mam has been a vital part of my entrepreneurial journey under whose tutelage I launched my first startup, RootsUp,” Adeetya says. “She has given valuable inputs which have greatly influenced the products and services Ecobyte Kids provides today.”

Adeetya first met Namita during the online interview session of the Thapar’s Entrepreneurship Academy’s (TEA) incubator program. “After getting accepted in the program, we bonded over my startup idea and pitch-deck development over the length of the program which was in an online mode due to the pandemic.” She later added him to the Thapar Entrepreneur Academy’s Star Alumni Group which increased their interactions. The youngster calls her his ‘go-to mentor’.

As part of the TEA Incubator Program, where he won the Best Pitch Award, Adeetya Jain received prize money to run the startup. Though RootsUp didn’t pan out due to resource and time constraints, the experience gave Adeetya valuable insight into the world of startups and set the stage for Ecobyte Kids. “However, I feel that the idea of RootsUp is still relevant, and I would love to pick it up again in the future,” he says.

Balancing academics and other initiatives

For the high school student, balancing schoolwork with running a startup is no easy task, but Adeetya has found ways to manage both. “Up to 10th grade, managing studies and entrepreneurial ventures is not much of a challenge if you remain consistent,” the 12th grade student says. But with the added pressure of competitive exams and university applications, Adeetya has had to perfect the art of time management.

“Dabbling between academics and activities of interest not only requires desperation but also the ability to pull all-nighters,” he admits. His dedication to both his studies and his venture has paid off, due to the support he has received from teachers and family. “I have received a tremendous amount of support from my family members and all my teachers in school and coaching institute,” he says, also expressing gratitude to Prem Ranjan, a professor at his coaching institute.

A passion for writing, arts, and social work

In addition to his entrepreneurial pursuits, Adeetya Jain is a talented writer and an avid lover of the arts. He is a three-time winner of the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition and is currently working on publishing his anthology of poems. “I certainly had a knack for writing. I always appreciated unabridged literature and have been an avid reader – a trait my mother instilled in me,” he says.

Adeetya’s love for writing extends to his work at Ecobyte Kids, where he contributes to the content creation efforts. He also enjoys drama, debate, collecting stamps and coins and participating in occasional plays in Mumbai. “Apart from this I love debate and MUNs and have been part of the Indian National Camp for debate.”

Adeetya is also part of SpecsAid, a student-run vision-correction initiative that has collected, refurbished, and distributed over 5,000 spectacles for those in need. This initiative has been featured in print and radio.

What’s next for Ecobyte Kids?

Looking ahead, Adeetya Jain and his team have ambitious plans for Ecobyte Kids. “We are hoping to launch our print media vertical soon,” he shares, informing that the team is trying to bring on board a group of undergraduate students with backgrounds in economics and finance, currently attending leading universities, to provide advice on relevant content development.”

For him Ecobyte Kids is more than just a venture – it’s a movement to educate and empower the next generation to become financially literate. Talking about his career goals he says, “I certainly wish to continue as an entrepreneur. I have always been attached to tech and finance and would most probably continue developing and executing ideas in that field.” 

How is financial literacy important for youngsters?

• Better Money Management: Learn to budget, save, and spend wisely.
• Smart Decision-Making: Make informed financial choices.
• Understand Current Affairs: Stay updated on financial news and trends.
• Student Loan Awareness: Understand how loans work, including interest rates and repayment options.
• Understand Debt: Manage credit cards responsibly.
• Early Investing: Start building wealth through savings and investments.
• Financial Independence: Gain the skills to manage personal finances independently.

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