[00:00:02 – 00:00:11] Nitin Bajaj

Hey, everyone. Welcome to the industry show. I’m your host, Nitin Bajaj. And joining me today is Amrutha Vasant. Amrutha, welcome back on the show.

[00:00:11 – 00:00:13] Amrutha Vasant

Thanks so much, Nitin. Thanks for having me.

[00:00:14 – 00:00:18] Nitin Bajaj

So let’s do this again. Who is Amrutha?

[00:00:20 – 00:01:02] Amrutha Vasant

So Amrutha today from last time is much older, but I realized that for me, I I crave a lot of depth in whatever I do, whether that’s personal or professional. So on the professional side, I I really crave value in the work that I do. I wanted to go into a service industry. I really wanted to make an impact. Whether that made a lot of money or not was different, but my goal was to actually have an impact in people’s lives. And on the personal front as well, I spend a lot of time with my family, with close friends, and close relationships mean a lot to me, and I try to put as much time into those as I can versus general networking.

[00:01:03 – 00:01:08] Nitin Bajaj

Comes with maturity, and, I think I’m still on that journey.

[00:01:11 – 00:01:12] Amrutha Vasant

Now Yeah.

[00:01:12 – 00:01:13] Nitin Bajaj

Go ahead.

[00:01:13 – 00:01:15] Amrutha Vasant

I’m figuring out what makes you happy, I think.

[00:01:15 – 00:01:30] Nitin Bajaj

Yes. So true. Now give us a sense for what Inspirit is today and the size and scale, but most importantly, the impact you and the team have been able to create.

[00:01:31 – 00:02:42] Amrutha Vasant

Yeah. So, so INSPIRIT basically makes spatial computing for learning simple. And so what we do is we implement these VR labs, in different learning institutions, and our goal really is to give learners a way to learn and practice skills that fall into the DICE framework. So the DICE framework says that the only things that you should be doing in VR are anything that is dangerous, impossible, counterproductive, or too expensive to do in the real world. And if it doesn’t fall under that model, you probably shouldn’t be doing it within virtual reality. But if it does, VR is a great use case. And so, we have kind of implemented across many schools we’ve been selling for the last two years. We have a platform that now works across web, tablet, VR devices. We’re device agnostic, and we’ve kind of stuck to our mission of being an affordable and accessible solution and spend a lot of time training teachers, making sure the labs are actually up and running, and that schools get value from them. And recently, we’ve started growing within correctional facilities and workforce development programs as well, and we’re in about a hundred schools today.

[00:02:42 – 00:03:04] Nitin Bajaj

That’s fascinating. That’s amazing scale. And be able to get to these, youth at that age and giving them access, I think you’re you’re kind of showing them the world is limitless and be able to bring their creativity and just go crazy with it. I love that.

[00:03:04 – 00:03:40] Amrutha Vasant

Exactly. And and I think it shows in the schools that we actually sell to. So many people think VR, you must be selling into rich private schools. But no. Actually, we we don’t have any private schools. Almost all of our schools are public schools. A lot of them are title one schools, where it would just be too expensive for them to go and invest in a huge lab or take their kids on these fascinating field trips. And so virtual reality ends up being the more cost effective way to give their students these experiences, which was exactly why we started the company. And we’re kind of seeing that happen now.

[00:03:41 – 00:03:51] Nitin Bajaj

That’s just fascinating for you to be able to do that and bring those dreams to life for thousands of children. So, really, congratulations and kudos on that.

[00:03:52 – 00:03:53] Amrutha Vasant

Thank you so much.

[00:03:54 – 00:04:21] Nitin Bajaj

Now when we talk about, you know, going through these, mostly title one schools, public schools, I’m sure there is a lot of challenges in the system. Right? And we were just talking about the education system here in the country is going through its own challenges. What’s the one big challenge you would like to call out from the myriad of, the ones you’re facing?

[00:04:22 – 00:06:05] Amrutha Vasant

Yeah. I I think the hardest challenge is articulating value to a teacher or an administrator that doesn’t understand the value of technology. So the hardest part for us is helping a teacher realize that this is not an expensive solution. If anything, it actually ends up becoming a more cost effective solution. But but the goal is to get them on the phone to actually try it out. And once they’ve tried it out, the first time, usually, they’re sold, for the most part once it fits their use case. But I think it’s it’s important for teachers, educators, administrators, the people that have the buying power, so to speak, in education to understand that technology is a potential solution where, unfortunately, education is always a decade or two behind on these solutions, and and they tend to avoid these solutions just given the people that are making these decisions. So that’s one big challenge. And then the other one, of course, is there’s a lot of political changes. There’s there’s a lot happening. Every day we wake up to the news, and there’s something new happening with education. Earlier, if you asked me five years ago when I started the company, I was very excited to make an impact in education, and I thought that if you built a great product, it would be fine. But the the more we’ve come into this journey, the less naive I’ve gotten and really realized that, unfortunately, politics is very, very close, to education in this country. And so you you have to be aware of what’s going on and and make sure that your product fits the need of the current administration.

[00:06:07 – 00:06:54] Nitin Bajaj

Unfortunate, but a reality. But, you know, that’s where maturity and, experience comes into play, and, I’m glad you’re navigating it the best you can given the circumstances. And like everything else, you know, this will also pass, and, hopefully, some sanity will come back into education is important and, is a foundation for the future of this country and and this generation. So I’m hopeful, and I know so are you. And, let’s talk about opportunities that come alongside challenges. What’s the one that you’re most excited about?

[00:06:55 – 00:07:32] Amrutha Vasant

Yeah. I I think the biggest thing for us is actually the shift in narrative. So I said that, yes, current administration is challenging, but at the same time, I’m I’m actually really impressed with the growing understanding of Gen z and, honestly, Gen Alpha as well realizing that they don’t need a college education anymore. I love the conversations that people are having. I think, younger people understand the concept of ROI. They understand taking their careers into their own hands. And there’s been a growing demand for career technical education courses, also known as, like, vocational training. Mhmm. Technical education courses, also known as, like, vocational training

[00:07:32 – 00:07:33] Nitin Bajaj

Mhmm.

[00:07:33 – 00:08:23] Amrutha Vasant

Where a lot of students are realizing, hey. College might not be for me. It probably doesn’t make sense for me to go take out a huge loan, but I have to get a job. And I wanna get a high paying job. And so there’s a lot of people looking at welding, HVAC. There’s a lot of public schools looking at bringing these streams into their schools. And so while I say that, yes, there might not be funding, schools recognize that they have to set their students up to get a job. Not every student is gonna go to Harvard, but every student has to get a job. And so, there’s a lot of use cases for VR now because they need to be able to train these students on these careers. And so for us, we’ve just been seeing a lot of growth in that space. And I do think the job market’s gonna look very different in ten years, but many students are building hard skills that they can put to use.

[00:08:24 – 00:09:26] Nitin Bajaj

And that’s the part I’m most excited about. You know, when we talk about education, traditionally, it’s meant, you know, your school, high school, college, university. I think a few years ago, I came to that realization that not all education is the same and not all education has to be structured in that format, because the world is changing the world, and we need to adapt with it. So there’s definitely a question mark, especially for us coming from, the typical South Asian background. It was unquestionable, that you had to go through the structured school university system, but that’s no longer the case. And I’m really excited about what you have built, with Inspirit because it doesn’t have to fit the mold, and it still continues to bring these opportunities for educating and providing those foundational aspects so people can do and build on top of that. So that’s really exciting.

[00:09:26 – 00:09:53] Amrutha Vasant

Yeah. And I and I love the conversation shift. I love that people are recognizing this because I think the last ten years were or maybe even fifteen years were all about STEM and computer science and coding. And I think people are realizing that there are many more careers out there, especially with AI coming in and not knowing what sorts of careers will be out there. I I kind of love the shift that people are now wanting to build their skills up across the board.

[00:09:55 – 00:10:17] Nitin Bajaj

Now as we look forward in time, I love to pause and reflect. And, I’d invite you to share two moments from your past. One where things did not work out as you’d expected. There was failure, lessons. And another where things exceeded your expectations and became a success beyond your imagination.

[00:10:19 – 00:12:36] Amrutha Vasant

Yeah. So so I think a failure, and and both of these are are gonna be similarly phrased. But one of the failures for me personally was not surrounding myself with people who share the same values. So as I was growing the company, there was a lot of pressure to hire people with the right resume, or the right background and the right skills. And while these people definitely brought the right skills to the job, they didn’t necessarily share the same values. And the second that those values were misaligned, everything started turning into a misunderstanding, a disagreement. And that didn’t mean that, you know, I was a bad person or that person was a bad person. It just meant that we weren’t able to work together, which meant that we weren’t necessarily doing what was right for the company. And so, after what probably took too long, to be very honest, we decided to part ways. And even though it’s a very difficult it really did change the trajectory of the company because I think it allowed us to be in a better mental state, to be very honest, and be able to run and spare from a logical standpoint versus a more emotional standpoint, which is what was happening because of that values clash. So I think that is the core thing that someone needs to look at versus just the resume and all the other pieces. And on the other side of the coin, I think the success story is is really just building a company with sound processes. So as a CEO, my primary job is to bring the vision to life. Right? So that means creating org structures, hiring people, and just building processes to keep the company running. And it’s been close to six years now. Now. And we built a company across The US and India. Our whole product team is in Bangalore. Our sales and marketing team is in The US. And we had a lot of shifts the first couple of years because we were trying to find product market fit. The company was constantly changing. I think everyone talks about those. The first few years, you have so many team members coming in and out because you don’t know who you need. They don’t know how to keep up. There’s there’s a lot happening. But at this point, we have the right team. We have the right processes in place, things have been relatively stable, and we’re built to start scaling. And so I would say that is the biggest accomplishment.

[00:12:37 – 00:13:49] Nitin Bajaj

That’s amazing. That’s a great place to be in. And to your previous comment on, you know, the the core values and the team being aligned to that, it’s so important but so understated. And I don’t think enough people talk about it, especially in the earlier stages of the company, as a lot is moving as you’re trying to find that product market Nitin having the the right team that is completely aligned with the core values can be such a you know, it just stops you from flying through and being smooth. So I’m glad, you know, that, you experienced it, but just enough to know that it is important. And, I’m glad you are where you are and, excited for you and the team to take Inspirit to new heights. Now stepping aside, when you’re not working, when you’re not thinking about education and dreams and, you know, bringing these to life, what do you do to de stress, to relax, to kick back?

[00:13:50 – 00:14:39] Amrutha Vasant

Yeah. So the most fun I actually have is maintaining a semblance of taking care of myself. I grew up in a, like, pretty traditional Indian home, and I grew up between India and The US. And I at home cooked meals every day. Someone was taking care of me every day. So for me, it’s just if there are groceries in my fridge and I’m able to cook lunch and dinner for me and my husband every day, which I I am actually taking the time to make sure I do while having Netflix in the background, that’s good enough for me. That’s my way to de stress. And then if I eat good food, I feel better, and I’m happier. But other than that, just exercising, walking around New York, reading, typical things. But, truly, I think the main thing at this point is if I can make me and my husband lunch and dinner, I am happy that day. That’s awesome.

[00:14:40 – 00:14:49] Nitin Bajaj

That’s a great place to be. And, it also becomes a vehicle to maybe de stress. Right? I wouldn’t know. I’ve never cooked. So

[00:14:52 – 00:15:00] Amrutha Vasant

Well, I I wouldn’t say I love cooking. People think I do. I just love good food. And, honestly, I I like it to my taste, so I have to do it.

[00:15:00 – 00:15:07] Nitin Bajaj

Yes. I mean, I say this openly. I’m a control freak. So even if I don’t cook, I make sure it’s cooked to my taste.

[00:15:07 – 00:15:08] Amrutha Vasant

Exactly.

[00:15:11 – 00:15:16] Nitin Bajaj

Is it a book or a podcast that, you’d like to recommend and share?

[00:15:16 – 00:16:30] Amrutha Vasant

Yeah. I’m I’m not a big podcast person, very honestly, but there are two books. First one is relatively controversial. It’s it’s very controversial, actually. It’s breaking India Two Point o. It’s called snakes in the Ganga. And, I thought it was very fascinating just because it’s a book, based on tech and between The US and Nitin, and it calls out a lot of people that I know and a lot of companies that I work with. So I thought that was a fascinating read. But other than that, I read a lot of fiction as well. And so Pachinko was one of my favorite books. It’s not a business book. I act I I don’t read a lot of business books. I read a lot of business, like, substacks. But it’s a beautiful story, and it’s about, multiple generations between Korea and Japan. I think it was made an Apple TV show recently, but I I read the book before that came out. And it talks a lot about how people are working their hardest and a lot about the geopolitics of that whole situation. And it’s a good reminder of, realizing that you can really do whatever you want and put in as much effort, but a lot of it just falls on luck and and what’s going on in the world today. It’s a great story.

[00:16:30 – 00:16:41] Nitin Bajaj

Fascinating. Thanks for sharing those. Now onto my favorite part of the show, which is the one line life lessons. Amrutha, I would love for you to share your life lessons with us.

[00:16:42 – 00:18:33] Amrutha Vasant

Yeah. So I came up with five. They’re not short and succinct, but I’m usually not. So I think the first one is, especially if you’re an entrepreneur or doing anything entrepreneurial, your life partner is your company’s silent there are many times where something stressful will happen with the company. I take my own time to process it, and then I share it with my husband. And I’m waiting for him to comfort me. And I forgot that he is equally emotionally invested in my company, and he also needs his time to process. And so now we have a system where we we take almost thirty six hours before both of us are over some news that we received. And I think it’s really important to remember that they they’re equally invested, and it’s actually worse for them because they can’t do anything or make any decisions, about the company as well. So that was the first one. The second one is, if you’re stressed and you’re not a doctor, just remember that it’s not life or death, and that’ll get you through. The third one is operate with empathy and not sympathy. So always take into account what people people’s feelings are, what they might be thinking, but make your decisions based on an understanding and not because you’re sympathetic towards them. Fourth one is if you’re the smartest in the room, stop asking the wrong questions. I think there’s something you can learn from everyone. And if you really think you are the smartest in the room, then you’re probably not having the right conversation. And the last one is related to the previous examples that I gave you, but let your values guide your decisions. I think it’s more important to sleep peacefully at night than to make something that might create more money or create bigger branding for you.

[00:18:35 – 00:18:52] Nitin Bajaj

Wow. That is so much wisdom. That is amazing. Amrutha, I’m not surprised because I’ve known you for a few years now. You have, you’re very wise, very mature. And as I said, I’m still on that journey. And,

[00:18:52 – 00:18:55] Amrutha Vasant

That’s fine. As as we all are.

[00:18:56 – 00:19:26] Nitin Bajaj

Some a little ahead than than the rest. So I’m usually in the backbenches when it comes to maturity, wisdom, all of these things. So thank you for sharing your journey and story. And, again, many congratulations for all of the successes so far. And I know you’re just getting started. So really happy for you and the team and what you’ve accomplished, and, super excited for more to come.

[00:19:26 – 00:19:29] Amrutha Vasant

Thanks, Nitin. It’s always great talking to you.

[00:19:29 – 00:19:31] Nitin Bajaj

Likewise. Thank you.

[00:19:32 – 00:19:33] Amrutha Vasant

Thanks. Bye.