Learning the fun way with Layup
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Reaching the top - Sheran Corera
A diehard basketball fan – Lakers is his favourite NBA team – it comes as no surprise that Sheran Corera opted to run with the tag Layup when he was looking around for a name that would best describe his start-up which is all the rage now. Just a few weeks ago, Layup was picked as the best Sri Lankan start-up by Seedstars World, a global seed-stage start-up competition on the hunt for smart solutions and profitable products. Layup which was up against a number of creative ideas fit the bill perfectly from the eight short-listed start-ups. Perhaps it was pretty predictable for who amongst us hasn’t been bored out of our minds trying to follow a complicated training manual put out by employers who believe the more complicated it is the better. Layup, a learning driven social platform, cuts through all the gobbledygook and presents training courses in a manner which is welcome. “Our method feels like you are playing a game.
You can see what everyone else is doing, and when you complete a module you get points. You are rewarded,” describes Corera. “Online training through learning management systems just doesn’t work. Content creation is a nightmare, usability is very poor, hands-on knowledge is rarely captured and unless forced, user-engagement is low to non-existent. “Our radical new approach is called ‘Engaged Education Methodology’ an agile three-step learning style where user participation and knowledge retention is maximised,” explains Corera. Please note the three-step learning curve. In basketball a layup is also basically done with the minimum of fuss and in three steps, and with use of the backboard points are scored. Points are rewarded. This close resemblance to online gaming has turned Layup into one of the hottest start-ups in Sri Lanka.
Apart from being recognised globally – Layup will compete with 60 other winners worldwide for a jackpot of US$1 million in equity investment at the Seedstars Summit in Switzerland next March – it has also raked in the dividends locally with US$1 million in contracts with local companies. Not bad for a start-up which next month will be celebrating its second birthday. It all began with a consultancy at the Medical Faculty in Colombo where Corera was asked to assist lecturers and students on how to make the existing learning system more user-friendly. “No one wanted to use it. They wanted interesting things. People were not using it. We rolled out version 0.1 and it was a success. So we thought why not refine this – today’s version is 1.0 – and sell it to corporates and enterprises who want to make life more interesting to their employees.”
There was no single eureka moment for Corera in this process. His idea evolved gradually. There was only the strong belief that he had an idea which would work. “We believed that to truly make education useful it has to be fun, easy and engaging. In less than two years we have grown to over 15,000 users globally,” says a pleased Corera. Companies who come on board can offer their employees an eventful platform to improve their skills. Gaming concepts results in points earned through learning activities being used as social currency. You have to undergo exercises or challenges which have to be completed in a specific time frame. Successful employees are also rewarded with badges and certificates. Like Formula One or a golf leaderboard, the top learners gain high visibility with a branded ranking system. “Corporates used to spend between US$200 and $1,000 per employee on training courses.
Our method is so much cheaper ($80 per person although a base package for 500 users costs only $2,500) and cost-effective. And best of all it delivers the product,” Corera points out proudly. Only 27, but with a product akin to the goose that laid the golden egg, he has convinced a number of the leading blue-chip companies to believe in Layup. Already on board are HNB, MAS Holdings and Expolanka. Customised learning platforms can be offered to varied customers, be they in banking or insurance or freight. He has pilot projects buzzing with a number of other top-drawer companies. Corera took inspiration from global giants like Google and Facebook who had a core idea and built on that. “Google optimised everything for a search. Facebook’s selling point was that they would find seven friends in one hour. They took one pain point and were able to explain how it would work in one single sentence.”
His parents wanted him to become an engineer but Corera bucked the odds and followed his passion – IT. His advice to the young – not that he is all that old – who have visions of doing their own thing, is two-fold. “Be flexible with your ideas and be disciplined. If you have an idea, you must be flexible with it. And if you begin your own start-up there is no one telling you what to do and no one to guide you. But you must be willing to work hard. Being your own boss might be fun but it comes with challenges. You must push yourself for the harder you work, the bigger your gain will be.” As Layup has proved for Corera. Next March, he will have five minutes to convince an international jury that his idea is worth a million bucks in investment. If making learning as simple as A B and C, and making it fun too, Layup looks a winner all the way. (Alvin)