Neha Sampat: Welcome to dream makers candid conversations with women that will change the way.
Neha Sampat: That you see purpose.
Neha Sampat: Success and what it takes to bridge the two, I may have sat pat a three time tech founder and CEO, with a focus on companies that are places to dream big build up and be a good human.
Neha Sampat: i'm CEO of content stack
Neha Sampat: Today i'm joined by como did lani CEO and co founder of lab for you in 2013 almost started lab for you to democratize science and change the way that it's taught using smartphones.
Neha Sampat: we're going to talk about how technology can expand access to education, starting and scaling international business and attend more.
Neha Sampat: hi como.
Komal (Lab4U): I am a excited to be here, thank you for the invitation thanks.
Neha Sampat: For being on I just had such a fun time even before we started recording and.
Neha Sampat: And i'm excited to learn more about love for you, so you co founded love for you and you're a biochemist I don't think we've ever had a biochemist on the show before so i'm really excited to learn more about that, but how did you make the leap from being a scientist to an entrepreneur.
Komal (Lab4U): yeah in in science there's something that's very common when one is doing research.
Komal (Lab4U): Like serendipity they are a serendipitous moments when you're researching when you're running experiments.
Komal (Lab4U): There you plan them, and you have your hypothesis, but I would say that that jump have been like serendipity I can't explain it was not planned.
Komal (Lab4U): And and, and here I am here I am been past couple of years working in the intersection of technology, education and science so so being at the right time at the right moment I don't know if it was the right time and moment but being the right time, the right moment.
Komal (Lab4U): happened to open the doors to the startup world and the tech world which I had no idea about it anything like I didn't not even know that the start of word existed, or that you know.
Komal (Lab4U): I was working in a lab.
Neha Sampat: it's funny that you say the right time and the right moment, because I get are you as an entrepreneur that there is no right time and right moment or every time is the right time in the right.
Komal (Lab4U): Exactly exactly and it's like the conundrum there, whether it's the right time on the wrong time, but it was at that time right.
Neha Sampat: Absolutely so so normally on this show because i'm a certified sommelier we drink wine, but today we're going to switch it up. 2:22
Neha Sampat: And we're going to do some botanical sparkling water that we found and.
Komal (Lab4U): saying thank you for doing that.
Komal (Lab4U): Thank you for accepting my non alcohol choice.
Neha Sampat: Absolutely no it's them i'm actually really excited to try, I have two different flavors here, I think we shipped you.
Neha Sampat: rose yeah.
Neha Sampat: flavored.
Komal (Lab4U): rose, it was sparkling original rose i'm excited i've been wanting to open it up for a week.
Neha Sampat: i'm going to open my i'm gonna open the lavender one, and this is wow my botanical bubbly somebody.
Komal (Lab4U): Is petal sparkling original rose no caffeine, thank you i'm gonna open it.
Neha Sampat: let's do it.
Komal (Lab4U): There it is.
Neha Sampat: i'm going to drink my new wine glass for.
Komal (Lab4U): You in the wine glass i'm sorry I don't have a wine glass, do you mind if I drink it directly, given the.
Neha Sampat: Do you have a bigger no just kidding.
Komal (Lab4U): I have a test tube not a beaker.
Komal (Lab4U): If that that will do give me one second i'll get it out.
Neha Sampat: Everybody has a tool of their choice.
Neha Sampat: This is way more fun than wine.
Komal (Lab4U): There we go i've got some rose.
Komal (Lab4U): always know rose petal.
Neha Sampat: Oh wow.
Komal (Lab4U): wow.
Neha Sampat: is again.
Komal (Lab4U): It is really good it's rosie.
Neha Sampat: Yes, I miss variant lavender it's like super floral.
Neha Sampat: as well.
Komal (Lab4U): Very floral.
Neha Sampat: And a great first venture.
Komal (Lab4U): Yes, i'm going to add some more if you don't mind my costume i'm going to look ridiculous.
Komal (Lab4U): But.
Neha Sampat: I think it will be very memorable.
Komal (Lab4U): i'm going to be your guest that brings.
Komal (Lab4U): rose petal water on a test you. 4:32
Neha Sampat: Okay let's get back to our conversation, and please do enjoy.
Neha Sampat: The beverage.
Komal (Lab4U): yeah i've been waiting for a while having it.
Komal (Lab4U): You know how in in in the alley have this Fallujah.
Neha Sampat: yeah it has, I was thinking about that they use the rose syrup.
Komal (Lab4U): They use the row syrup in it.
Komal (Lab4U): So it's if I knew that they are normally on ice cream or milk and and i've been vegan for about six years, so I haven't had that rose milk, but there was water.
Komal (Lab4U): But this is sparkling.
Komal (Lab4U): This is a sparkling wine, so it has different flavor to it, so thank you for the gift, I really enjoyed it.
Neha Sampat: Yes, awesome and we should put a link to follow that into the into the the notes for the podcast because it's such an interesting Indian specialty and it's something that people crave, especially in the summertime which is kind of like Indian Indian version of boba tea.
Komal (Lab4U): Yes, yes.
Komal (Lab4U): yeah that those black things that go into the.
Bottom on one of them.
Komal (Lab4U): yeah oh yeah it's a feel good not scenes yeah. 5:35
Neha Sampat: Okay, so como you describe yourself as a nomad and you split your time between Mexico Chile and the US, I think you're in the US now.
Komal (Lab4U): Yes, i'm in the US right now.
Neha Sampat: And so you know you've kind of you've started to call your education, the stem education glocal so global and local stem education and there's a there's some funding issues tied to that can you tell us a little bit about that.
Komal (Lab4U): yeah so will pre call when I would spend a lot more time on a flight traveling between Chile, Mexico and the US and and and during Kuwait i've spent more time in Chile.
Komal (Lab4U): And now i'm in the US, but when when we refer to to science, education and solving world's biggest challenges.
Komal (Lab4U): That and it's not enough to solve world's biggest challenges with good intentions, we need a real understanding of science and when we think of let's say the stg goals, the sustainable development goals.
Komal (Lab4U): Climate change the dire pandemic in which we're living in.
Komal (Lab4U): Or you know the problems we were having a climate as a general, we know that we need a real understanding of science to solve these problems, and these are not problems that are.
Komal (Lab4U): Only local to a community, but it has impact in the local community, these are global issues that can be solved through local communities and local efforts, but it also have has to, we have to think of it as global problems, you know.
Komal (Lab4U): Any any any any problem that you see you know the 17 as the G goals that you know Zero Hunger energy and climate.
Komal (Lab4U): or finding a cure for cancer or even fighting against the.
Komal (Lab4U): You know, a virus.
Komal (Lab4U): So, so when we when we think about the science, education and in in scientific literacy, we know that, having a good understanding of sign will help us all world's biggest challenges.
Neha Sampat: Absolutely, and so you're referring to the United Nations as STG goals when you're talking about that.
Neha Sampat: What I think is interesting my experience talking to folks at the United Nations, and recently did it maybe it's a few years ago, but to the tour they talked a lot about how they can't accomplish a lot of what they're trying to accomplish internally, they have to work with private companies.
Neha Sampat: or private initiatives, and I think that's where some of the the funding challenges also come about because you have to tie something back to.
Neha Sampat: An issue that you can actually make an impact like you're talking about locally and it doesn't need to tie back to a greater kind of a greater impact goal and.
Neha Sampat: I think it's been it's just often really slow to make those types of those impacts because of how long everything takes working through the challenges of the UN and the funding challenges that you face.
Komal (Lab4U): Exactly I mean I don't think that that global issues are going to be solved just by governmental the United Nations it's.
Komal (Lab4U): it's everyone's problem I mean Community problems citizens problems user problems it's everyone's problem, so we need to join forces public private.
Komal (Lab4U): Partnerships, so that we can have an impact in today's world and corporations and companies have have a role in it.
Komal (Lab4U): And and, and I mean I don't want to be critical to to you know how companies work today, but if we think about it, we think about impact metrics I do believe.
Komal (Lab4U): As we see an income statement there in a balance sheet, you know with liabilities and assets and everything is thought about it a bit, and you know in unit economics, etc, etc, but if we can have a line in line in our income statement balance sheet or in our you know.
Komal (Lab4U): reports, what are the impact metrics yeah and then what how am I having a positive impact in society it shouldn't be a corporate social responsibility issue, it should be a mission issue like missions, the missions of companies should be towards solving world's biggest.
Komal (Lab4U): Challenges otherwise.
Komal (Lab4U): It makes no sense. 9:07
Neha Sampat: Absolutely I love that you say that and one of the things that i've done it content stack is actually built into our.
Neha Sampat: Top company wide goals and level that's just called care.
Neha Sampat: And it's really about these social impact.
Neha Sampat: Things that we've that we've taken on, and every single individual in the company.
Neha Sampat: And roll back their efforts back to the top level the top level goals and and they have everybody has okrs associated with it, and I think it's so important that you make that a part of the company's values, because if you don't you're not aligned around the bigger picture right.
Neha Sampat: Of course we're building software we're selling software and we have to.
Neha Sampat: grow as a company and you care about the financial metrics but there has to mean more than that, and the sense.
Komal (Lab4U): has to be stronger.
Neha Sampat: I am. 9:47
Neha Sampat: I want to hear more about smartphones you chose smartphones as your lab instrument of choice, can you talk about why and maybe just some of the experiments that you've done with them.
Komal (Lab4U): yeah so we use smartphones as a science instrument, because many don't know but smartphones and tablets have several built in sensors the camera the microphone which you send a whatsapp audio normal voice, not the camera you take a selfie GPS you Hello writing share APP.
Komal (Lab4U): So these these sensors are normally used for games navigation.
Komal (Lab4U): But not necessarily for Science, education, so what we do is we leverage the built in census that smartphones and tablets already have.
Komal (Lab4U): Like the accelerometer etc, etc, and we designed science experiments with these smart consensus so we've taken all the built in.
Komal (Lab4U): capabilities of smartphones and we've we've designed science experiments for schools university, so in that way we empower students and teachers to have this lab in their pockets.
Neha Sampat: So cool is there is there a sweet spot in the age of.
Neha Sampat: Students that you design these experiments for.
Komal (Lab4U): yeah so today we're working with several high schools, especially as they are preparing to get into colleges and universities.
Komal (Lab4U): So trying to reduce the inequalities that we see in today's schools were not all schools have lab equipment, these are expensive, or when normally need lots of tools.
Komal (Lab4U): You know, a color image or respective photometer can cost you $1,000 or $500 depending which, when you buy, but with the camera on the phone, you can calculate the concentration of a colored solution.
Komal (Lab4U): We use computer vision and we calculate concentration based on you know.
Komal (Lab4U): With our algorithm so if we leverage the sensors we can reduce the cost of science, education for many schools and we target high school answering your question, so that we build the skills in these young young students for the future of the workforce.
Komal (Lab4U): These are skills that are not learned through memorizing formulas right creativity Problem Solving scientific literacy is is not learned.
Komal (Lab4U): Just through formulas, we need, we need to experiment you can't learn how to ride a bicycle reading a book, you need to live the experience over riding a bicycle.
Neha Sampat: I love that you're leveling the playing field by doing this, because it really I mean.
Komal (Lab4U): Even when I noticed.
Neha Sampat: In the last few trips to India, almost everybody has access to a smartphone which was not the case, years ago, and the fact that you have what you need in your hand to be able to learn is is really awesome. 12:40
Neha Sampat: I commend everything that you're doing around that like really, really admire it you, you talked about your process as inquiry based learning and and i'm curious what that is and how it's different from other types of learning.
Komal (Lab4U): yeah so our inquiry based learning is a is a pedagogy you know we've educators and PhDs and universities have worked.
Komal (Lab4U): around it doing researcher on it's evidence based pedagogy that, as we know about it for the past 50 years but it's really hard implementing it.
Komal (Lab4U): So what we do we're inquiry meaning asking questions were questions are more important than learning formulas by hard so with with the methodology, where we asked students to think.
Komal (Lab4U): to analyze to measure to conclude in this learning process, we can make sure that the students have a lasting learning impact around their science, education, as opposed to a theory so it's it's more active learning.
Neha Sampat: it's an I feel like what you're doing by by taking that approach is unlocking curiosity and curiosity is so powerful.
Neha Sampat: That it's.
Neha Sampat: that's that's an awesome.
Neha Sampat: way to way to learn.
Neha Sampat: How do you how do you guys incorporate absolutely so.
Good.
Komal (Lab4U): yeah so that yeah So how do we, how do we inspire curiosity know why questions we shouldn't stop students asking, they should ask, as many questions they want you know that's how we.
Komal (Lab4U): Work around inquiry yeah. 14:25
Neha Sampat: Absolutely, how do you incorporate teachers and just educators, in general, into the process.
Komal (Lab4U): yeah that's tough question because we've had different experiences and different parts of the world with different you know with different teachers so teachers today are overburdened with so much, especially during the pandemic.
Komal (Lab4U): The working late hours did going above and beyond, and teachers, a key.
Komal (Lab4U): In our key actor in society right you never said page 245 of that textbook change your life it's normally a teacher that inspired you to see things differently and change your life so.
Komal (Lab4U): So I will our mission is, how can we help teachers to their job and do.
Komal (Lab4U): How can we save teachers time and how can we help them in the teaching process so that students can actually learn because teacher teaching is not equal equal to learning so how can we help.
Komal (Lab4U): One of the most important actors in society and essential worker like a teacher do the job in the best way possible, with the right resources.
Komal (Lab4U): With the right tools, so the way we do that we have different professional development sessions we give these teachers all the lab reports ready, so they don't have to.
Komal (Lab4U): You know, invest time in preparing all these labs and and all these tools and experiments, so we we incorporate them with with content and ready to use content experimental inquiry based content, so they can do their sign classes with more experiments and less theory.
Neha Sampat: of incredible wait, what do you say your is your purpose call.
Komal (Lab4U): So today i'm on a mission to democratize science, education and making it accessible to everyone, everywhere.
Komal (Lab4U): I I truly believe that talent is universal, but opportunities are not so, how can we find the next Einstein Marie Curie that can be anywhere in the world, and today i'm.
Komal (Lab4U): strongly working towards this mission i've made it my life's mission through lab for you, where I channelized my energy to solve a social problem in science, education.
Neha Sampat: And that makes you in my opinion, complete dream maker, do you consider yourself a dream maker.
Komal (Lab4U): um I would say, I would say, every curious scientist is a dream maker every student is the dream maker every entrepreneur is the dream maker.
Komal (Lab4U): Every person that has the mission and that wants to solve a problem in society and humanity is a dream maker everyone who who sees something and works towards it is a dream maker, so I would say, maybe yes.
Neha Sampat: I love what you said about about talent being everywhere, but access not being everywhere and it's something that i'm actually very passionate about too, and I think about that a lot.
Neha Sampat: In terms of bringing more people into the tech ecosystem often women or people from underrepresented minorities in tech.
Neha Sampat: And I think similarly just giving access to stem education and in a really easy way you are changing the way that people can see themselves and that relate ability is so important in becoming.
Neha Sampat: Becoming an important scientist or a teacher or anything that you want to be and and that sort of access and reliability kind of work hand in hand, and I feel like you're really fueling that with with lab for you, which is so awesome.
Komal (Lab4U): yeah and to add on that.
Komal (Lab4U): Thank you for that common that relate ability, especially with girls in science, so i'm research by the Inter American Development Bank.
Komal (Lab4U): done with love for you, it was an rct schools with love for you and schools, without love for you, with 4800 students and what this third party.
Komal (Lab4U): Research found is that students who run more than three experiments with love for you, increase the knowledge and physics.
Komal (Lab4U): Their self perception of knowledge in physics and their motivation to pursue a stem related career and their interest to pursue a stem related career and when we speak about.
Komal (Lab4U): Self perception of knowledge around science and physics, it has a direct relationship with motivation, because if I believe.
Komal (Lab4U): I can do it if I believe that I can experiment and that science is for me i'll be more motivated to pursue it, but if I say you know that's not for me that's, for you know boys or.
Komal (Lab4U): That doesn't seem to be something that I want to do because it's too difficult then we're reducing the chances of having more girls in science, so in order to inspire.
Komal (Lab4U): Girls in science, we, we need to make it relatable increasing the self perception of knowledge around physics, or you know in science and and their motivation to pursue a stem related career.
Neha Sampat: that's amazing and that that goes right back to talking about having impact be measurable right and and you just demonstrated that which is, which is really cool and OK let's switch gears to entrepreneurship so as a.
Neha Sampat: As a fellow entrepreneur i'd love to understand. 19:13
Neha Sampat: Your business model like How does it work, and you know for someone that had an idea like yours what what took you from idea to reality and and just talk about a little bit more about love for you and how business operates.
Komal (Lab4U): yeah and i'm sure as an as an entrepreneur we we relate to it it's it's been a long process of trying to validate.
Komal (Lab4U): The business model initially so we've been around for a few years and initially, we thought that only by having the smartphone sensors and launching the APP.
Komal (Lab4U): it's going to be, you know one day success story, but we were so wrong, because just having the smartphone census was not enough, it was important.
Komal (Lab4U): to design experiments aligned to the curriculum so that schools could purchase the product so initially we were dead wrong no we tested it.
Komal (Lab4U): We tried it we spoke to schools, we spoke to teachers and and and we, we were able to design experiments aligned to curriculum so that teachers could use it, but then we were wrong about something else to you know.
Komal (Lab4U): Schools.
Komal (Lab4U): You know the schools and districts.
Komal (Lab4U): it's complicated industry because the end user is not the decision maker, and the the one who's buying the product.
Komal (Lab4U): So the end user is the student and the teacher, but the decision maker, the principal the superintendent's the stem directors, etc.
Komal (Lab4U): they're not the end user, so how can you in a B2B model for schools understand who are all your stakeholders so that you can offer the product to the decision maker and add value to the beneficiary.
Komal (Lab4U): Or the end user, so today we offer our solutions to schools it's a B2B model SAS offers a service to schools.
Komal (Lab4U): schools, colleges Community colleges and speaking to the decision makers there and our beneficiaries are are the teachers and the students.
Komal (Lab4U): For whom we want to add value save them time give them a different experience and make science more fun so business model we've got one model directly to schools and in Latin America and in some communities here in the US.
Komal (Lab4U): Those schools that they don't necessarily have the resources we partner with corporations.
Komal (Lab4U): Corporations fortune 500 companies like Boeing seven X, these are some of our clients fortune 500 companies that through Community engagement CSR budgets or marketing budgets, they sponsor schools and teachers, so that they can have impact in.
Komal (Lab4U): Their classes so for corporations, we have one product called branded labs so we're designing Boeing experiments like aviation experiments.
Komal (Lab4U): For the communities.
Komal (Lab4U): in Canada or Mexico, where they have their factories, so that those students get inspired to pursue a stem related career and and and you know, hopefully, increase the workforce in Boeing in Mexico.
Komal (Lab4U): So that's how we partner with corporations.
Neha Sampat: Instead, then you customize some of the experiments.
Komal (Lab4U): We do we customize some of the labs, these are the branded labs with industry related experiments and content yeah. 22:07
Neha Sampat: that's really cool it's and you talked about raising money in in health and education tech along game.
Neha Sampat: yeah why, why is that what's your experience been like in raising capital.
Komal (Lab4U): yeah so because we're not be to see.
Komal (Lab4U): You know and use a kind of product, where the end you know the end user buys and makes the decision either parents or or you know.
Komal (Lab4U): You know if you're into a lingo is an ad tech you want to learn the language you swipe your you know, credit card or you or you just you subscribe on on apple.
Komal (Lab4U): or Google play in education, these are long sales cycle number one we speak about one year with 12 months to 18 months and you need to validate the impact of what you're doing you can just launch something and up to test it out and.
Komal (Lab4U): If the student does not learn it doesn't.
Komal (Lab4U): matter who cares, of course, we care, you know it's the students live right in healthcare, you can just.
Komal (Lab4U): launch something, and you know you need to test me to validating into our CTS you know so, so it is a long game, because one the impact is long term right.
Komal (Lab4U): At minimum 12 months to 18 months so as opposed to a normal PTC, so there are two aspects here the sales cycle in the business model, and second, the validation of the impact.
Neha Sampat: make sense yeah and and I can see that being challenging and but so rewarding when it finally materializes as. 23:27
Komal (Lab4U): Well, absolutely absolutely the impact is huge and and and once you're working with the school, you know you work with the school every year.
Komal (Lab4U): One so that's that's very that's very motivating and inspiring for us in the Community.
Neha Sampat: How do you think about scaling lab for you, I know you're already working internationally you're in multiple countries moving around, but what does that look like what kind of challenges, do you run into with that.
Komal (Lab4U): yeah so i'm scaling scaling up for you, we we we want to get to at least you know, a million students, but the next couple of years.
Komal (Lab4U): So for us is is twofold right, how do we get these in the adoption curve of technology, because we're changing paradigms here, this is a different way of doing experiments right.
Komal (Lab4U): it's it's not buying the hardware device now your color imitate or accelerometer that normally you purchase these are using the smartphone sensors so let's say Texas calculators are cassius calculators are no longer used the same way.
Komal (Lab4U): They were 10 years ago now you're using the smartphone calculators or in the music industry you're not listening to a walkman or to a CD player you're listening to you know iTunes and spotify and so on and so forth.
Komal (Lab4U): So that digital transformation, it is an adoption curve right, you have your innovators and your early mid you know early adopters, so we are in the innovators and early adopters were to.
Komal (Lab4U): choose the innovator teachers are experimenting with the smartphones.
Komal (Lab4U): So how do we get to that majority so here, I will bow here is how do we change paradigms and I think the pandemic has.
Komal (Lab4U): You know, has speeded this adoption because before the pandemic is like no smartphones are not allowed in school, no, no smartphones in school, but now there's an important need so so we've seen things I mean we've grown 200% during the pandemic.
Komal (Lab4U): Because, because, as opposed to pre pandemic, we had to convince schools to use smartphones inside the classroom.
Komal (Lab4U): or ipads and tablets inside the classroom to experiment, but now it's now that that paradigm has shifted and as we move forward, I believe, once once we get the majority of.
Komal (Lab4U): Communities educational communities experimenting with smartphones and adopting technology inside the classroom I think that's going to be the tipping point of our scale, and I think we're getting closer to that.
Neha Sampat: it's interesting that that dynamic of kids being stuck at home with smartphones ended up being a tailwind for the company which is actually really cool I hadn't thought about that.
Neha Sampat: How that dynamic would impact the business, which is fascinating what, what do you think that entrepreneurship has taught you about yourself.
Komal (Lab4U): So.
Komal (Lab4U): This is going to sound crazy, but for me entrepreneurship is like a spiritual journey. 26:22
Komal (Lab4U): I do believe that you grow as a human being.
Komal (Lab4U): If it allows you to to understand your mistakes to make mistakes have to grow your relationships with people with your customers your users your employees your investors your Community partners.
Komal (Lab4U): So I would say it's like a you know spiritual journey, the founder has to grow as quick as the company grows so so it's a lot of personal growth, a lot of spiritual mental growth and and if we don't ground yourself.
Komal (Lab4U): Things can get Messier So for me it's been you know a lot of personal spiritual growth.
Komal (Lab4U): I can think.
Komal (Lab4U): In this journey.
Neha Sampat: I can totally relate to that and I feel like and now i've been at this for 15 years and.
Neha Sampat: While I still feel like I learned something new, every day, as an entrepreneur and, if anything, I think the biggest thing that i've taken away it's just a.
Neha Sampat: layer of resilience that you know, because you get beat up in the in this seat like things sometimes things go really well and and those highs can carry you through all the lows but there's definitely a lot of lows too.
Neha Sampat: And it's not easy, but I always like to say, if it was easy everybody would do it and we're we're not anybody we're we're doing something very different and special which is awesome and.
Neha Sampat: I wanted to kind of revisit where we originally learned about you, which was through parties women's initiative can you talk about what that is how how people get involved in that if there's some of our listeners that might qualify like what do they need to know about that initiative.
Komal (Lab4U): yeah and thank you for mentioning I think it's it's an amazing community of female entrepreneurs I highly encourage all young you know or entrepreneurs or female entrepreneurs to get into katia is initiative when women initiative awards in their website apply to their annual Program.
Komal (Lab4U): cartier sponsors entrepreneurs in my times, it was you know, it was a check of $20,000 for the laureates and now I think it's $100,000 check so.
Komal (Lab4U): You know, seed stage companies that are having an impact women founders that are running impactful businesses I I really encourage you to apply.
Komal (Lab4U): it's a it's a great Community great resources for female entrepreneurs it helped me and gave me financial resources and mentoring.
Komal (Lab4U): That I would not have had, so I I really encourage it to all you know early stage female founders check it out party, a women's initiative awards a great community of female entrepreneurs and.
Komal (Lab4U): The help of a brand that wants to have an impact and female founders that many times don't have access to you know funding early stage,
Neha Sampat: Thanks for sharing that it's actually didn't know that much about that initiative cartoons, one of my customers at content stack so i'm.
Neha Sampat: proud of the second initiative that they drive that's really cool you, you also participated in ED tech program that was sponsored by zynga Similarly, can you just tell us a little bit about that.
Komal (Lab4U): yeah zynga for those don't know it's a game company, you know babies have played with friends and and other other other games. 29:32
Komal (Lab4U): So singer a couple of years ago had a program with a new school ventures and reach capital called co lab where.
Komal (Lab4U): They sponsored ad tech companies, it was like a product accelerator, so these were ED tech companies that wanted to apply game or a wanted to learn how to build their products.
Komal (Lab4U): So that they have a good experience with their with their you users, students and teachers, so we applied to this program.
Komal (Lab4U): called in, and it was a quick product accelerator, I mean I learned so much about you know product metrics and you know daily active users and weekly active users and monthly active users, like a ton of.
Komal (Lab4U): a ton of metrics that that the PM that at zynga taught us through this.
Komal (Lab4U): Through this program.
Komal (Lab4U): So zynga was trying to get into the it was zynga.org like or it was their their community, you know impact focus,
Neha Sampat: Great it sounds like almost like a product product management, one on one.
Komal (Lab4U): kind of yes.
Neha Sampat: I will return type.
Komal (Lab4U): Absolutely yeah that that was it that was it yeah super cool. 30:40
Neha Sampat: Okay let's talk about what's next for you and for love for you.
Komal (Lab4U): cool.
Komal (Lab4U): way like you want like I know okay ours, or a big hairy audacious goals 10 years or get ours will will will start with a midpoint maybe.
Komal (Lab4U): um.
Komal (Lab4U): So we are, we are on a mission to get to democratize science, education, we want to get to at least 1 million students.
Komal (Lab4U): By the next five years today we've impacted hundred thousand students, we, we believe that.
Komal (Lab4U): The next Einstein America we can be anywhere, so if we can help find those mini einstein's in mini Mary curious that they can have an impact in the world.
Komal (Lab4U): continue doing it so today, we are looking for schools and districts that want to change how they teach and implement science programs and stem programs or partner with corporations that want to have an impact in their communities.
Komal (Lab4U): So that's next and working on at at love for you and and for me just continuing to have an impact in this world, you know get those Karma points.
Komal (Lab4U): On balance, and continue growing as a human being.
Komal (Lab4U): As a founder and, as a scientist.
Neha Sampat: and your remarkable, thank you for sharing all of that, I learned so much, and I feel like really privileged to have this conversation with you.
Komal (Lab4U): Likewise, like.
Neha Sampat: I i'm going to move into rapid fire it's the last few questions and just answer them as quickly as you feel comfortable i'm going to start with my favorite one which is what's your wake up. 32:03
song.
Komal (Lab4U): yeah so on my Google home i've got.
Komal (Lab4U): You know, seven in the morning it's a month from meditation.
Komal (Lab4U): But wakes me up.
Komal (Lab4U): So it's like budgets and mantras so that.
Komal (Lab4U): I can tune in my mental frequency and my spirit soul into into that.
Komal (Lab4U): So that's my wake up song.
Neha Sampat: Beautiful way to start the day if the 19 year old 19 year old you asked you today what you should read or what you should listen to you what would you say.
Komal (Lab4U): um I would say so.
Komal (Lab4U): never stop learning, you know.
Komal (Lab4U): Always always learn read as much as you can listen to as many podcasts as you, as you can like this one over here, and he has fought House so.
Komal (Lab4U): Listen and read as much as you can.
Komal (Lab4U): So in different moments of your entrepreneurial career there might be different books that that name has podcast or that other entrepreneurs can recommend the hard things of hard things by Horwitz or.
Komal (Lab4U): In pursuit of profit, passion and purpose by late 20s.
Komal (Lab4U): So say like always always be reading and listening
Neha Sampat: Absolutely no those are great recommendations, can you recommend a beverage any kind of beverage.
Komal (Lab4U): i'm a big movie fan, so it does that count as beverage.
Komal (Lab4U): For sure yeah big smoothie founder to movies, like for the summer, you know spinach cucumber ginger meant.
Komal (Lab4U): You know, fresh Cooley up you.
Komal (Lab4U): Set up your sorry i'm thinking in Spanish up your salary, I think, maybe yeah celery sorry i'm thinking in Spanish here.
Komal (Lab4U): yeah so for those who speak Spanish up your that I hope it's celery so that green green juice smoothie.
Komal (Lab4U): If you want to put a pinch of turmeric Mike you know, make it more powerful that's for the summer and for the winter after your workouts.
Komal (Lab4U): Banana dates P statues, and some vegan milk like soy milk or flaxseed milk or not milk.
Neha Sampat: Those both sound delicious, thank you for sharing and the last question is what should our listeners do tomorrow to help them become dream makers.
Komal (Lab4U): Ah, if you want to have an impact in this world, you need to be well yourself first like physically mentally you know spiritually strong and well so that you can look after others in your company so just looking after yourself mental health physical health and exercise sleep.
Komal (Lab4U): You know, healthy food so start by looking after yourself, so you can look after your company and those around you.
Neha Sampat: Incredible advice como Thank you so much for being on the show and for the incredible conversation I had so much fun.
Komal (Lab4U): And cheers lively cheers was my heroes tears.
Komal (Lab4U): To. 35:35