Premchand, just to cut to the chase: what do you tell people at parties when they ask what you do in daily life?
Purple Mountain is an e-learning company. We help clients implement online learning solutions. We turn booklets full of information, training folders and other input into online learning portals, content and methodologies for them, using the e-learning environment interactively and providing insight into the progress of the process at all times. We serve clients from business and education. Our end product right now is an interactive environment. In the near future, we will be incorporating AI technology into this.
How many others are telling that same story? Do you have colleagues? Co-workers?
There are seven of us at the moment. A mix of e-learning specialists, experts in learning management systems (LMS) - a communication platform used by both teachers and learners - and content experts.
How long have you been paving the way with Purple Mountain?
We've been offering our e-learning service since April of this year. But we want to deepen our service and at the same time make it more intelligent. By using avatars, for example, objective standards for exams and flexible training paths. That takes time. We have been preparing for two years now, with a team of e-learning experts who have years of experience in the field.
And what is the ultimate destination?
We want to establish a great e-learning company in Tilburg. Locally, and then also nationally. But we are also active on the international market. Our goal: to facilitate lifelong learning.
You are located in Building 84 of the Spoorzone. What does your workplace look like?
We have a number of workstations in the common room. There we sit together with other participants of the Startup Kitchen, who are also working on technology and behavioral sciences. So our work environment is a real creative hotspot.
And why is the Startup Kitchen such a godsend for you guys?
We are especially engaged with developments in AI, behavior and education. This is because we are always looking for new opportunities to make learning even more compatible with the wishes and requirements of the present day. MindLabs fits in very well with this, as do the participants of the Startup Kitchen. So we are looking for each other more and more often. Because you sit together with different specialties and you can ask each other for advice on matters within the other's field. That really is a win-win situation.
What do you expect to get out of the collaborations in the future?
I hope that together we develop a creative breeding ground. And that we make the most of the opportunities for collaboration. For example, I see many opportunities in the area of networking. You can already see that cross connections are created. For example, a while back I liked a post by Flow Concepts, another participant of the Startup Kitchen. This brought the company to the attention of a client of mine. I was then able to introduce the two parties to each other. Those are great things. And I expect that to happen more and more. In all directions.
What are you guys cooking up at the moment?
We've recently developed a completely proprietary learning environment that's particularly intended for individuals who want less stimuli and more support from audio. Think about the elderly.
In addition, our first test with VR technology is planned soon. This in collaboration with Fontys Hogescholen, ROC Tilburg and Tilburg University, because in this way we can make much more technological progress. With VR technology, education can be given (even) more realistically. It is possible that we will start using it as early as the end of next year. Parallel to this, we are using AI technology to better match the learning offer to the wishes of the student.
And with what recipe are you going to astound the market?
We are going for a mix of building beautiful learning portals, interactive technologies, good teaching methodologies and powerful collaborations.
Want to know more about Premchand and his e-learning company Purple Mountain? You can read all about it at www.purplemountain.nl. Contact us? Then send an email to info@purplemountain.nl.