How Early Steps Academy Inspired A 12-Year-Old To Dream Of Launching A Startup

On Sunday evenings, 12-year-old Aarav no longer needs reminders to log in for class. The excitement is his own. What began as a curiosity has now turned into a dream - he tells his parents he wants to start a company one day. Inspired by discussions on entrepreneurship at Early Steps Academy, he spends weekends sketching business ideas and even pitches them at the dinner table. His parents say he comes away from every session not just with knowledge, but with a new way of looking at the world - asking how companies raise money, why entrepreneurs take risks, and what climate policy means for his generation.

This shift is the work of Early Steps Academy, a global live online learning platform founded by IIT Kharagpur and Harvard Business School alumna Sneha Biswas. The academy is built on one belief: children should be treated as thinkers, not just test-takers.. Instead of rote lessons, it delivers real-world case studies where children debate, collaborate, and solve problems together - skills that parents say are transforming confidence at home, in school, and beyond.

One parent remembers how their son’s mindset changed in just a few months. “He used to avoid discussions, but now he looks forward to them. He has started exploring topics like business and innovation, watching Shark Tank with genuine curiosity. More importantly, he’s become collaborative -he doesn’t argue to win anymore, he builds on ideas. That’s a profound change.”

Another parent, whose daughter attends an international school, stresses the importance of this real-world exposure. “In my own education everything was theory, and reality came as a shock later. Here, she’s learning to connect concepts to life early -responding more creatively, adapting quicker, and seeing a bigger picture of the world.”

At Early Steps, such results are by design. Each live session,, is facilitated by moderators, thoroughly trained for global classrooms, who guide students through discussions on more than 1,000 topics ranging from Climate, Space tech, bioengineering and global economics to NFTs and space exploration. Children learn to question, analyze, and collaborate, while also practicing empathy and emotional intelligence. “The aim is real-world learning,” says Biswas, “where children focus not just on answers, but on applications - and on how to work with others while doing so.”

The impact has been striking. According to the company, students completing its programs are up to ten times more confident in school participation and peer interaction. Families have observed improvements in communication, teamwork, and problem-solving -skills that most employers rank as essential for the future workforce. Retention rates exceed 90 percent, with learners joining in from over 50countries, including India, the US, Europe and the Middle East.

Exposure is another cornerstone. Children are not just learning from textbooks, but from curated case studies and live activities on fundraising, scientific breakthroughs, , or climate negotiations. For many, this marks the first time they interact directly on such topics , sparking ambitions and curiosity far beyond the classroom. For Aarav, it was a session about a US-based food brand  that made him say: “I want to build something of my own one day.”

Looking ahead, Biswas acknowledges both the opportunity and responsibility. With nearly two billion school-age children worldwide—and surveys suggesting nine in ten feel unprepared for the real world—the scale of the challenge is vast. “One big step forward will be to develop course content in languages other than English”, Biswas says. Currently, Early Steps Academy is only reaching children comfortable learning in English, so moving into new languages has the potential to substantially expand the company’s market.

For parents like Aarav’s, that impact is already visible. Their son doesn’t just study harder; he dreams bigger, asks sharper questions, and now talks about launching a startup before he turns 18. In their words: “Early Steps is giving our child not just knowledge, but the confidence to use it wisely. That’s the foundation of leadership.”