By Nupur Bagoria
In the last two decades, the skills required to succeed professionally—and even to navigate daily life as an informed, mindful individual—have grown increasingly complex. Adapting to rapid technological advancements and developing new competencies has become essential rather than optional.
However, as society shifts, the education system seems to have remained stagnant. This disconnect raises an important question: How do we prepare students for a world that looks nothing like the one traditional curricula were designed for?
Ravi Bhushan believes he has part of the answer. He is the founder of BrightCHAMPS, a global edtech company that has been working to bridge the gap between conventional education and the skills modern students actually need. The organization offers a mixture of academic and STEM-accredited courses, alongside programs that build future-ready skills such as coding, AI, financial literacy, and public speaking.
In a recent conversation with Bhushan, he explains his vision for redefining education, and shares the results of his team’s efforts to make that vision a reality.
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: What was the moment you realized traditional education needed something different, and how did that lead to BrightCHAMPS?
I had an unconventional upbringing, thanks to the influence of my grandfather. He often reminded me that real growth occurs when you probe and seek out the unknown, instead of just memorizing. That philosophy guided my learning, and as I entered the working world, I noticed some similar conversations among professionals from various sectors.
Many commented that, had they acquired skills like coding, money management, or how to utilize AI from an early age, their career trajectories would have been more versatile. These remarks helped me realize that traditional education, although beneficial, was failing to address crucial gaps in the system.
The pivotal moment came when my son, a history buff, created his first app when he was seven years old. The app mapped dynasties with their timelines, marrying my son’s passion for history with technology that he learned early on. Watching him combine creativity with functional skills at such a young age confirmed my thinking that education shouldn’t merely provide children with information, but also with the capacity to apply it meaningfully. That became the source of inspiration behind BrightCHAMPS.
Q: How would you explain to teachers and parents why subjects like anti-bullying and money management belong alongside math and science?
Today’s world is far more complex for our children than the one we grew up in. The BrightCHAMPS 2024 Pulse of Parents report found that 56 percent of parents in the U.S. believe the traditional pathway from school to college to employment is no longer sufficient to secure their child’s future. As such, it is imperative for parents and educators to ensure that kids are equipped with emotional intelligence and practical skills to navigate the world with confidence and compassion.
Educating children to handle money at a young age not only enhances their financial knowledge but also instills responsibility, autonomy, and the capacity for long-term planning. Similarly, early education on anti-bullying allows young learners to develop emotions such as empathy and resilience, allowing them to create stronger relationships and confront real-life issues practically.
A well-balanced education is about more than just the merits achieved in a class. It is about creating caring, thoughtful, and confident leaders.
Q: Is it challenging to convince parents that their children need more than just regular schoolwork?
The conversation around education is changing in leaps and bounds, and so are parents’ expectations. However, getting them to believe that their child requires more than traditional academics remains an ongoing challenge.
Millennials, who constitute the majority of parents with school-age children in America today, have experienced one of the most radical technological revolutions in recorded history. They’ve witnessed industries change, jobs vanish, and new careers spring up overnight. Consequently, they intuitively prioritize creativity, flexibility, and emotional intelligence equally with old-fashioned academic achievement.
But even with this realization, there continues to have a gap between intention and action. Parents see the value of integrated learning, but default to established school systems that continue to emphasize test scores and grades. This results in a paradox of having intention but falling behind with execution.
It’s not always easy to persuade parents to allocate funds for learning programs outside of mainstream education, but the outcomes speak for themselves. Whether it’s a young learner creating their first app, running a virtual business simulation, or successfully pitching an idea to others, the effects of hands-on experience are noticeable and enduring.
These results reinforce our belief that education needs to transition from information transmission to skill development, setting children up not for exams, but for life.
Q: How do you define success at BrightCHAMPS?
Here, success isn’t measured by grades or test scores. It’s the number of young lives we can touch and transform for a better future.
A true measure of our footprint is when we observe our students using what they have learned in actual situations. When a child runs a school project smoothly or applies their knowledge of money to make responsible choices, it is a demonstration of our program’s impact—equipping children to be critical thinkers, creative problem solvers, and confident challengers.
To me, success is watching our students blossom into caring, self-sufficient, and emotionally intelligent people who are capable of operating in the world with both capability and heart. Watching this transformation unfold in each learner is what truly defines success at BrightCHAMPS.
Q: What kind of impact are you seeing in students who take your programs?
The way our Financial Literacy students use their abilities to organize and oversee fundraising events during school breaks is an excellent example. They prepare budgets, estimate expenditures, and monitor donations with impressive accuracy and accountability. These activities not only make them aware of the actual worth of money, but also help them develop empathy and leadership skills, as students tend to collect funds for social or community causes.
Our Coding and Vedic Math courses build on creativity, critical thinking, and accuracy. Given that the platform is highly personalized, we have witnessed an increase in confidence in our students, as it caters to their actual curiosity. When a child builds a dance app after only a few weeks of coding or uses mathematical logic to crack a tough problem, it highlights the strength of experiential learning.
We love watching our students succeed academically but also think critically, act responsibly, and develop into reflective, competent individuals ready to lead in a changing world.
About Ravi Bhushan
Ravi Bhushan, founder and CEO of BrightCHAMPS, is redefining K–12 education through a digital-first learning model. He is an innovator with a vision to equip young learners with next-gen skills.
Nupur Bagoria is a writer/editor who brings both precision and creativity to every project she takes on. When she’s not wrangling words or getting lost in books, you’ll find her deep in her latest DIY project or tending to her growing plant collection.
