Looking for interesting ways to boost your child’s or younger siblings’ creativity and imagination? Well, Storiyaan is here with a solution! We have the journey of someone who started out as a teacher and eventually found her love in curating DIY kits for children. Shreya Kapoor, an M.Tech in IT, realized the need to energize young minds and encourage overall personality development, after being blessed with a daughter. Hence, she took over the task of developing the same.
The DIY kits, known as KiDIYs promote a healthy learning environment by making learning fun and diverse. The engineer wishes to take her brand global and build a vast network of clientele, by creating a platform of “Art Parties” where kids enjoy learning in artistic ways. What an idea, isn’t it?
Dig deeper into the conversation, to know how she built her brand, the obstacles she faced and how the kits proved to be beneficial to many.
SHREYA KAPOOR- TRANSFORMING YOUNG MINDS
Interview
Questions and answers
Tell us about your passion that kick-started your journey in mastering technology?
I am an engineer by degree and have also done an M.Tech in IT. I have been an assistant professor at a reputed engineering college for the last 10 years. After my daughter was born, I started researching for activities to do with her. Creativity was always my calling and the lack of fun and learning activities helped me meet my passion for creating fun DIY kits!
You have been working as an assistant professor for the last 10 years. Share with us the most memorable incident you had while being on this journey?
The start of a new academic session is always fun. You meet the new students, teach and learn a lot from them. There are several moments where one feels blessed to be a part of the education system, the best ones being when you are appreciated for your efforts. When my students come back to me after finishing their schooling and they remember all that I did is a wonderful feeling. When they get admission to reputed universities and come to thank me for my mentorship or even drop a message on teachers’ day wishing me, it makes me really happy.
When did you decide to start your passion project on your own and what were your initial steps?
KiDIYs was born along with my daughter. With the ongoing pandemic and a small daughter at home, I did not want to return to my full-time job as an Assistant Professor. Moreover, my daughter gave me the inspiration to look for activities, fun ways to make her learn, one thing led to the other and the initial seed for KiDIYs was sown. I had a lot of ideas but putting them out to the test required a lot of work. Sourcing vendors was the major task. The initial steps involved looking for the right vendors, the right design and fit for packaging, etc.
What expertise does your sister in law bring into the venture?
Harleen has done her Masters in Int. Fashion management from Coventry university, London and has worked in fashion brands like Hugo Boss & Tommy Hilfiger as well as luxury accessories lables like Omega, Longines, Rado in Dubai with the prestigious Rivoli Group. This has a diverse expertise in retail sales, marketing and consumer behaviour.
But after having a child and the ongoing pandemic, the business could not soar so she decided to do something that could add value to her child’s learning but in a non-toxic and safe way. After seeing her sister in law starting a kids section and DIY, she decided to join hands by introducing sustainable toys and working on enhancing the DIY category.
How do you curate specialty DIY kits for kids based on concepts and what strategies do you use?
A lot of research and planning goes into each DIY kit. The idea, the execution, designing of age-appropriate worksheets, and designing the instruction sheets in a way that the child can understand. Every kit is unique and caters to one or more skill sets like fine motor skills, sensory development, cognitive development, language, critical thinking, and most importantly self-directed engaged learning.
What is the mantra you follow mostly in life that you would like to share with the readers?
I am a dreamer and I dreamt to make my passion my career. KiDIYs is my journey in doing just that. I believe if you have the passion, take the action and the magic will happen!