Marcus Richards
Lurnable is a data-driven education technology company focused on delivering bespoke international student services. We create customised and innovative solutions to support the personal ambitions of international students aged 11 to 21.
Our mission is to enable international students to make the right educational decisions for their future.
We design and deliver educational services which simplify the process of identifying where and what to study. Through the design and delivery of various EdTech products and educational services, we help students to access the best international opportunities which suit their abilities and aspirations.
Our ever-growing portfolio of technology products includes education search portals and patent-pending education advisory services, as well as a suite of information portals and training solutions.
Tell us about yourself?
I came to the UK in 2003, as an international student to pursue my Master’s degree. My experience as a study abroad aspirant and then student prompted me to start working in the international education industry in various capacities, which included providing advisory services to students, launching EdTech startup businesses, helping education institutions strategise and execute an international presence, and bringing inward investments into the UK education industry.
Today, with over 19 years of first-hand experience in the industry, I understand the value of making the right higher education decisions and how this impacts a student’s personal, academic and professional growth. And this understanding forms the core of what we do at Lurnable – enabling international students to make the right educational decisions, through the design and delivery of various educational tools, services and solutions.
On a deeply personal level, I want all children, including my two girls, to be living in a world where they have the option to explore all possible educational opportunities available to them and then pick the one that enables them to unleash their full potential to the world. And I am striving to make this happen through Lurnable.
As an author:
My love for learning and writing helps me to express my thoughts through words. I have authored 11 books on international education, motivational poetry and children’s stories, published in India by Indra Publications & available to buy on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3H3HrV7.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
Focus on creating processes across all business functions.
What problem does your business solve?
Helping students create a career and educational pathway that best-matches with their abilities, plans and goals for their future.
What is the inspiration behind your business?
The struggles, helplessness, failures and inabilities of young students (including myself) to find credible information, knowledge and unbiased support in their educational pursuits.
We are on a mission to enable students with the necessary data, tools, and knowledge about possible career & educational pathways to make the right educational decisions.
What is your magic sauce?
Data, Technology, Industry experience and above all driven by a passion for helping students make the right educational decisions for their life.
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
To create an AI-based edtech platform that provides non-judgemental, unbiased, safe and reliable support to students in creating a bespoke educational and career pathway for their life.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
Since we are a startup, we have had various challenges from the get go. This includes people management, finance, growth and the constant fear of uncertainty especially because of Covid in the past couple of years.
We shifted focus from providing consultancy services to launching a suite of tech products and tools to keep the business growing. Also, we imbibe an agile approach to our business wherein we adapt quickly to challenges and find ways to survive in the industry.
How do people get involved/buy into your vision?
We want tech evangelists, business experts, data scientists and investors to collaborate with us to help build our platform and grow our business. If you like what we are doing, please reach out to me: [email protected], thank you!
