Why Teaching Kids STEM is More Important Than Ever Before with Anu Bidani
“By 2030, there is an expectation of $8.5 trillion revenue loss in global economies because of talent shortage.”
- Anu Bidani
Are your kids armed with the skills they need to thrive in a future workforce?
My guest Anu Bidani is passionate about empowering the next generation through instilling a love of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
During her 20 years at Scotiabank, she worked with brilliant tech-minded interns, but realized that these sought-after skills were not the norm when it came to the younger generation — including her own children.
In 2015, she left finance and devoted herself to fixing this disconnect, founding STEM MINDS and Inno-Hive, companies with the mission to make 21st century skill-building accessible and enjoyable!
While there are initiatives supporting STEM learning in University settings, they aren’t aimed at the right group. “The problem does not lie in adulthood. It lies in childhood,” Anu says. “If you don’t expose your children at the right age with the right skills and opportunities, they will never make those choices when they’re in high school.”
With the goal of motivating her own children to embrace STEM learning, Anu went all-in — and achieved incredible success by bringing her inspirational vision to life!
In this episode of the Road to Seven podcast, you’ll discover:
The mindset that allows Anu to work through her fear and make bold, brave shifts
The biggest challenges she faced in getting loans, securing a lease, and launching
How she dealt with the risk of hiring staff BEFORE earning any revenue!
About Anu Bidani: Anu Bidani is the founder and CEO of STEM MINDS, a social enterprise that empowers youth to develop a love of learning through STEM, and Inno-Hive, an innovative learning community.
Highlights:
00:01 Intro
02:00 Meet Anu Bidani
03:17 Anu’s journey
07:51 Mindset & fear
09:33 First iteration
12:33 Biggest challenges
17:35 Not giving up
21:59 Hiring & investing
26:43 What she knows now
28:34 Validating ideas
30:12 What’s next?
Links:
Anu Bidani
info@stemminds.com
https://www.facebook.com/stemminds
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anubidani
Twitter: @stem_minds
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