GRANT’S DESI ACHIEVER

PRACTISING WHAT SHE TEACHES

Ami Shah, CEO and co-founder, Peekapak.

By SHAGORIKA EASWAR

Children in school boards across Ontario are learning self-care and the importance of empathy, teamwork and kindness through a social-emotional learning (SEL) platform launched by Ami Shah.

“With 5.7 million Canadian students impacted by school closures, a 120 per cent increase in ER visits due to mental health issues, and nearly 90 per cent of educators unsure of how to help them, it is evident students and educators need accessible mental health tools,” says Shah, CEO and co-founder of Peekapak.

Born and raised in Toronto, Shah says she rarely experienced negativity growing up. Secure in her home and community network, she did, however, experience the pressures to be the perfect student.

The head-down and good grades attitude, that excelling in academics was essential for success, that was the theme at home.

“I felt the pressure, I learnt to be the good obedient child, I crammed for university, ” she says. “There were points in my journey when I felt overwhelmed and anxious, but neither I nor my parents recognized the signs. I don’t blame them. I know and understand completely that my parents only wanted the best for me, but wish we’d had techniques and the resources to deal with the stress.” 

Her childhood friend Angie Chan was also familiar with that same pressure to excel.

Both were doing well in their respective corporate careers – Shah in Toronto and Chan in Hong Kong – but they wanted to explore ways to support the next generation so their sense of creativity and wonder wasn’t stifled by a single-minded focus on grades. They wanted to provide a sense of balance, to ensure that kids enjoyed the experience of learning.

Shah had teaching experience in Vietnam and had also worked with street kids while volunteering with a foundation that worked with people with HIV/AIDS in India.

Together with Chan, she launched Peekapak in 2014 with educational products for families. Early success took them to Silicon Valley where they generated quite the buzz. They got investments, found mentors, and learnt more about education technology. Shah did over 300 interviews with teachers to see what they were looking for to refine their product range. They wanted to offer ways to empower children through bolstering SEL.

Getting parents and educators on board was easy, as they offered their products for free. Over 13,000 teachers signed up. The challenging part was converting them to paid users later, admits Shah with a laugh.

“I attended an education conference in the US and asked educators for 20 minutes of their time. I ended up booking 30 back-to-back interviews! There was no way I could occupy a coffee shop for that long so I actually took Star-bucks travellers and met them in a park. It was a case of let me pour you a cup of coffee and pick your brain!”

What she learnt from mentors and other co-founders proved invaluable and helped pave the way for success.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. 

Being female, and a person of colour, was a barrier.

When they started out, Shah was often mistaken for an intern.

“I’d be at our booth at a promo event in a t-shirt with our company name and someone would say they wanted to see the manager. I’d have to say I was the one they wanted! A young Caucasian male would have probably been viewed as smart and young. I had to project ‘professional’ and ‘serious’.”

Shah ditched those t-shirts in favour of blazers.

There were also sleepless nights over cash flow.

She has done TEDx talks on times when the journey seemed daunting.

“We had small investors, but not in the millions. We were not venture-backed. School district boards take time to sign up or clients can ask for a few months to pay, but your payables come due with unfailing regularity. It takes time to grow and learn and scale and you’re being careful all the time. And that can wear you down, wondering how much longer can you stretch for.”

Fortunately, they started seeing early momentum but there were the deals that fell through. A school board which had used their products for free for a year and as fully-paid for the second had indicated that they would be back for the third. Just days before her wedding, Shah learned that they were not going to sign up, after all.

“That’s when it’s hard to maintain an optimistic outlook. You love the impact your work is having, but man, it’s hard!”

Then the pandemic hit.

“That was definitely scary at first. We wondered what would happen if clients couldn’t pay us. But what we actually saw was a huge surge in demand. There was so much business coming in that we turned off the sales effort to concentrate on delivery.”

Suddenly, mental, emotional and physical health of students were all equally important. Skills that help teach kids self-regulation, empathy, teamwork and optimism were in demand. The topics Peekapak was focusing on were at the heart of what people wanted. The free pandemic resources that Peekapak has created helps children deal with pandemic-based fears and the platform complements the Canadian curriculum.

Ami Shah with her husband. Matthew Roberts.

In the beginning, it was just the two of them, Shah and Chan, and a part-time illustrator who later became full-time. They also worked with a researcher to develop their range.

They put in their own money, and a loan from Centre for Social Innovation helped them hire contractors for projects. They also got small grants and some investment from Silicon Valley.

Today, the company has 18 employees and is set to cross a million in turnover this year.

“We didn’t pay ourselves in the beginning – we were still making money in the corporate sector. We’ve had our share of tense moments, but overall, we’ve been fortunate. Our investors and users alike believe in our vision and passion,” says Shah.

Seeing the kids interact with the learning experience makes it all worthwhile for her, says Shah.

 “We’re teaching children how to recognize symptoms of stress and loneliness, etc., and how they impact our bodies. If your palms are sweaty and heart is beating fast, how do you calm yourself down? We have interactive games that help students check-in with their emotions.

“A teacher shared a video of a student who said he wanted to take a few minutes to practise deep breathing to calm himself before a test using the techniques we teach. That makes the impact we have real for me. Having the students articulate the benefits, with the school boards respecting our work and valuing it, that reinforces why we must make this available to more children.”

The programs are geared towards elementary aged kids from pre-K to grade 5, but with growing demand from school boards, the team is launching its middle school program (grades 6-8).

While her parents may have pushed for excellence in academics, they were also very supportive of Shah’s entrepreneurial dreams.

She describes them as very entrepreneurial in nature. Her father came to Canada from Gujarat in the late 70s. His sister was in Nova Scotia and he wanted to explore new horizons. Appreciative of what Canada offered, he decided to stay, going back a couple of years later to get married. His wife joined him in 1980 and they welcomed their daughter soon after. She describes her father as an adventurer at heart, curious about everything and interested in learning new things.

He worked at Pratt & Whitney, testing aeroplane engines. Her mother, an ayurvedic practitioner in India, found it difficult to practise here and turned her attention to selling crafts and flower arrangements she created.

“She worked in a daycare setting for a period – which probably influenced my interest in early learning. She used to bake banana bread so the house smelled nice and invite people over for an open house where she displayed her work. This she grew into a business selling arrangements of artificial flowers at first and then fresh flowers. Dad joined her after a few years and they had a thriving business. When they began offering their products online, my brother and I pitched in, helping them grow the business.”

Thus, unlike many desi parents who caution their offspring against venturing into the unknowns of business, the Shahs stressed the merits of being one’s own boss.

“They talked about how you chart your own course, how you could be independent,” recalls Shah. “Of course, there were days when they’d say, ‘You were making so much more money in your job,’ but they understood my drive. They’d gone through similar stages and were supportive and excited for me at the same time.”

Now that they are retired, they say they will come in and help her, says Shah with a fond chuckle. “But you know what? My mom is actually one of the best salespersons I know!”

Her husband Matthew Roberts has also helped her navigate challenges he’s well aware of as a former entrepreneur himself. Now with ScaleUp Ventures, he invests in software companies and she credits him for being a “wealth of information and super empathetic”.

The couple are brand new parents and she’s looking forward to what she knows will be a learning experience for them.

“I do a daily meditation. Prior to the pandemic and becoming pregnant, I went for yoga sessions. I found them very centering. I also practise journaling. I know we’re in for a busy and perhaps tiring period, but also so exciting. I’m already planning all the things we will do together and all the ways we’ll raise a child with self-awareness and empathy.”

She tells other young women who want to be entrepreneurs that starting a business can be feel lonely and that having a community of supportive family and friends is vital to success.

Being able to go to local industry events and learning from those who are ahead on the same path can help one navigate common pitfalls and challenges. There’s lot of help in the Canadian business ecosystem to help new entrepreneurs.

“Having a head down and get ahead focus is required, but it’s important to be aware of your emotional needs and to find the right balance.”

• Grant’s is proud to present this series about people who are making a difference in the community. Represented by PMA Canada (www.pmacanada.com).