The Birth of Ototutor
In October of 2014, Abbas Kashanipour and Peyman Bateni, two grade 11 students who were math tutors at West Vancouver Secondary School's "Math Buddies" program, encountered a prevalent issue throughout the school's tutoring community. The problem didn't involve a lack of tutors or students who needed tutors, but rather the inefficiency of the way the two groups interacted.
Even for Abbas Kashanipour, the tutoring options were pretty limited. Peyman Bateni, who was involved in the program since grade 10, couldn't continue tutoring math once his student left the program. The issue they encountered soon expanded into a much bigger idea as the two began realizing, "what if we could create something that would allow people to find tutors and tutors to find students in not only mathematics but a variety of subjects?"
Once Abbas and Peyman shared the idea with another friend of the two, Saeid Shakibakho, who was amazed. The three started working on the project. They experimented with various solutions ranging from school clubs to sign-up forms. Eventually, after months of work, the three concluded. The best way to solve the issue was by creating a website that allows tutors and students to connect.
In July of 2015, the three founded the Otodea Team to work solely on the design and functionality of the website. Thanks to the previous background of the three as web designers who, at the same time, led the school's computer club, they were able to design a website that could adequately address the needs of tutors and students within less than four months, and the website went live on the 25th of October of 2015.
About two years later, Abbas Kashanipour used the experiences gained in the previous years and transformed the company altogether. Ototutor is now one of the largest tutoring companies in Vancouver.
Even for Abbas Kashanipour, the tutoring options were pretty limited. Peyman Bateni, who was involved in the program since grade 10, couldn't continue tutoring math once his student left the program. The issue they encountered soon expanded into a much bigger idea as the two began realizing, "what if we could create something that would allow people to find tutors and tutors to find students in not only mathematics but a variety of subjects?"
Once Abbas and Peyman shared the idea with another friend of the two, Saeid Shakibakho, who was amazed. The three started working on the project. They experimented with various solutions ranging from school clubs to sign-up forms. Eventually, after months of work, the three concluded. The best way to solve the issue was by creating a website that allows tutors and students to connect.
In July of 2015, the three founded the Otodea Team to work solely on the design and functionality of the website. Thanks to the previous background of the three as web designers who, at the same time, led the school's computer club, they were able to design a website that could adequately address the needs of tutors and students within less than four months, and the website went live on the 25th of October of 2015.
About two years later, Abbas Kashanipour used the experiences gained in the previous years and transformed the company altogether. Ototutor is now one of the largest tutoring companies in Vancouver.