GrowthSchool Founder Vaibhav Sisinty on revolutionizing marketing education with Generative AI

GrowthSchool offers transformative cohort-based courses, with a primary focus on marketing and advertising. One of its standout features is the integration of practical applications, equipping learners with real-world skills and a robust portfolio. In this exclusive interview, we delve into how GrowthSchool leverages generative AI to empower professionals in branding and marketing. In this interview, Vaibhav Sisinty, the founder, shares his insights on the role of generative AI in shaping the future of marketing, upskilling, and the broader edtech landscape.

GrowthSchool offers high-impact cohort-based courses on personal and professional growth for marketing and advertising professionals. Could you share how your platform leverages generative AI tools to empower professionals in branding and marketing? How do you envision the role of generative AI in shaping the future of marketing in the coming decades?

GrowthSchool offers transformative cohort-based courses, especially in marketing and advertising, even though these aren't our only focus areas. A standout feature of our courses is the emphasis on practical application. Instead of just introducing learners to the tools theoretically, we showcase real-world applications and encourage immediate implementation through assignments. This also assists learners in building a robust portfolio.

Generative AI is revolutionizing marketing with its deep personalization, swift content generation, and powerful predictive analytics. Platforms like YouTube and Instagram offer immense potential. But, unlocking this potential requires patience. Generative AI acts like a turbo-charged assistant, optimizing efforts to get faster results. As we peer into the future, this surge in AI-driven creativity promises to redefine marketing. Beyond the metrics, remember, marketing is an exciting journey with limitless opportunities.

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Upskilling has become essential for professionals to stay relevant in the ever-changing landscape of marketing and advertising. How does GrowthSchool use AI to help marketing professionals stay ahead of the curve and adapt to emerging trends and technologies?

What we are doing is that we are leveraging AI to optimize the conventional digital marketing channels and practices. Even after years of running Facebook, Google, Instagram or LinkedIn campaigns, marketers still struggle to sustain the ROI or to maintain high engagement among the audience. That’s where we are tapping in by sharing the best practices including usage of tools that improve efficiency through data-driven insights, and accelerate the effort through automation and digital transformation of manual processes through AI and Generative AI. I call it Growth Hacking and not just marketing because our aim is to boost marketers’ output and ROI up to 10x and beyond.

The edtech industry has seen significant disruption with the advent of technology-enabled AI. How has GrowthSchool harnessed this disruption to revolutionize the marketing and advertising sector? Could you provide five specific ways in which tech-enabled AI has transformed the A&M sector through your platform?

GrowthSchool recognizes the vast potential of AI in reshaping the modern educational landscape. Here's how we've harnessed this potential to innovate in the marketing and advertising sector:

Efficiency Enhancement: By integrating AI tools, we've significantly increased the efficiency of our teams. This has enabled us to optimize our resources and ensure that we deliver high-quality content in a streamlined manner.

Automated Operations: Redundant tasks that were once time-consuming are now automated. From sending out comms to student feedback analysis, AI assists in making our operations leaner and more focused.

Continuous Innovation: We don’t just use AI; we constantly innovate with it. By continuously experimenting with new AI tools and strategies, we stay ahead in the edtech game.

Knowledge Sharing: Our experiments don’t just benefit us. We incorporate our findings and understanding of AI into our programs, sharing insights with our learners to equip them for the future.

Redefining Possibilities: AI has provided us with a fresh perspective on our capabilities. It’s not just about adopting new tools, but about re-imagining the horizons of what can be achieved in the edtech sector. In essence, while we harness AI to enhance our platform, we also impart this knowledge, ensuring our learners are future-ready in the ever-evolving A&M sector.

In the era of generative AI, how do you see technology setting the tone for advertising? What are some of the key ways in which technology-driven solutions are reshaping the advertising landscape, and how is GrowthSchool preparing marketing professionals to navigate this new era effectively?

In the era of generative AI, technology is not just an enabler but a game-changer, fundamentally redefining how advertising is conceptualized, created, and consumed. Here's how we view the transformation:

Personalized Advertising: Generative AI can craft messages tailored to individual preferences, ensuring that advertising is more personal, relevant, and effective than ever before.

Dynamic Content Creation: Imagine creating hundreds of ad variants in a fraction of the time it would traditionally take. AI-driven solutions can generate diverse and creative content, allowing brands to resonate with wider audiences across various platforms.

Predictive Analysis: AI's predictive capabilities enable advertisers to anticipate trends and consumer behaviours, allowing for more strategic and impactful campaigns.

Efficiency & Automation: Repetitive tasks and data analysis can now be automated, making the advertising process more streamlined and focused on innovation.

At GrowthSchool, we believe in equipping marketers with practical knowledge that goes beyond traditional theoretical paradigms. That's why we proactively integrated Generative AI modules into our curriculum, ensuring our learners aren’t just participants but pioneers in this new advertising age. Our programs delve deep into both the foundational and operational aspects of marketing technology, providing hands-on experience that ensures our learners are future-ready!

Upskilling has emerged as the need of the hour for marketing professionals to remain competitive and adaptable. What factors have driven this increasing demand for upskilling, and how does GrowthSchool cater to the specific needs of marketing professionals in this regard?

The pace of digital transformation, heightened by AI's rise and shifting consumer preferences, demands marketers to constantly upskill if they wish to remain pertinent. Being competitive now requires more than just knowing the basics; it's about mastering the newest tools and adapting strategies in real-time. At GrowthSchool, we've recognized this imperative need. That’s why we bring in top-tier professionals - the crème de la crème 1% already navigating the AI terrain - to guide our students. Amidst the prevalent confusion about AI's scope and its future implications, these seasoned mentors offer clarity, distilling complex concepts into actionable insights. By aligning with these industry pioneers, we ensure our learners receive a holistic, tailored education, placing them not just in the current conversation but ahead, leading the discourse on next-gen marketing innovations.

GrowthSchool has partnered with prominent instructors from brands like Amazon, Meta, Google, and others. How do your upskilling courses benefit marketing and advertising professionals, and what sets your approach apart from traditional learning methods?

At GrowthSchool, we're not just here to train you; we're all about arming you with the practical skills that will make you shine across various industries, now and in the future. We have a star-studded lineup of trainers who aren't just your average mentors but the top performers in their respective fields. Imagine learning marketing from someone who's rocking it at Amazon or getting tech insights from a real pro involved in application development at Meta.

Our approach ensures that you not only become job-ready in your chosen field but also have the flexibility to explore other verticals if you wish. We're all about versatility, and believe in staying one step ahead of the game. As the first Indian Edtech platform to integrate generative AI modules in all our courses, we're already preparing you for the AI-driven future to ensure you’re ahead of the curve.

We're not just about theory; our students work on actual projects, giving them the confidence to tackle anything the corporate world throws their way. With folks going from fields like architecture and HR to UX design, we've seen some incredible career transitions! We are an entity that believes in the power of community-based learning. With our 500k plus strong community, learners have a vibrant network of support throughout your career journey. Plus, we connect them with industry experts through live sessions and meetups across the country. It's like having a team of mentors cheering you on! Our goal is to equip the Indian youth with the skills that matter in the market and empower them to future-proof their careers.

Could you share some success stories or testimonials from marketing professionals who have undergone your upskilling courses? How have these courses contributed to their career growth and professional development?

Shahrukh Shaikh: “I was very sure of the quality of the course as I had previously attended the workshop by Deepan. Half way into the course I was thinking of switching into some digital marketing agency where I can implement my course knowledge. Within a week I was interviewed by a Performance Marketing agencies in Pune, When I told them I was a doing a PM course from GrowthSchool. I was offered the job. Thanks a lot Growth School TEAM.”

Megha Chowhan: “Performance Marketing was my 3rd program at GrowthSchool. I started getting offers post this course! All the mentors are really amazing, the content was detailed, every time I get so many new things to learn. The assignments are explained in a detailed manner and were really helpful. The extra resources provided helped a lot. Being a Digital Marketer, this Performance Marketing course was more like a cherry on top in boosting my career.”

Vishnu Mallah: “Ever since I added my polished and highly effective pitches and tasks to my LinkedIn profile, the influx of multiple job offers per week has been nothing short of remarkable. It's evident that my dedication and hard work in media and performance have not gone unnoticed, as 7 CEOs from various media agencies and product companies have reached out to me to discuss how my expertise in performance could elevate their businesses and Media returns.”

Sonali Saraogi: “As a founder it has helped me understand the meaning of brand, how to create and maintain it. Learnt a a-lot of interesting tools and campaign management.”

Debosmita: “Thanks to the Product Marketing course I did with Siddhartha, it actually helped me land a job with Google. The course is so intensive, the case studies which are being explained are something which the real-time people have done and have found results with. And that is what is required today.”

The edtech industry is rapidly evolving, and there is immense competition. What strategies has GrowthSchool adopted to maintain its innovative edge and ensure its platform remains ahead in the edtech market?

Our strategy is to move in perfect alignment with the changing trends. We are not a platform that offers rigid training, but a tech-driven upskilling platform. We constantly harness data to keep an eye on the latest trends, and future forecasts to be well versed with the needs of the job-seekers and employers alike. The way we hopped on the Generative AI trend to help people upskill is a testament of our ability to spot trends. We essentially became the first edTech platform to incorporate modules on AI in all our programs.

GrowthSchool recently raised USD 5 million in its seed round, led by Sequoia India and Owl Ventures. How do you plan to utilize this investment to further enhance the learning experience for marketing and advertising professionals on your platform?

It might surprise you, but my intent wasn’t to scale right after getting the funding, the way startups typically do. I don’t have plans to launch a blitzkrieg. As a founder, I believe that brands need to be self-aware. I have seen during my stints with Uber and Klook how businesses scale and what works best. I intend to use the funds raised to build a stronger team that builds a great product that we didn’t have earlier. Now we need a lot of things to be integrated and operationalized to build the product further. Tech and product are two areas where I aim to invest. Second, there is a lot of work to be done to transform general opinion in favour of upskilling. Majority of learners are still stuck in the mindset where formal degrees are preferred over bootcamps and real-world skill acquisition. At GrowthSchool, we plan to run a number of experiential learning efforts and experiments, and the funds raised will be channelled toward such plans.

Looking into the future, what are the upcoming milestones and goals that GrowthSchool aims to achieve in the next few years? How do you see the platform contributing to the broader ecosystem of edtech and professional development?

The goal is to grow 5x by the end of the next year. There are some internal growth metrics that we are focusing on, but I can’t talk about them presently. We are growing at a steady pace without burning a lot of money. The aim is to grow at 5x, and also to become profitable in a year from now. More than business growth numbers, my vision is to bring an inflection point in learning and development. I want to change mindsets where people focus more on learning and performance, and not just on degrees. That’s how I believe the future of Edtech and professional learning is going to be in the areas that we are targeting.