The special Startups of The Year 2024 Winners Interview series is a celebration of all this year’s Tech Champions. You’ve earned it! The HackerNoon community can’t wait to learn more about your journey!
Tell us about you.
At SNATIKA, we are redefining the way professional education is delivered by recognizing the value of real-world experience. Our mission is to empower senior professionals across the globe by offering accelerated, assignment-based academic programs that are flexible, practical, and career-oriented.
We believe that knowledge gained through years of work experience deserves formal recognition. That’s why our programs allow eligible professionals to earn globally recognized Doctorate, Masters, Bachelors, and Professional certifications—sometimes even without a traditional academic background, if their experience speaks for itself.
Our vision is to become a global leader in experience-driven education, enabling individuals to gain qualifications that fast-track their careers, drive innovation in their fields, and contribute meaningfully to their industries. SNATIKA is where experience meets academic validation.
Tell us how your startup is changing the world.
At SNATIKA, we function as a lean, innovation-driven EdTech company that prioritizes academic flexibility, real-world relevance, and outcome-oriented learning. Our operations are fully digital, allowing us to serve a global learner base efficiently through our online platform.
Our programs are assignment-based and self-paced, designed specifically for working professionals who bring years of experience but may not have traditional academic credentials. We partner with accredited institutions and industry experts to offer qualifications that are respected, recognized, and relevant.
We don’t follow the conventional teaching model. Instead, our focus is on validating prior knowledge and experience—giving professionals a structured path to earn their degrees based on what they already know and how they apply it.
Our ultimate goal is to become the world’s leading platform for experience-based academic recognition, offering one of the widest ranges of industry-aligned programs, and providing direct pathways to Doctorate and Masters qualifications for experienced professionals—regardless of geography or prior formal education.
In short, we aim to close the gap between industry expertise and academic achievement, making education more inclusive, faster, and future-ready.
What sets you apart from the competition?
What sets SNATIKA apart is our fundamentally different philosophy: We believe that experience is education—and we’ve built an entire academic ecosystem around that belief.
Unlike traditional education providers that rely on time-bound classes, exams, and rigid entry requirements, SNATIKA offers accelerated, 100% assignment-based programs that are flexible, practical, and tailored for senior professionals.
✅ We allow experienced individuals to earn Masters degrees without a Bachelors, if their work history and skills justify it.
✅ We certify knowledge already gained on the job, reducing redundancy and fast-tracking career growth.
✅ Our portfolio includes 120+ industry-aligned programs across domains like AI, Cybersecurity, Finance, Entrepreneurship, and more.
✅ We’re among the few EdTechs preparing to launch a suite of 10 premium Doctorate programs, designed specifically for working professionals.
Moreover, SNATIKA is not just a learning platform—it’s a career catalyst, enabling professionals to convert real-world expertise into academic qualifications that carry global recognition. That’s the future of education, and we’re leading the way.
What does it mean for you to win this title?
Winning this title at HackerNoon’s Startups of the Year 2024 is both a validation and a celebration of what SNATIKA stands for.
It reaffirms that our mission—to recognize experience as a foundation for academic achievement—resonates globally. Being named a Winner in Training & Consulting, and Runner-Up in Educational Institutions and Research, is not just a milestone for our team, but a recognition of the thousands of professionals from 18+ countries who trusted SNATIKA to transform their careers.
This title means the world to us because:
- It acknowledges our commitment to breaking traditional barriers in education.
- It shines a spotlight on our belief that learning doesn’t only happen in classrooms—it happens in boardrooms, on the field, in startups, and across decades of real work.
- And most importantly, it motivates us to keep innovating—as we expand our portfolio of 120+ programs and prepare to launch 10 specialized Doctorate programs.
This recognition energizes our journey to scale globally, build more partnerships, and empower even more professionals with the credentials they deserve.
What do you love about your team, and why are you the ones to set out for this mission?
What I love most about the SNATIKA team is our shared passion for challenging the status quo in education. We are not just educators, technologists, and strategists—we are believers in the power of lived experience.
Our team brings together individuals who have worked across industries, countries, and academic systems. Many of us have personally seen how traditional education often overlooks skilled professionals simply because they don’t fit into predefined academic boxes. That’s why we’re the right team for this mission—because we’ve lived the problem we’re solving.
What truly sets our team apart is:
💡 Our innovative mindset—constantly reimagining how education can be more inclusive and relevant.
🤝 Our learner-first culture—every decision we make is focused on what benefits the professionals we serve.
🚀 Our drive to scale with purpose—building not just programs, but opportunities that genuinely transform careers.
We’re not here to teach in the traditional sense—we’re here to recognize, validate, and elevate the knowledge that professionals already possess. And it takes a team with conviction, empathy, and a bold vision to do exactly that.
That’s the SNATIKA team.
Looking back, what milestone was the biggest turning point for your startup?
One of the biggest turning points for SNATIKA was the moment we decided to move beyond traditional entry barriers in education and officially launched our policy of allowing experienced professionals to directly pursue a Master’s degree—even without a Bachelor’s, if they met our experience-based eligibility.
That bold decision shifted everything. It validated our core belief that skills and experience can be just as valuable as formal degrees, and it allowed us to open doors for professionals who had been overlooked by conventional systems.
From that point forward:
- Our learner base grew rapidly across 18+ countries
- We built a portfolio of 120+ programs tailored to real-world needs
- We attracted partnerships from respected institutions that shared our vision
- And most importantly, we saw real impact—mid-career professionals transforming their careers with confidence and recognition
It was the moment we stopped trying to fit into the traditional education model and instead created our own category. That clarity became the foundation of SNATIKA’s growth and success.
What’s one valuable lesson you learned this year that you’d pass on to other startups?
One valuable lesson we learned this year is: listen louder than you speak.
In the rush to build, scale, and innovate, it’s easy to focus on what you want your product or service to be. But true growth happens when you step back and listen—to your learners, your partners, and your ecosystem.
At SNATIKA, several of our most impactful decisions—like introducing Doctorate programs, expanding into new geographies, and refining experience-based entry routes—came directly from what our learners and partners asked for. We didn’t just respond to feedback—we built our future around it.
For other startups, especially in mission-driven spaces like education:
🎯 Stay true to your vision, but remain obsessively curious about your users’ evolving needs.
🎯 Don’t be afraid to pivot or evolve when the market speaks.
🎯 And most importantly, build with your community, not just for them.
That’s how you create something that lasts.
How do you envision your industry evolving in the coming years, and how will your startup stay ahead?
The education industry is on the verge of a major shift—from qualification-based validation to experience-based recognition. In the coming years, we foresee a world where:
📌 Traditional degrees will hold less weight than demonstrable skills and impact
📌 Micro-credentials, flexible learning models, and outcome-based assessments will become the norm
📌 AI, automation, and global workforces will demand faster, more adaptable learning pathways
📌 Learners will choose recognition over repetition—opting for platforms that value what they already know
SNATIKA is already ahead of this curve.
While many institutions are still adapting to online models, we’ve built an entire ecosystem focused on:
- Assignment-based, exam-free assessments
- Recognition of prior experience over traditional prerequisites
- Flexible, self-paced learning designed for working professionals
- A rapidly expanding portfolio—currently 120+ programs, soon to include 10 specialized Doctorates
We’re also investing in technology and partnerships that allow us to deliver a personalized, global learning experience—without compromising academic integrity or real-world relevance.
As education continues to decentralize, SNATIKA will remain a leader by staying true to our mission: empowering professionals with the recognition they deserve, on their terms.
How do you or your company intend to embrace the responsibility of this title in 2025?
Winning this title isn’t just a moment of celebration for us—it’s a call to action.
In 2025, we intend to amplify our mission by continuing to innovate, expand access, and push the boundaries of what professional education can look like.
Here’s how SNATIKA will embrace the responsibility that comes with this recognition:
✅ Launch 10 new Doctorate programs tailored to industry leaders and experienced professionals who deserve academic recognition without traditional constraints.
✅ Expand our global reach beyond the 18 countries we currently serve, with a focus on underserved markets and professionals in emerging economies.
✅ Strengthen our blockchain certification infrastructure, ensuring that every degree or transcript issued by SNATIKA remains verifiable, tamper-proof, and globally trusted.
✅ Empower our partner network with tools, resources, and co-branded offerings to extend our impact through collaborative delivery models.
✅ Continue our commitment to experience-first education, refining our assignment-based framework to match evolving industry trends and learner needs.
This title is not just a recognition of what we’ve done—it’s a responsibility to lead the way forward in shaping a smarter, more inclusive, and more credible global education ecosystem.
We’re ready. The next chapter begins now.
What goals are you looking forward to accomplishing in 2025?
As we look ahead to 2025, our goals are bold, clear, and deeply aligned with our mission to redefine education for experienced professionals:
🎯 Launch 10 Specialized Doctorate Programs We’re gearing up to unveil a suite of advanced, industry-relevant doctorate programs that will offer senior professionals a credible and flexible pathway to academic distinction.
🎯 Expand to 30+ Countries Currently serving learners in 18 countries, we aim to expand our reach and accessibility to 30+ countries, bringing opportunity and recognition to professionals worldwide.
🎯 Issue All Certifications via Blockchain We plan to make 100% of SNATIKA’s certificates and transcripts blockchain-secured, ensuring every credential is instantly verifiable, tamper-proof, and globally recognized.
🎯 Grow to 150+ Programs With 120+ programs today, we aim to expand our portfolio further by launching new offerings in high-demand fields like AI, Fintech, Green Energy, and more.
🎯 Strengthen Academic and Industry Partnerships We are actively working on collaborations with leading universities, accelerators, and corporate organizations to enhance the practical value and global standing of our qualifications.
🎯 Launch the SNATIKA Global Recognition Framework A proprietary model to help learners map their career achievements to academic pathways—further strengthening the bridge between experience and qualification.
These goals are not just ambitions—they’re milestones in our journey to become the global standard for experience-first, blockchain-backed professional education.
2024 has been crazy, with all the new techs, and all the geopolitics fluctuations. What are the impacts of these to your startup, and to your industry as a whole? Be as brief or as detailed as you like.
2024 has indeed been a whirlwind—marked by rapid technological breakthroughs and unpredictable geopolitical shifts. For the education sector, and especially for SNATIKA, these events have brought both challenges and opportunities.
🔹 Tech Disruption: The surge in AI, blockchain, and automation has accelerated the global demand for reskilling and upskilling. Professionals are seeking faster, more relevant education options—making SNATIKA’s flexible, assignment-based model more valuable than ever. Our blockchain certification infrastructure, once a differentiator, is now becoming an industry expectation.
🔹 Geopolitical Uncertainty: Visa restrictions, rising education costs, and cross-border tensions have made traditional international education less accessible. This shift has increased demand for remote-first, globally recognized academic programs like ours, especially in emerging markets.
🔹 Shift in Learner Behavior: Professionals no longer have the luxury to pause their careers for full-time study. There’s a rising demand for career-aligned, on-the-go learning models—and SNATIKA is purpose-built for this reality.
In short, 2024 has validated our vision. These global shifts have made it clearer than ever that the future of education lies in flexibility, credibility, and accessibility—exactly where SNATIKA is focused.
We don’t just adapt to change—we build for it.
We would love your feedback on HackerNoon as a tech publication! How has your experience been with us?
Our experience with HackerNoon has been nothing short of exceptional.
As a platform, HackerNoon strikes a rare balance between tech-forward thought leadership and community-driven authenticity. It gives a voice to startups like ours—those that are challenging the norms, building in unconventional spaces, and impacting global industries.
The Startups of the Year initiative, in particular, has created an inclusive space where innovation from all corners of the world gets a fair spotlight. From the transparent nomination process to the engaging community voting model, everything feels democratic, well-executed, and genuinely valuable.
Most importantly, HackerNoon understands the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, and storytelling—something that makes it stand out from the noise.
Thank you for not just covering innovation—but actively championing it.
Any words of wisdom you’d like to share with us?
Yes—never underestimate the power of recognizing what already exists.
In a world obsessed with what’s next, we’ve built SNATIKA around the simple yet powerful belief that what professionals have already learned through experience is deeply valuable—and often overlooked.
So here’s our wisdom:
🎯 Innovation doesn’t always mean creating something new—it can also mean recognizing the value in what’s already there.
🎯 Listen before you build. Learn before you scale. Respect the learner before you teach.
That mindset has shaped our journey and continues to guide every step we take.
And to HackerNoon and every builder reading this—keep creating spaces where real stories, real skills, and real people are seen and celebrated. The world needs more of that.
About HackerNoon’s Startups of The Year
Startups of The Year 2024 is HackerNoon’s flagship community-driven event celebrating startups, technology, and the spirit of innovation. Currently in its third iteration, the prestigious Internet award recognizes and celebrates tech startups of all shapes and sizes. This year, over 150,000 entities across 4200+ cities, 6 continents, and 100+ industries will participate in a bid to be crowned the best startup of the year! Millions of votes have been cast over the past few years, and many stories have been written about these daring and rising startups.
The winners will get a free interview on HackerNoon and an Evergreen Tech Company Newspage.
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