13-Year-Old Girl Creates 'Kavach' App To Combat Bullying In Schools, Secures Rs 50 Lakh Funding

A 13-year-old girl named Anoushka Jolly has taken a positive step towards combating bullying in Indian schools. The Class 8 student from Gurugram's Pathways School created a digital app called 'Kavach' that helps educational institutions, parents and students to come together and prevent bullying incidents that can have a scarring impact on a child's future.

Recently, Jolly's venture fetched a whopping ₹50 lakhs on the reality show 'Shark Tank India'. The app received funding from investors like Anupam Mittal and Aman Gupta, who believed in her cause.

'Anti Bullying Squad'

For Anoushka Jolly, the crusade against bullying began when a fellow student was mocked during a function at school. Quoted by NDTV, Jolly recalls, "I was attending the annual school day when my friends decided to bully the six-year-old girl who they found annoying. They walked up to her and started calling her names and laughed at her."

With the incident etched in her memory, she realised to take matters into her own hands. Three years ago, she started a platform called 'Anti Bullying Squad' that combat the menace. "I realised how common the problem is and saw many other children of my age being victims of bullying and losing confidence," the 13-year-old student continues the conversation.

The digital platform aims to help raise awareness about the issue. It has impacted over 2000 students in 100 schools and universities around the country. During this endeavour, she came across several cases that went unreported. "I came up with an idea of creating a bullying reporting mobile app 'Kavach' to report incidents anonymously," she adds. The app lets a student or a parent report the case anonymously, after which the counsellor can intervene wherever necessary and take necessary action.

Coming to Shark Tank India, Anoushka Jolly became the youngest contestant to present her idea to the entrepreneurial stalwarts. Speaking to The Indian Express, she talked about her experience, stating that she did not expect to receive an offer. "They understood the magnitude of the issue at hand and impact 'Kavach' tends to make on the youth of the country," she tells the news publication. With the investor duo's expertise, she expands the brand further.

Also Read: My Story: 'I Was Made Fun Of And Bullied Because I Loved Feminine Things'