NudgeMath | Our Story

My Journey to NudgeMath

Hi, I'm Padma — an engineer by training, an educator by passion, and someone who believes every child can thrive in math with the right support.

After completing my Master's in Electronics and Communication Engineering from IISc Bangalore, I spent 16 years at Motorola, primarily working in signal processing. During that time, I was fortunate to be granted seven US patents.

Alongside my professional career, I nurtured a deep interest in teaching children. I spent many hours tutoring informally, and my curiosity about how children learn led me to pursue a diploma in child psychology.

This unique intersection of technology, education, and psychology set me on a new mission — to build software that helps children not just solve problems, but truly understand math.

That's how the journey of NudgeMath began.

Early Experiments

I hit upon the idea of creating an app that would gently nudge children forward — offering just enough help at the right moment, while allowing them to solve problems step by step independently. It was about building confidence, not just getting the right answer.

We began with an app called AlgebraOnNudge, focused on helping students work through linear equations and word problems.

AlgebraOnNudge was well-received. But we saw a greater opportunity — to bring the same step-by-step clarity into the school setting by aligning the experience closely with what students were learning in class. That insight laid the foundation for building a full learning platform.

Built for the Classroom. Shaped by Real-World Use.

We set out to build NudgeMath as a complete and comprehensive solution — a tool that students can use daily across the school year, and teachers can rely on for targeted intervention, practice, and insights.

This led us to develop a robust Math Engine and an intuitive UI Engine capable of handling a wide range of topics — from long division to geometric constructions using compass and protractor, to complex multi-step word problems — all step-by-step and interactive.

We first launched the NudgeMath Grade 6 CBSE app, which was used both at home by students and in pilot programs with schools.

We have now launched a completely new version for Grades 4, 5 and 6, aligned with CBSE, ICSE, Cambridge, and Common Core curricula. But this is just the beginning — we aim to support more grades and more curricula in the near future.

With feedback from teachers and students during our first iteration, we built the new NudgeMath app — ensuring it addresses what truly helps learners progress.

NudgeMath for Schools

Through our school pilots, a clear pattern emerged. Teachers wanted to assign problems for homework and receive reports on whether children had completed them. Students needed structured support that worked both in the school lab and at home.

We listened — and significantly improved the platform. We introduced a Windows version so NudgeMath could run in school computer labs, and students could also use laptops at home for homework. The result is NudgeMath for Schools — a complete, teacher-driven practice system.

Teacher Portal

✓ Teachers can assign classwork and homework through the portal.
✓ Students work through assignments with step-by-step hints and error-based feedback, helping them complete the work even when they find it difficult.
✓ Teachers can clearly track who has started, who has completed, and how much help each student required.

Tests and Follow-up Practice

✓ Teachers can assign tests through the platform.
✓ Once students complete a test, they are graded automatically.
✓ Students then receive a follow-up practice set based on the questions they couldn't solve — with hints and step-by-step feedback enabled, so they learn from their mistakes right away.

Improved Problem Quality and Variety

✓ Many more higher-order thinking problems added.
✓ New engaging problem types such as crosswords and spotting patterns in a grid.
✓ Designed to keep children engaged without diluting procedural or conceptual learning.

What Lies Ahead

We're just getting started. We plan to expand to more grades, different curricula, and continuously refine NudgeMath based on feedback from teachers, students, and parents. Our mission is to make deep learning accessible to every child.

"If we can help more children experience the wonder of thinking mathematically, it will be truly transformative."

The NudgeMath Story