How Inteligen Uses Games to Make Math Fear into Math Love
Math fear is widespread among both children and adults. Much of it originates in how mathematical concepts are traditionally taught in schools. Lessons often feel disconnected from practical applications, leaving students unable to see the relevance of equations, patterns, or operations in everyday life. Over time, this disconnection breeds disengagement, fear, and anxiety.
Vidya Jayaraman founded Bengaluru-based learning startup Inteligen to change that dynamic. Driven by a clear understanding of the gaps in conventional math education and the proven benefits of game-based learning, she launched the company to make mathematics engaging, accessible, and enjoyable for a wide audience of children and adults alike.
Three Games, Multiple Age Groups
Inteligen offers three mobile gaming apps designed to build mathematical thinking and critical reasoning:
Num Craft (ages 8 to 99) focuses on algebraic thinking. Players solve equations, recognise patterns, and apply mathematical operations in interactive scenarios.
Chess Roll (ages 12 and above) blends chess strategy with dice elements, encouraging logical planning and decision-making.
Magic Math Spellcaster (ages 3 and above) introduces basic arithmetic operations and place-value concepts through playful activities and puzzles.
Alongside the apps, the company has developed activity books in both digital and physical formats. These resources use mind maps and colour-coded manipulatives coloured tiles, blocks and shapes—to help learners visualise abstract ideas. The approach pairs conceptual learning through workbooks with practice via games, catering to a generation comfortable with technology.
“This approach emphasises conceptual learning through workbooks and practice via games, catering to today’s tech-savvy generation,” Jayaraman explains. She comes from a family of mathematicians and is currently prototyping a “Math Teacher Bot” that will deliver play-based instruction globally. The overall methodology is designed to be inclusive, supporting diverse learning needs without separating students by ability.
Research supports the strategy. A 2019 study by Yen, Chen, and Chan found that game-based learning environments improve student performance and foster more positive attitudes toward mathematics compared with traditional teacher-led methods.
Measurable Impact in a Government School
In the 2023–24 academic year, students from Grades 1 to 5 at a government school in Ramagondanahalli, Bengaluru, used Inteligen’s activities and games. An independent evaluation of the programme showed notable gains in numeracy skills.
According to findings aligned with the Annual Status of Education Report methodology, about 70% of Grade 1 students at the school could read two-digit numbers, compared with 26% in other state-run schools. Nearly 70% of students in Grades 4 and 5 could perform division, compared with only 6% and 13%, respectively, in the broader state figures. The results suggest that structured, game-based interventions can meaningfully improve foundational skills even in resource-constrained settings.
From Engineering to Education
Jayaraman’s path to founding Inteligen began in chemical engineering. She spent eight years with companies including ThyssenKrupp, Supreme Petrochem, and Project Toyo Engineering India. After becoming a parent, she found it difficult to balance professional and personal responsibilities and left her job to run an after-school coaching class for Grades 8–12. There she observed widespread math anxiety among students.
She realised that strong mathematical foundations need to be built in early childhood rather than attempted later, when gaps are harder to close. Over several years, she worked closely with students and teachers, identifying two core problems: rigid, abstract teaching styles that lacked real-world context, and an over-reliance on rote memorisation and repetitive drills that stifled curiosity.
In response, she developed an activity-based math programme. This evolved into Math Adventures, a B2B educational platform for K-12 students launched in 2013. The programme combined hands-on learning with technology, short videos, clickers, multiple-choice tracking, and a question-bank app. Math Adventures was acquired by BYJU’S in 2018. Jayaraman remained with the company until 2021 before departing to start Inteligen.
Business Model and Ambitions
Inteligen’s games are currently free to play, with revenue generated through in-app advertising. The company plans to introduce a modest fee for users who prefer an ad-free experience. The apps are available on the Google Play Store and have collectively recorded 42,000 downloads; an iOS version is forthcoming.
The broader games and puzzles market in India was valued at $18.40 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach nearly $32.57 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 8.5%, according to Stellar Market Research. Competitors range from digital platforms such as Prodigy to traditional board games sold by Funskool and Hamleys. Jayaraman positions Inteligen’s strength as the deliberate integration of learning and play, offering more than pure entertainment.
She notes that many existing education products prioritise testing over genuine learning and follow a one-size-fits-all model that overlooks adaptive, immersive approaches. Inteligen aims to fill that gap.
The startup was bootstrapped with an initial investment of Rs 2 crore from personal savings, family and friends. It now plans to raise between $500,000 and $1 million to expand its 12-member team, accelerate game development and strengthen digital marketing. The company intends to release seven to eight new games each year. It has also developed two educational workbook series, Math Explorer (Pre-KG to Grade 8) and Math Essential (Grades 1 to 10), which are in production, with distribution partnerships under discussion to reach schools.
By combining thoughtfully designed games, visual manipulatives and a clear focus on conceptual understanding, Inteligen is working to replace math anxiety with curiosity and confidence. For a subject long associated with fear, the Bengaluru startup offers a simpler proposition: when learning feels like play, students are far more likely to stay engaged and to keep coming back.