Best Parents is the first marketplace of boarding academic courses for 13 to 17-year-olds. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Best Parents co-founder Burçin Advani to learn more about the company.
Burçin Advani’s Background
What is Burçin Advani’s background? Advani said:
“After graduating with a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) from Uludag University, I studied in London, gaining an international certificate in English teaching. I then spent time as an English teacher in Bursa, Turkey. In 2014, I founded York Education Solutions, a premier study abroad consultancy and IELTS-TOEFL coaching center based in Istanbul. After moving to the United States in 2020, my husband, Aditya Advani, and I launched Best Parents in California, which is an education technology platform that matches teenagers with college-preparatory summer camps and academic enrichment programs.”
Formation Of Best Parents
How did the idea for the company come together? Advani shared:
“The idea for Best Parents came from my husband’s and my difficult educational journeys. After spending 12 years in Ivy League consultancy, I realized that many families struggle with how to best prepare for college and the application process leading up to it. For example, students need more than just a 4.0 GPA to get accepted to elite universities; they also need impressive extracurricular programs and experiences on their resumes, but traditionally, there has been no easy way for parents to find those programs. And so, Best Parents was born.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Advani reflected:
“My ultimate goal is to do what I can to improve children’s futures, help them become as prepared as possible for college, and allow them to realize where their strengths are. Recently, I received a thank you note from a student who thought their passion lay within the medical field, but after attending a biology camp, they soon realized it wasn’t for them. Instead, business was their true passion. Just knowing that I was able to play a small role in that child figuring out what road they want to take in life makes all the hard work worth it.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Advani explained:
“Best Parents is an education technology platform that matches teenagers with college-preparatory summer camps and enrichment programs. Since its official launch less than two years ago, more than 2,400 families have used the platform and its experts in nearly 70 countries. With the help of artificial intelligence (AI), parents can search by location, field of interest, and age. Additionally, Best Parents offers families access to counselors who will give them one-on-one attention to find the right camp or program for their child. As a result, Best Parents has become the go-to resource for parents looking to discover the best summer camps and other educational enrichment opportunities for their teenagers.”
Challenges Faced
What challenges have Advani and the team faced in building the company? Advani acknowledged:
“Many articles and studies have shown that this generation is heavily dependent on their screens, often avoiding social activities or programs entirely. Because of this, they can miss out on experiencing in-person enrichment programs and/or summer camps where they can get to explore their passions in the real world. It’s so important to get teenagers out of the house and have them venture to new places, meet new people, and dabble in any interests they may have in order to give them the best possible chance at finding what they love to do.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Advani affirmed:
“Twelve million parents worldwide spend up to five weeks yearly searching for the best camp for their teenagers to attend. Up until Best Parents, there was no easy way to match students with the program that best fits their needs. Not only do we use AI to help parents find the right program for their children, but we also offer ‘white glove’ service by allowing 24/7 access to expert consultants.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future company goals? Advani concluded:
“As mentioned, my goal is to help students have successful futures. Our company’s goals are similar – right now, we are helping 2,400 families find the right placement for their teens, and we’d like to see that number increase significantly. Additionally, we currently work with some of the top camps in the world, such as Le Rosey Summer Camp, Institut Rosenberg International, The American School located in Switzerland, Maxer Education Academic Summer Camps and Research Programs at Cambridge University in England, and Immerse Education, which has locations at universities such as Columbia University, Cambridge University, and Oxford. We hope to continue to offer top programs for students and add more camps and programs to give our families as many options as possible.”
