Did Hero Vired fail to live up to its promises?

Sign up for the Daily Newsletter, sent exclusively to our premium subscribers. We break down the big and messy topics of Asia’s tech and startup community. Get the newsletter in your inbox everyday with a premium subscription.

Hello reader,

On Wednesday, a friend of mine asked me whether I thought humans are innately hopeful or pessimistic. My response? I think that we generally lean toward the hopeful side of things. After all, think about when you were younger – full of dreams and ideas.

Skepticism and pessimism, on the other hand, seem to be learned as you get older. You have to deal with more and more disappointments, and after a while, you realize that life is easier when you aren’t always hoping for the best outcome. That way, you can never be disappointed.

I think that’s why guarantees for a certain product or service are such a strong marketing point for many businesses. If people can believe that they won’t be disappointed in the outcome, then it takes all that weight off their shoulders and they can just focus on what they want to do.

However, it does seem like even guarantees might not be enough to ward off disappointment in some cases, such as the hullabaloo surrounding Indian edtech firm Hero Vired. The company’s website promises a 100% job placement record, but several former students are claiming that’s not true.

Today we look at:

• Hero Vired faces claims against its 100% job placement guarantee
• How Zuno Carbon wants to simply ESG reporting
• Other newsy highlights such as Huawei Malaysia partnering with a Malaysian university and Krafton’s plans to invest in the Indian market.

Premium summary

Holding out for a hero

Image credit: Timmy Loen

Hero Vired’s fees do seem rather hefty, with some students claiming that they paid as much as US$3,000 for each course. If that’s true, I can see why customers would be upset if the company’s claims about a 100% job placement guarantee are untrue. If you paid good money for it, you’d better expect the best outcomes.

• Meeting the mark: A senior manager from Hero Vired says that if a student doesn’t complete the course or if their grades hover around the passing mark of 30%, then the guarantee doesn’t apply. However, students said that the company did not provide mentors to help them improve their grades and meet the criteria, even though it claims to offer personalized mentor-mentee interactions.
• From the horse’s mouth: One student said a Hero Vired salesperson advised them to take out a loan while claiming that they would receive a 100% placement guarantee and a 50% salary hike after completing the course. Another user was assured that he could return to the course after taking a break but was ghosted instead, even though he had already paid US$3,000.
• Justifying the cost: The firm’s courses are considered expensive, and a Hero Vired senior manager explains that that’s because the company focuses on interactive learning and doubt clearing. According to him, “our pricing includes university, partnership, and faculty costs, while our strategy team assesses competition, online offerings, and content to set prices for new programs.”

Read more: Despite Indian edtech firm’s 100% placement guarantee, students are stuck with debt and uncertainty

Startup spotlight

Fighting carbon

Quick bytes