An entrepreneur based in Glasgow who developed the world’s first games-based abacus maths application has been named Woman Entrepreneur of the Year at an awards ceremony in the House of Lords in London.

Dr Rashmi Mantri, Founder of the British Youth International College (BYITC), collected the award at the UK Investors Summit 2023 at the UK Parliament.

BYITC specialises in teaching maths, English and cyber skills to children, teens, and young adults between the ages of 4 to 14 and offers online courses to thousands of students globally.

Dr Mantri launched BYITC in 2015 to help children learn maths using the abacus, a calculation tool thought to have been first used by the Babylonians, an ancient Middle Eastern civilization, as early as 2,400 BC.

BYITC has since created the world’s first online Abacus Maths learning application – and has grown into a network of 10 global franchises, including Dubai, Sri Lanka and India.

The UK Investors Summit and international awards support entrepreneurs building businesses in the UK and recognise businesses for achieving excellence in a particular area. 

The event is organised by the 193 Countries Consortium, a business network based in New Delhi, India, that was set up to support growing businesses and brands in the 193 member states of the United Nations.

Dr Mantri said, “I am thrilled to have received this award and to have been invited to this prestigious event. I learned a lot from industry experts there and also got a chance to present our franchise model for BIYTC.”

BYITC launched its franchise model in the UK in December 2022 and announced its first UK franchise in Basingstoke, Hampshire, earlier this year. The college is actively seeking franchisees in the UK and internationally.

The 193 Countries Consortium helps businesses develop their franchise model, including support with training, branding, operations and franchise agreements. 

Dr Mantri is a computer scientist, academic and software trainer by background. BYITC’s most popular teaching programme is Supermaths, which offers a mix of weekly teacher-led abacus maths classes and online tutorials.