A Letter from the Founder.
On the teaching of young minds to build real things — with one teacher, in live class, across sixteen to twenty-four weeks.
Fuelled by the conviction that a child’s potential is shaped more by what they build than by what they are asked to memorise, I founded Own Sandbox to close the distance between what our schools teach and what the world now asks of young minds.
I hold a Master of Computer Applications from Jawaharlal Nehru University. For eight years I have built software in the field — SaaS platforms, e-commerce stores, creative agency sites, artificial-intelligence applications and mobile applications — for clients across six countries. The work has taught me that real competence is the consequence of shipping, not of rehearsal.
Own Sandbox is the natural issue of that belief. Every class is taught by me, personally. There is no rotation of instructors. Over sixteen to twenty-four weeks, each student ships works of their own invention — not exercises, not worksheets, but real projects carried from first sketch to public Demo Day.
I also built Sandbox Studio — the platform on which every student deploys their code. It is the same kind of environment I have used professionally for eight years: a Git workflow, real URLs, a moderated cohort workspace where I am present in every channel. No academy I am aware of gives children the actual tools of working engineers. We do, by design.
— Ajay Pathak
Background & Credentials
- Education
- Master of Computer Applications, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
- Professional Experience
- Eight years shipping software products for clients in six countries.
- Prior Teaching
- Trainer of interns and junior developers in professional settings, prior to founding Own Sandbox.
- Teaching Now
- Every class at Own Sandbox, personally — a single mentor across the duration of each programme.
- Curriculum
- Ten programmes across coding, mathematics and science; twenty-two technologies drawn as the student’s project requires.
- Programme Duration
- Sixteen to twenty-four weeks, live and online.
Professional Work
A selection of products shipped during client engagements between 2018 and 2025.
№ 01Software as a ServiceThnx Pro
№ 02Artificial IntelligenceSniff.me
№ 03HospitalityLes Burges de Colette
№ 04Creative AgencyPrototype Studio
№ 05E-CommerceLively Root
№ 06FashionHouse of Corto
Principles of Instruction
- i.
The student begins with imagination.
We begin each programme with what the student wishes to build — not with a prescribed syllabus of exercises.
- ii.
Unusual ideas are welcome.
A cat-rating application, a Mandelbrot explorer, a physics simulation — all are worthy subjects of study.
- iii.
Errors are part of the curriculum.
The practice of debugging is where real mastery is formed. Mistakes are treated as material, not as failure.
- iv.
One teacher, for the full duration.
A student is taught by a single mentor from first class to Demo Day. There is no rotation of instructors.
- v.
Community shapes the learner.
Hackathons, peer code review, and a public Demo Day close every programme — the work is made to be shown.
Real competence is the consequence of shipping — not of rehearsal.
David J. Malan
Brian Yu
Venkatesh Murthy
A Chronology
- 2020Expanded professional work to clients across six countries; began training interns and junior developers alongside.
- 2023Began teaching children, in response to observed gaps in existing curricula.
- Nov 2025Founded Own Sandbox, on the principle that those who build should be those who teach.
Accreditation
Accredited by STEM.org.
The programme meets the international standard for rigorous content, proven pedagogy and measurable learning outcomes set by STEM.org.
Enrolment is, by design, a conversation.
For a complimentary demonstration class, or for any matter concerning your child’s prospective enrolment, please make contact by any of the following means.