Search
Beyond the Classroom: Devi Sahny
May 26, 2025
In conversation with Devi Sahny – Founder & CEO of Ascend Now
Across the globe, education systems appear to be failing to keep pace with the demands of a rapidly changing world. Rigid curriculums, outdated models, and a lack of real-world relevance continue to alienate students from their learning journeys. Devi Sahny is a refreshing force — a passionate reformer who believes that education should be the engine of empowerment. As the founder of Ascend Now, a global education company operating in over 45 countries, Devi is proving that learning is purposeful, personal and deeply transformative.
From the boardrooms of Goldman Sachs to student-led classrooms, Devi’s journey is not only unconventional but deeply rooted in a mission to redefine success and unlock human potential. Her work centers on one revolutionary idea: education should be designed around students, not systems.
From Wall Street to the Classroom: A Purpose-Driven Path
Devi Sahny’s story begins with a leap of faith. At just 23, she left an investment banking role at Goldman Sachs to launch her first business — a bold decision that felt instinctively right. “I’ve always known I was meant to carve my own path,” she reflects.
While studying at Georgetown University, Devi founded a peer-to-peer tutoring initiative, igniting her passion for educational transformation. The success of this early venture confirmed her belief in the power of individualized learning and set her firmly on a path that would eventually lead to Ascend Now.
Ascend Now: Where Students Lead the Way
Devi moved to Singapore and Ascend Now was born out of a realization that, globally, the current education system lacks personalized, mentor-driven learning that nurtures students’ real interests and aspirations. Devi saw the disconnect between traditional schooling and the entrepreneurial, fast-paced world students were about to enter. Her response was to build a platform that champions a mindset of entrepreneurship.
“Entrepreneurial thinking isn’t about becoming a CEO,” she explains. “It’s about fostering creativity, courage, and the confidence to solve problems.”
Ascend Now’s mentorship-first model helps students design their own learning journeys. The organization’s flagship entrepreneurship course, co-developed with corporate partners and accredited for students aged 7 to 18, is a cornerstone of this approach. It has empowered learners to launch apps, author books, and even create financial literacy platforms for peers — all before adulthood.
“Our goal isn’t just to teach business—it’s to help students think like entrepreneurs. And we’re seeing real impact. Students are becoming more confident, more proactive. They’re taking ownership of their learning in ways we haven’t seen before.”
7 years later, Ascend Now has become a multi-million-dollar business that has supported over:
- 170 schools with entrepreneurial, SEL curriculum and professional development
- 9,200 students with personalized tutoring, beyond academic courses and college support
- 148 teachers with jobs to do what they love from anywhere around the world
A Redefinition of Success
Devi rejects conventional metrics of success. Quoting Maya Angelou, she reminds us: “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” Legacy is not about accolades — it’s about impact. “To me, success is measured by how many students discover purpose, build resilience, and grow into compassionate, capable humans.”
At Ascend Now, success is always student-centered. Whether it’s an 11-year-old creating a delivery app for seniors or a teenager developing a scalable social enterprise, these milestones reinforce Devi’s belief that learning must connect with life.
Humanizing Education Through Mentorship
Unlike many edtech platforms that emphasize content delivery, Ascend Now prioritizes mentorship. Each student is paired with a “Performance Coach” — a concept inspired by Devi’s background in competitive basketball. “Just like in sports, students need someone who can guide them emotionally and academically,” she expounds.
This holistic model fosters confidence, self-awareness, and ownership of learning. It’s no surprise that Ascend Now’s growth has been almost entirely organic, powered by parent referrals and student success stories.
The organization also emphasizes cultural responsiveness, serving students across 45 countries and partnering with over 170 schools. Educators undergo a rigorous six-month training, including a proprietary safeguarding course that meets international standards for privacy and data protection.
Creating a More Relevant Future
Ascend Now doesn’t just teach entrepreneurship — it lives it. Its newest initiative, The Edge, is a soft-skills platform shaped by insights from over 1,000 interviews. Built on global frameworks, it promotes communication, self-efficacy, and leadership — the very skills that automation and AI can’t replicate.
As Devi notes, “The future of education must prioritize relevance and autonomy.” At Ascend Now, students help shape their curriculum. They sign course contracts to ensure intrinsic motivation and a student board reviews all the content before it goes live. This participatory model ensures authenticity and deeper engagement.
Devi’s work couldn’t be more timely. Traditional educational frameworks often limit students’ level of autonomy. Ascend Now restores it. “We treat students as whole people,” she affirms. “Not as grades or data points, but as thinkers, builders, and citizens of the future. Tomorrow’s leaders.”
This philosophy is especially critical in an AI-driven world, where adaptability and emotional intelligence will be paramount. One of Ascend Now’s key learning outcomes is helping students to build a healthy relationship with failure — something Devi believes is “the most vital life skill we can teach.” It takes courage to embrace failure, but this is often crucial to finding the path to success.
What’s Needed to Scale the Vision
Despite the success of Ascend Now, Devi recognizes that the path forward is not without challenges. She outlines 3 key factors that could accelerate her mission:
- Greater trust from parents, educators, and policymakers.
- Integration of social-emotional learning (SEL) into standard curricula.
- Better personal time management — a candid admission from a founder deeply involved in daily operations.
Inspired by The Next Generation and Her Mother
When asked what keeps her going, Devi is quick to point to today’s youth. “Their clarity, depth, and passion are astounding,” she asserts. They simply require the right tools, guidance and mentorship to truly succeed.
She’s equally grateful for the influence of her mother: a woman who encouraged entrepreneurial thinking and ‘giving back’ long before success found its way into this story.
Devi began her entrepreneurial journey by creating and selling handmade bracelets and necklaces to her schoolteachers. Within a month, she had earned nearly 300 euros — a significant sum 20 years ago. Rather than keeping the profits, she chose to donate the proceeds to a juvenile center in Belgium. That initial act of giving sparked a lifelong commitment to philanthropy and over the past 20 years, her donations have supported 13 students attending high school.
A Future Designed by Learners for Learners
Devi Sahny is not just disrupting education — she’s humanizing it. Through Ascend Now, she’s creating a new model for learning that prioritizes student voice, personal growth, and real-world impact. Devi is an inspirational leader, demonstrating courage and unwavering commitment to the advancement of young people: our next generation.
As the boundaries between school, work, and life continue to blur, leaders like Devi offer more than reform — they offer hope. Her vision reminds us that education should not be about fitting into a mold, but about giving each learner the tools and resources to shape their own future. A Future of Progress and Prosperity, where responsibility and sustainability are absolute imperatives.
One student at a time, Devi is developing not just better learners, but stronger, more compassionate humans and that’s probably the most important legacy of all.
