Chennai duo, 10 & 12, design kids' apps

Sanjay Kumaran is the CEO of Go Dimensions, a start-up that's already four mobile applications old and gaining popularity. He is 10. His older brother Shravan is president. He is 12. KV Lakshmana reports.

Shravan-L-and-Sanjay-are-now-working-on-an-Olympics-themed-app-HT-photo

Sanjay Kumaran is the CEO of Go Dimensions, a start-up that's already four mobile applications old and gaining popularity. He is 10. His older brother Shravan is president. He is 12. Today, they are arguably the country's youngest chief executives. Tomorrow, they hope to be the next Steve Jobs.

They're already moving in that direction. Within two months of its inception on December 12, Go Dimensions displayed its first app, 'Catch me Cop', on the Apple App Store. There were 2,000 downloads in the next two weeks, making even cnet.com — the most popular website listing apps — sit up and take notice.

Sanjay and Shravan, Class 6 and 8 students at a local school, have a business plan: Get popular and earn profits through advertising. "We have left space for ads in the applications. We've already earned our first $100," says Sanjay.

Apple keeps 30% of the ad revenue, says the boys' father, Kumaran Surendran, a 45-year-old director with an IT firm.

"Our dad helped us a lot. He taught us programming and his guidance made us what we are today. Confident programmers," says Shravan.

Their other apps on the App Store are 'Alphabet Board', 'Prayer Planet' and 'Colour Pallette', which together have been downloaded over 10,000 times. In the works is 'Olympic Thief', which they plan to have ready in time for the London Games.

"We can do it in two weeks," says Sanjay. "One month is more like it," says his more cautious father.

The boys aren't in it just for fun and games. "We have great plans for the future, to develop applications in the education arena that are cheap and accessible to many," says the young CEO.

The brothers' own education is equally important. "They must ration their time for the company, as studies are very important. At best, one hour a day," says Surendran.

What about money? That's not the objective, "though some companies have evinced interest in tie-ups", says Surendran. But the boys are confident they will be successful and plan to "invest the money to help the poor".