STEM

Zaniac to Open First Kentucky Campus in Fall

• By Richard Chang
• 07/21/16

Zaniac, a national, after-school STEM franchise that utilizes robotics, Minecraft, 3D printing and computer programming, will debut its first Kentucky campus this fall in Louisville.

Local entrepreneurs and franchisees Dhaval and Kinjal Patel will open Kentucky’s first Zaniac campus at 1257 S. Hurstbourne Parkway in Louisville in September.

“While in school, I found most of my education was redundant memorization,” Dhaval Patel said in a prepared statement. “That personal experience is exactly why I’m bringing Zaniac to Louisville. Zaniac takes what kids find interesting and turns it into an appealing learning experience that also prepares them for 21st century careers.”

Zaniac campuses feature glass-walled classrooms with whiteboards and large, multimedia screens, according to a news release. The company provides a host of STEM learning programs that make math and science entertaining for kids, while preparing them for future occupations, including robotics, game-based learning, Minecraft, app creation, computer programming and 3D game design.

The Patels’ Zaniac campus will serve the areas of Louisville metro and southern Indiana. Dhaval and his wife, who are natives to the area and operate several Subway restaurants in Louisville, plan to open additional campuses throughout Kentucky.

Currently, Zaniac has campuses operating in Salt Lake City and Park City, UT; Greenwich and Westport, CT; Winchester, MA; Southlake, TX; Asheville, NC; Santa Monica, CA; New York City and Miami. The franchise plans to reach 50 campuses by the end of 2017.

“Our country’s current educational climate is not fluid enough to keep up with society’s technological advancements and the associated career advancements,” said Sidharth Oberoi, Zaniac’s president and chief academic officer, in a prepared statement. “Zaniac campuses harness creativity, making it a fun, engaging system for educational enrichment.”

Zaniac was founded in 2011 by author, economist and professor Paul Zane Pilzer. For more information, visit the Zaniac website.