NextGen SmartyPants's mission is to provide every child the opportunity to experience high-quality STEAM education, regardless of socio-economic status. We keep our prices affordable for most families and obtain grants and donations to expand this reach to as many families as possible. We further increase the accessibility of our programs with teachers that travel to area schools, rather than require students to travel to our location. Finally, we offer these programs via both Live In-Person and Live Distance Learning formats.

Business Review

Meet Paras

Mr. Paras Patani is the Founder of NextGen SmartyPants®, LLC, and the Executive Director of the NextGen SmartyPants Non-Profit Corporation. Paras is a recognized leader in the STEAM education industry and has been interviewed extensively on NPR. FOX, Hartford Courant, and other national and regional press outlets, Paras and his LEGO® partner, Moto, also participated on Season 2 of the hit television LEGO® Masters.

Prior to founding NextGen SmartyPants®, Paras was the Founder and CEO of Castle Surgical®, where he and an Urology Oncologist collaborated on the invention of a surgical device to treat Kidney Cancer. Further, Paas has 30+ years experience in engineering, marketing, and technology leadership in the surgical devices, semiconductor, and software industries.

Paras has a BS Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, an MBA from Babson College, and Executive Education from Yale University School of Management. Most importantly, Paras is the Father of an amazing 10 year old little girl, Arushi, who is his inspiration for NextGen SmartyPants® and everything else he does.