The Door is Digital, The Change is Human: Igor Vepretski on Rethinking Youth Tech

In an era dominated by high-tech headlines and rapid venture scaling—especially in thriving startup hubs like Gurugram and Noida—social innovation often falls into a predictable trap. Whether it is corporate CSR initiatives or local Delhi NGOs, there is a common assumption that simply putting modern hardware, like tablets or laptops, into a room is enough to transform a vulnerable young person’s life.

But is screen time without human connection actually helping?

To explore what genuinely creates lasting impact for at-risk youth, Tanusha Narula, Lead Editor at The Optimist News, corresponded with Igor Vepretski, founder of the youth initiative StartOn, through a written exchange and supporting source material.

Born in Kharkiv in 1990 and raised in Holon’s working-class Jesse Cohen neighborhood after immigrating to Israel in 1993, Vepretski’s trajectory spans public safety, law enforcement, and municipal public service. His initiative, StartOn, initially centered on creating interactive technology hubs for youth at risk. However, four years into the project, Vepretski has undergone a strategic shift—moving beyond hardware novelty to place greater emphasis on human continuity, belonging, and long-term mentorship.

In this exclusive interview, Vepretski breaks down why technology is merely the doorway, why attraction is not an intervention, and how true community resilience is built—offering a much-needed reality check for India’s booming digital education sector.

Exclusive Interview: Tanusha Narula in Conversation with Igor Vepretski

Tanusha Narula: Igor, thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. To start off, your personal journey spans from Kharkiv to growing up in the Jesse Cohen neighborhood, followed by years in public and security service. How did those early lived experiences shape your understanding of what at-risk youth actually need from their community?

Igor Vepretski: I did not come to this question through theory first. I came to it through the experience of being a child who could easily be read as a problem instead of being understood. Jesse Cohen was not a neat inspirational backdrop. It was a real place in my life—difficult in some ways, but also a refuge through supportive adults.

What stayed with me was that the people who mattered were not abstract systems. They were adults who returned, listened, and stayed long enough for trust to become possible. That shaped the way I think about youth work today. A young person may need technology, education, or opportunity, but before any of that becomes useful, they need a place where they are seen, where adults are consistent, and where showing up again tomorrow feels natural rather than exceptional.

Tanusha Narula: That emphasis on showing up naturally is vital. StartOn leverages gaming, digital tools, and content creation as the entry point. Why focus on digital spaces, and how do you transition kids from casual screen time into meaningful real-world mentorship?

Igor Vepretski: Because attention is real. If we ignore where young people already spend time, we can lose the conversation before it starts. Gaming, content creation, computers, and digital tools can create curiosity and lower the threshold for entering a space. But they are not the destination.

The transition begins when a young person returns: they meet consistent adults, work with peers, make something rather than only consume, and gradually encounter skills, projects, and pathways that can matter outside the room. The early StartOn idea was more technology-forward. The model I am trying to build now is more disciplined: technology opens the door; belonging and continuity do the deeper work.

The Model: Evolution of the StartOn Framework

• Initial Hook: Interactive gaming, computers, and digital media tools to lower the entry threshold.
• Core Intervention: Presence of consistent, trusted adults and peer collaboration over mere hardware access.
• User Transition: Moving youth from passive digital consumers into active content creators.
• Success Metrics: Tracking long-term retention, mentor continuity, project completion, and educational pathways.

Tanusha Narula: That distinction between the door and the destination is crucial. Looking back at the early development phase of StartOn, what is one major lesson or assumption your team had to adjust?

Igor Vepretski: The biggest correction was realizing that a room full of attractive technology is not the intervention by itself. It can attract, but attraction is not enough. If the room does not create continuity, trusted adults, small wins, and a reason to return, the effect can remain shallow.

Over time, our emphasis moved from equipment to environment—from asking what should be in the room to asking what the room should make possible. That also means being careful about measurement. I do not want to claim outcomes we have not yet demonstrated. The next stage has to strictly measure retention, participation, completed work, mentoring continuity, and the pathways young people actually take.

Tanusha Narula: Finally, when you look at a young person participating in the StartOn space over a one-to-two-year period, what does genuine, sustainable success look like?

Igor Vepretski: Success is not one dramatic rescue story. It is a young person who keeps showing up, builds trust, gains skills, begins creating instead of only consuming, meets adults who stay, and starts to imagine pathways that feel attainable.

Depending on the person, that might mean a body of creative work, stronger educational engagement, new technical capability, a mentor relationship, or simply a more stable sense that the future is not closed. The standard I want for StartOn is not whether the room looks impressive; it is whether participation over time produces evidence of growth and connection.

A Practical Framework for Delhi NCR’s Tech and NGO Leaders

Vepretski’s grounded approach offers a practical framework for local community leaders, ed-tech founders in Gurugram, and social workers across Delhi NCR. As local initiatives race to bridge the digital divide by handing out smartphones and laptops to vulnerable youth, StartOn provides a vital reminder: hardware alone cannot heal.

While digital innovation provides the initial spark to grab a child’s attention, long-term, consistent human presence in the room can help build more resilient futures.