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Unacademy names Akhilendra Kumar CEO, Munjal turns chairman
By Abha Lohia · Editor ·
Unacademy: revenue, valuation and funding and every story →
Bengaluru
- Unacademy is an online learning platform for exam preparation, now owned by upGrad after a deal worth just over $200 million
- Co-founder Gaurav Munjal moves from chief executive to executive chairman, while chief business officer Akhilendra Kumar takes the top job
- Munjal says he stays hands-on in daily reviews and will focus on profitable growth and support upGrad's planned public listing
What happened
- Gaurav Munjal becomes executive chairman of Unacademy.
- Akhilendra Kumar, earlier chief business officer, becomes CEO.
- Munjal told staff he is not stepping away from operations.
Why it matters
- The change follows upGrad completing its acquisition of Unacademy on 1 September 2026.
- Munjal wants to work with Kumar on profitable growth.
- It also backs upGrad's planned IPO (public share listing).
The business
- Unacademy runs online courses and test preparation for learners.
- It once reached a peak valuation of $3.44 billion during the edtech boom.
- upGrad, led by Ronnie Screwvala, bought it for just over $200 million.
The founders
In numbers
just over $200 millionAcquisition price · 2026
$3.44 billionPeak valuation
What happens next
- upGrad's proposed IPO
Other articles talking about it
Terms in this story
- Co-founder equity: Split equity by what each founder will contribute from now on, not by who had the idea, and attach vesting so that a founder who leaves early does not keep a large share for doing little. In India, founders usually do this through reverse vesting in the shareholders' agreement.
- Profitability: A path to profitability is the plan and evidence that a startup will earn more than it spends. In India the usual order is contribution positive, then EBITDA positive, then net profit and positive cash flow. Each step is a different test, so claims of profit need the definition.
- Profitability: Profitable can mean five different things in a startup headline: profit after tax, positive EBITDA, positive adjusted EBITDA, positive cash flow or profit on each order. Only the first is a profit in the full accounting sense. Always check which one a story means.
- Executive chairman: The chief executive officer (CEO) runs the company day to day, while the chairman leads the board. An executive chairman is a chairman who is also a paid, working member of the management, which is why founders often take the role when they hand the CEO job to someone else.
Read next
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