Edtech Startup Vidyakul Elevates Akhil Hari Angira To The Role Of Cofounder & CBO

SUMMARY

In his new role, Akhil Hari Angira will lead the startup’s strategic partnerships and drive its business growth, revenue generation, and profitability

Angira joined Vidyakul in 2018 as an intern and rose through the ranks to serve various leadership positions at the startup

Vidyakul provides elearning solutions like live classes, ebooks, test series for state board students of class 9-12 in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Gujarat

Edtech startup Vidyakul has elevated Akhil Hari Angira to the role of cofounder and chief business officer (CBO) from his earlier position of head of academics and operations.

In his new role, Angira will lead the startup’s strategic partnerships and drive its business growth, revenue generation, and profitability. Besides, he will also focus on expanding Vidyakul’s footprint in underserved areas, the startup said in a statement.

Angira is an electronics engineer and lawyer, and has an experience of nearly 10 years in IT management and on-ground operations. He joined Vidyakul in 2018 as an intern and rose through the ranks to serve various leadership positions at the startup.

The startup claimed that its revenue has increased 10X under Angira’s leadership, while maintaining positive unit economics. Additionally, he has also driven the initiative of empowering girls, resulting in 55% representation of girl students on Vidyakul’s app, the statement added.

Commenting on his elevation, Angira said, “My commitment remains the same: Education for Bharat’s students. Our aim is to ensure access to learning resources and support students from low income backgrounds to thrive academically. I am excited to see how this growth journey unfolds.”

Incorporated in 2017 by Tarun Saini and Raman Garg, Vidyakul provides elearning solutions like live classes, ebooks, test series for state board students of class 9-12 in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Gujarat. The startup claims it charges fees as low as INR 300 per month.

Vidyakul has raised a total funding of INR 21 Cr till date. The startup competes with unicorns like PhysicsWallah and Unacademy.

The latest development comes at a time when the edtech sector has been hit the hardest by the ongoing funding winter in the Indian startup ecosystem. This has resulted in edtech startups laying off thousands of employees since 2022 to reduce cash burn. Consequently, the salaries in the edtech sector have seen sharp corrections.

A number of edtech startups, like DUX Education, also shut operations over the past couple of years, while BYJU’S, once the posterboy of the Indian startup ecosystem, is grappling with a host of issues. Amid all these, K-12 Techno is in talks to acquire Unacademy.

Despite the troubles, the Indian edtech space continues to be an enticing prospect for founders and investors alike. The Indian edtech market is expected to reach a size of $29 Bn by 2030.