Unacademy COO Vivek Sinha Resigns After Three-Year Stint

Former Unacademy Executive Vivek Sinha Nets $11 Mn For His New Edtech Venture

SUMMARY

Announcing his exit via a post on X, the outgoing Unacademy COO did not clarify what his next move would be

An NIT Jamshedpur and ISB alumnus, Vivek Sinha joined Unacademy in August 2020 as COO

Previously, Sinha had worked at OYO and Mobikwik, having also founded a construction-tech startup, Buildzar.com

Vivek Sinha, the chief operating officer (COO) of the edtech unicorn Unacademy, has resigned from his post.

He announced his departure via an X post on Saturday evening (August 26). “After three incredible years at Unacademy, I have decided to take the next step in my career. Grateful for the opportunities, friendships, and memories I have gained. Thank you for believing in me and constantly pushing me to operate at (the) peak of my abilities Gaurav Munjal,” said Sinha.

In response, Gaurav Munjal, Unacademy CEO, said, “Thank you @viveksinhaisb for being a part of Unacademy. You’re one of the most Relentless Leaders I have worked with. Best wishes for the future :)”

Sinha did not clarify what his next move would be.

An NIT Jamshedpur and ISB alumnus, Vivek Sinha joined Unacademy in August 2020 as the COO. In his role at the edtech unicorn, he managed the full-stack P&L of digital test prep, hybrid centres, K12 and jobs & skills verticals. According to his LinkedIn profile, Sinha was directly in charge of about 4,000 employees across functions such as growth, business, marketing, BD, sales, content, ops, CX, academics, CAPEX and real estate.

Previously, Sinha had worked at OYO and Mobikwik. At OYO, Sinha managed an SBU (separate business unit) for the startup’s joint venture with Softbank managing luxury hotels in the country. Sinha had also founded a construction-tech startup, Buildzar.com, in 2015. At the startup, the ex-Unacademy COO raised $4 Mn in Series A funding before exiting the startup in 2016.

The exit comes days after Unacademy hired Aakash Educational Institute’s Anurag Tiwari to lead its offline vertical, in what now appears to be a bid to redistribute some of the responsibilities the outgoing COO looked after. The edtech unicorn also elevated Graphy CEO Sumit Jain to the role of a partner.

Unacademy, which has undertaken multiple cost-cutting measures over the past few months, including firing thousands of staffers, also posted a cash flow positive month in June 2023, as announced by CEO Munjal on social media. The edtech unicorn is yet to file its financials for FY23, however, it posted a net loss of INR 2,848 Cr in FY22, up 85% year-on-year (YoY).