Arjun Nair's journey of bootstrapping to a $600mn exit to Byju's 🤯
Great Learning will soon be among the few profitable companies in the Indian Edtech space, and it’s because of a confluence of factors including:
Great Learning sells courses that cost in the lacs of rupees
They serve people who are already working and want to upskill themselves for a better career - their audience can afford this kind of pricing
They have built strong word of mouth due to the impact their programs have made
They are a global company, and about 40% of their revenue comes from outside India
But building a great business like this, and that too without any external funding was not easy - it took a combination of luck, timing, perseverance and learner obsession to make it happen.
Arjun Nair talks about his journey both before starting up and while building great learning and shares the secret sauce behind the great success of Great Learning.
On 2001, Byju’s, the ed-tech decacorn of India at that time, decided to acquire Great Learning of $600mn, making it one of the most successful exits in the ed-tech industry.
While the funding winter has taken hold and Byju’s has been in the news for the troubles hurting the ed-tech sector, Arjun and Great Learning’s story continues to inspire.
In this episode, he shares his insights on bootstrapping, going global, remaining profitable, navigating funding hype cycles and the way forward.
Other Ways to Listen:
Apple Podcast | Amazon Music | Google Podcast
Watch the full conversation on YouTube
Additional readings:-
1.Great Learning's founders in talks to buy back the company from Byju's
2. Great Learning India nears Rs 400 Cr revenue in FY23, losses decline
3. Byju’s Great Learning’s revenue rises 34% to Rs 801 crore, losses shrink
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Until the next founder's thesis📕,
Your host, AD