The man behind Indian edtech Unicorn BYJUs -
Byju Raveendran's formal education -
Both of Byju Raveendran's parents were teachers at the neighbourhood Malayalam Medium School in Azhikode, Kerala, where he began his academic career. He graduated from the Government Engineering College of Calicut University in Kannur with a degree in mechanical engineering.
His passion in athletics dates back to his early years. During his time in high school and college, he played table tennis, badminton, football, and cricket. His parents highlighted the value of sports and continuously pushed him to try out new ones.
Teacher by choice & entrepreneur by chance -
Along with his pals, Byju also took the CAT test for fun. When he received a perfect score on the final test, he was astounded. His buddies suggested opening a coaching programme to prepare kids and aspirants for competitive examinations after watching his incredible success. He consented, made the decision to leave his well-paying position, and began his coaching course. On the patio of a close friend's home, Byju started tutoring kids, and it was from this point that he began his quest to become a prosperous businessman.
At first, Byju exclusively taught MBA applicants until he began conducting full-time coaching sessions. He once offered a week of free instruction to pupils. He did had his share of difficulties in starting a business.
Terrace to classroom, followed by classroom to auditorium -
With the aid of several of his students who had just graduated from IIMs, he established his education technology company, Byju (Think and Learn Private Ltd.), in 2011 with the slogan "fall in love with learning," with the goal of producing instructional material for pupils. From the patio to the classroom, he relocated his pupils. With just Rs. 2 lakh, he launched his tutoring programme. In 2009, Byju launched a video-based online learning programme for CAT, marking the first instance of technology use in the classroom. Byju Raveendran formerly had more than 20,000 pupils in several states, including Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, and Chennai, thanks to the popularity of his tutoring approach.
Switching from offline to online learning: Launched an app in 2015 -
In 2015, he released BYJU's - The Learning App, his main product for students, to provide them access to the educational resources Byju has to offer. The development of this learning mobile app took four years.
Additionally, the learning application provides preparation assistance for the CAT, the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET), the Civil Services Exam, the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), and the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
Byju's Classes became a brand -
The learning app's main goal was to provide students in grades 4 through 12 online tutoring. Byju made an effort to make it both fascinating and useful. His student base began to grow as the BYJU Learning Mobile App gained popularity. His learning software received more than 3.50 laces in yearly membership fees and had more than 6 million downloads. Users of the learning app spend an average of 40 minutes each day using it.
More than 2000 metro areas as well as students from less accessible smaller towns in India may be reached through the Byjus mobile application.
The leading education provider in India, BYJU'S Learning App, provides highly efficient, interesting, and adaptable learning curricula for kids in grades 4 through 12. Competitive tests including the CAT, IAS, JEE, NEET, GRE, and GMAT are also offered via the educational app.
The BYJU'S learning App is becoming the most popular mobile education app among students of all ages. Rich animations, captivating video, interactive simulations, unique material, and lessons from India's top instructors are all used in the BYJU'S learning app.
Funding for BYJUs -
Byju's Classes receives a 2013 investment of Rs 50 crore (Rs 500 million) from Mohandas Pai and Ranjan Pai. The first investment of 2013 is this one.
The only startup in Asia with funding from Mark Zuckerberg is Byju. Byju was given $50 million in September 2016 by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), a charity founded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Dr. Priscilla, Times Internet Ltd., Lightspeed Ventures, and Sofina. Byju's income climbed when it was established as an educational learning app from Rs. 4 crores in 2011–12 to Rs. 12 crores in 2012–2013, Rs. 20 crores in financial year 2013–14, Rs. 48 crores in financial year 2014–15, and Rs. 120 crores in financial year 2015–16. The Financial Year 2016–17 saw a rise of Rs 260 crores.
Byju now has more than 700 high-quality product development teams, 200 content producers that produce high-quality material, 150 creative media teams who produce engaging videos, and more than 100 technology teams.
What Byju Raveendran has accomplished -
In addition to the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 India and Fast 500, Byju has received the CNBC-TV 18 Crisil Emerging India Award in Education, the Big Research NDTV Profit Business & Service Excellence Award, and many other honours. One of the case studies for Byju's App at Harvard University was presented in 2017.
In 2019, Byju's net worth increased to $6.5 billion and the educational mobile app has more than 12 million downloads from the Play Store for Android and more than 40 million registered users. The goal of Byju Raveendran is to develop a potent educational product that improves learning and enters the South African, US, UK, and Commonwealth markets.