Byju Raveendran – The Story of a Middle - Class Person who Built India’s Top EdTech Startup

Byju Raveendran is an Indian educator, entrepreneur and businessman who founded Byju’s. It is a multinational educational technology company, and Byju is the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of that. Byju is a passionate educator, and he has got that from his parents, who were also teachers by profession. So, let’s get to read the success story of Byju, who now owns a billion-dollar startup, through this article.

Note - Byju Raveendran’s app got funding from Mark Zuckerberg, and it is the only Indian startup to be funded by Zuckerberg’s initiate.

Byju Raveendran Biography – Key Highlights

• Full Name – Byju Raveendran
• Year of Birth – 1981 (41 years)
• Place of Birth – Azhikode, Kerala, India
• Nationality – Indian
• Alma Mater – Government College of Engineering, Kannur
• Profession – Entrepreneur, Businessman
• Designation – Founder and CEO of Byju’s
• Marital Status – Married
• Spouse – Divya Gokulnath
• Children – 1
• Net Worth - $1 billion
• Hobby – Playing Football, Cricket, and Table Tennis

Byju Raveendran – Education

Byju was born in a middle-class family in a small village of Kerala (Azhikode) to Shobhanavalli and Raveendran. His father was a physics teacher, and his mother was a mathematics teacher. Born in a family of teachers, Byju has always been a hardworking kid. He completed his schooling from his village’s Malayalam medium school and engineering from the Government College of Engineering, Kannur.

Note – Raveendran scored 100% in the CAT and got calls from six top IIMs. But he refused every letter as he had no interest in pursuing MBA.

Byju Raveendran Journey – Career Timeline

• Engineering After his graduation, Byju took the job of service engineer in a multinational shipping company. He worked there for a few years and before deciding to pursue his passion for teaching.
• MBA Coaching Byju helped some of his friends during their MBA preparation. They all came up with 100%ile in the CAT. He continued teaching students for their CAT preparation, and his students secured well. It was when he decided to quit his job and pursue his teaching passion.
• Founding Byju Byju founded the Byju’s classes – the test preparation business. He used to teach math to the students in a stadium with a crowd of over 20-25 thousand. His wife, Divya Gokulnath, helped him establish his company in 2011, and since then, there’s no looking back.
• Byju’s App Byju classes gained a lot of recognition, and in 2015 they decided to launch their app. By the end of 2018, the app expanded to various countries like the US, the UK and several other English-speaking countries.
• Aakash Acquisition Byju played a significant role in the acquisition of Aakash Institution. Aakash is one of the most prominent educational institutions, with over 215 centers across India.

Byju Raveendran – Byju’s

Byju’s company got headquartered in Bangalore, and it is the most valuable EdTech company in the world (valued at $18 billion). They offered education content for classes 4-12 and trained students for various competitive exams like NEET, JEE, CAT, UPSC, GATE, GRE, etc. Sharukh Khan is the brand ambassador of the company.

Fun Facts: Byju’s acquired Aakash in January 2021 for a whopping $1 billion. It is the most significant acquisition in the EdTech sector.

Byju Raveendran – Awards and Achievements

Byju has played a significant role in revolutionizing the educations sector in India. Raveendran has won several awards and achievements for his billion-dollar company. Some of them are as follows:

• Manorama News Newsmaker Award – By Manorama News, 2019
• Ernst & Young Finalist (Entrepreneur of the Year) – By Ernst & Young, 2020
• Business Transformation Award – By Ernst & Young, 2020
• 40 Under 40 – By Fortune Magazine, 2020
• Forbes India Leadership Award Entrepreneur of the Year – By Forbes India, 2021

Byju Raveendran – Unknown Facts

Some of the unknown facts about Byju are as follows:

• Byju is an ardent sports level, and he has played six sports at the university level.
• He became so famous through his teaching that he was giving lectures in more than 45 cities.
• By the mid of 2015, his educational apps had received more than 5.5 million downloads. In 2021, it will have over 100 million downloads on the play store.
• Byju’s app got included in one of the case studies at Harvard University.
• In 2017, Raveendran got featured on the cover page of Forbes Magazine.
• His company is the official sponsor of the Indian cricket team jersey.

Byju Raveendran – Fortune 40 Under 40

Who says you need a degree in marketing and business to become an entrepreneur? Byju is one such example who has built a billion-dollar company without having a single degree in this niche. His passion for teaching has helped him build a company that provides education in several countries. Byju’s story is an inspiration for all budding entrepreneurs who are unsure about their plans. Everything is possible if you put your heart and soul into it.

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