Unacademy co-founder Munjal steps down as chief executive

Gaurav Munjal, who founded Unacademy in 2015, is stepping down as chief executive to become executive chairman, two months after upGrad completed its acquisition of the Indian test preparation platform for just over $200 million.

Why it matters: The change completes the founder exit at what was once India's most valued edtech company, sold at roughly 94 percent below its 2021 peak valuation, and hands operations to an insider as upGrad prepares its own public listing.

Data as of Inc42 report of November 11, 2026, read in full, corroborated by YourStory and IANS reports the same day. The Tech in Asia item that surfaced the story in the wire queue could not be read; the second route (Inc42, YourStory, IANS) verified the facts. Developing item.

Unacademy co-founder Gaurav Munjal said on Wednesday that he is stepping down as chief executive of the Indian test preparation platform and moving to executive chairman, with chief business officer Akhilendra Kumar taking over as chief executive. In a LinkedIn post Munjal said he would stay fully involved in day-to-day operations, work alongside Kumar and help with upGrad’s planned initial public offering.

The transition comes two months after upGrad completed its all-stock acquisition of Unacademy in September, in a deal valued at just over $200 million, about 94 percent below the roughly $3.4 billion valuation Unacademy carried at its 2021 peak. With Munjal’s move, all of Unacademy’s co-founders, Roman Saini, Hemesh Singh and Sumit Jain among them, have now left operational roles at the company he founded in 2015 as a YouTube channel.

Unacademy co-founder Munjal steps down as chief executive

Sources