Gaurav Munjal co-founded Unacademy in 2015, transforming a YouTube learning channel into one of India's leading edtech platforms.
From building Flatchat to creating Unacademy, explore Gaurav Munjal’s journey of scaling one of India’s most recognized education technology companies.
Written by TFN Research Desk | covering startups, technology, venture capital, and business strategy.
Table of Contents
- Who is Gaurav Munjal?
- Early Life and Education
- Career Before Unacademy
- How Unacademy Started
- Funding History
- Revenue Growth and Recent Challenges
- Public Recognition
- Unacademy vs Competitors
- Investor Perspective
- Founder Timeline
- Key Takeaways
- FAQs
- Sources
Who is Gaurav Munjal?
Gaurav Munjal co-founded Unacademy in 2015 and led it as CEO for a decade, turning a YouTube coding channel into one of India’s largest live-learning platforms. A computer engineering graduate from NMIMS Mumbai, he stepped down as CEO in May 2025 to focus on AirLearn, an AI language-learning startup, while retaining a stake in Unacademy.
Early Life and Education
Munjal was born on 8 September 1990; accounts differ on whether that was in Rajasthan or Mumbai. He attended St. Xavier’s Senior Secondary School before earning a B.Tech in Computer Engineering from NMIMS University, Mumbai, in 2012. He began coding in grade 12 and started a YouTube channel teaching Java in his final college year, later renaming it Unacademy.
Career Before Unacademy
Munjal interned at Directi in 2011 and returned as a developer from 2012 to 2013. In 2013 he founded Flatchat, a flatmate-finding platform, acquired by CommonFloor in April 2014. That exit gave him his first experience scaling and selling a consumer platform, lessons he carried into Unacademy.
How Unacademy Started
In 2015, Munjal turned his YouTube channel into a company with Roman Saini and Hemesh Singh, his former Flatchat CTO, as co-founders; Sachin Gupta is also credited as an early co-founder. The platform focused on free video content for exams like GATE, NEET, and JEE. The turning point came when Munjal noticed learners loved live classes but disliked buying separate courses. That led to Unacademy Plus in 2019, a subscription model letting students pay once for cross-subject access, a decision he calls the moment the business found real product-market fit.
Funding History
| Round | Year | Amount | Lead Investor(s) |
| Seed | 2015 | Undisclosed | Blume Ventures |
| Series A | 2017 | Undisclosed | Nexus Venture Partners |
| Series B | 2017 | Undisclosed | Elevation Capital |
| Series D | 2019 | Undisclosed | ABG Capital |
| Series E | 2020 | $150 million | SoftBank Vision Fund |
| Series F | 2020 | Undisclosed | Tiger Global, Facebook, General Atlantic |
| Series H | Aug 2021 | $440 million | Temasek, Mirae Asset, SoftBank, Tiger Global |
Unacademy has raised $880 million across 13 rounds, per Tracxn, peaking at a $3.44 billion valuation in August 2021. No fresh round has closed since, and reported merger talks with upGrad collapsed in early 2026 over valuation.
Revenue Growth and Recent Challenges
| Fiscal Year | Revenue | Net Loss |
| FY22 | Rs 719 crore | Rs 1,658 crore |
| FY23 | Rs 1,044 crore | Rs 1,678 crore |
| FY24 | Rs 988.4 crore | Rs 631 crore |
Why this happened: Revenue stayed flat to declining as the pandemic-era online boom faded and students returned to in-person coaching. The 62% drop in FY24 losses came from cost-cutting, including roughly 250 layoffs, as Munjal shifted toward offline centres and leaner spending over growth at any cost.
Public Recognition
Munjal is widely covered in Indian business press for Unacademy’s rise to a $3.44 billion valuation. He is an active angel investor in over 50 startups, including Pine Labs and Ultrahuman, and has spoken publicly about sustainable growth over subsidy-driven scale, a contrast often drawn with Byju’s.
Unacademy vs Competitors
| Brand | Founded | Latest Revenue | Positioning |
| Unacademy | 2015 | Rs 988.4 crore (FY24) | Live learning, shifting toward offline |
| Physics Wallah | 2020 | Rs 1,940.7 crore (FY24) | Affordable, YouTube-first test prep |
| Vedantu | 2014 | Not publicly disclosed | Live online tutoring, K-12 and test prep |
| BYJU’S | 2011 | Not publicly disclosed (insolvency) | Once India’s largest edtech decacorn |
Physics Wallah has overtaken Unacademy on revenue through affordability and profitability, while Unacademy has repositioned around cost discipline.
Investor Perspective
Munjal’s Flatchat exit gave him firsthand experience of scaling and exiting consumer platforms before Unacademy. His strengths included an organic content engine and the discipline to launch Unacademy Plus once he spotted real friction. The risks that materialised were real: heavy pandemic-era losses, a funding drought after 2021, and a cheaper rival eating into the same student base. If cost discipline holds and the offline pivot gains traction, a path to profitability or a future deal remains possible, though the collapsed upGrad talks show it’s far from settled.
Founder Timeline
- 2010 — Starts YouTube channel, later renamed Unacademy
- 2012 — Graduates NMIMS Mumbai; joins Directi
- 2013 — Founds Flatchat
- 2014 — Flatchat acquired by CommonFloor
- 2015 — Co-founds Unacademy with Roman Saini and Hemesh Singh
- 2019 — Launches Unacademy Plus
- 2020 — Raises $150 million from SoftBank; reaches unicorn status
- 2021 — Raises $440 million Series H at $3.44 billion valuation
- 2024 — Cuts net loss by 62% to Rs 631 crore
- 2025 — Steps down as CEO in May; focuses on AirLearn
- 2026 — upGrad-Unacademy merger talks collapse
Key Takeaways
- Munjal’s Flatchat exit gave him a template for scaling and selling before attempting a much larger company.
- Spotting per-course payment friction led directly to Unacademy Plus, the product decision behind its monetisation.
- Pandemic-era funding fueled scale but also outsized losses that took years to unwind.
- A leaner rival, Physics Wallah, overtaking Unacademy on revenue shows capital raised isn’t the same as a cost advantage.
- Stepping back in 2025 to build AirLearn suggests Munjal sees more building left outside the company that made him a founder.
FAQs
Who founded Unacademy?
Gaurav Munjal, Roman Saini, and Hemesh Singh in 2015; Sachin Gupta is also listed as a co-founder in some records.
Is Munjal still CEO of Unacademy?
No, he stepped down in May 2025, handing the role to Sumit Jain while retaining equity.
How much funding did Unacademy raise?
$880 million across 13 rounds, per Tracxn, peaking at $3.44 billion in 2021.
Is Unacademy profitable?
No, though FY24 net loss narrowed 62% to Rs 631 crore.
What is Munjal’s net worth?
Estimated between $1.2-1.4 billion by some reports; no official figure disclosed.
Did Unacademy merge with upGrad?
No, talks fell apart over valuation in early 2026.
What is Munjal working on now?
AirLearn, an AI language-learning platform reportedly generating close to $2 million in annual revenue.
Where did Munjal study?
NMIMS University, Mumbai, B.Tech Computer Engineering, 2012.
What was his first startup?
Flatchat, acquired by CommonFloor in 2014.
What makes Unacademy different from Physics Wallah?
Physics Wallah built profitability on a lower-cost model early on; Unacademy scaled on venture funding before pivoting to cost discipline.
Sources
- Gaurav Munjal, Co-founder & CEO (Unacademy) — Buildd
- Who is the CEO of Unacademy in 2026? — Clay
- Gaurav Munjal Biography, Age, Wife, Career, Net Worth — LeaderBiography
- Unacademy Funding Rounds & List of Investors — Tracxn
- Unacademy narrows down losses by 62% in FY24 — Entrackr
- Physics Wallah vs Byju’s vs Unacademy 2025 — Strategy Boffins
© The Founder Nation | All rights reserved | Written by TFN Research Desk
