Byju Raveendran — SPARQNOW

At-a-Glance

Founder of BYJU'S (since 2007), an edtech company co-founded with Divya Gokulnath.
Co-founded Byju's Classes in 2007, which grew to stadium-size classes.
Launched the BYJU'S learning app in 2015, which had over 150 million downloads by July 2022.
Invested $400 million in BYJU'S during a venture capital financing round in July 2022.
Added to the National Startup Advisory Council as a non-official member in January 2021.
Acquired Indian test-prep provider Aakash Educational Services Ltd. for nearly US$1 billion in April 2021.
Scored in the 99th percentile on the CAT exam multiple times.

Biography

Byju Raveendran was born on January 5, 1980, in Azhikode, Kerala, India, to parents who were physics and mathematics teachers. He completed his B.Tech from the Government College of Engineering, Kannur, before working as a service engineer at a multinational shipping company.

During a vacation in 2003, he began helping friends prepare for the CAT exam, achieving a 99th percentile score himself multiple times. This success led him to quit his job and focus on teaching.