Gaurav Munjal, an Indian entrepreneur, is widely recognized as the CEO of Unacademy, a prominent edu-tech platform.
Early Life and Family Background
Born on September 8, 1990, in Jaipur, India, Gaurav Munjal hails from an affluent family in Rajasthan, with his father practicing medicine. His brother is involved with TVF, a renowned YouTube channel. Munjal attended St. Xavier’s School in Jaipur for his schooling.
Gaurav Munjal’s Path to Success
Living in the 21st century, the educational technology sector has seen remarkable growth. In India, Unacademy stands out as a household name, largely due to Gaurav Munjal’s efforts in building it into one of the country’s largest edu-tech platforms.
Early Interest in Technology
Munjal’s journey began with a passion for coding, which he developed at the age of 12.
After completing his secondary education, he moved to Mumbai to pursue engineering at NMIMS University. During his studies, he engaged in several summer internships to broaden his experience.
The Genesis of Unacademy
While pursuing his engineering degree, Munjal harbored ambitions of venturing into the education sector. This aspiration led him to initiate an educational YouTube channel, which served as the precursor to Unacademy. Despite missing lectures due to his channel commitments, Munjal persevered.
Following his graduation, he founded FlatChat, an accommodation app, alongside nurturing the Unacademy YouTube channel. Concurrently, Munjal was also involved in other projects like Directi.
Formation and Growth of Unacademy
In 2015, Munjal envisioned transforming the Indian education system through Unacademy. Realizing the enormity of the task, he enlisted the help of Roman Saini, a former IAS officer who shared his vision. Subsequently, Hemesh Singh joined the team.
With their combined efforts, Unacademy began offering free educational content to learners. In 2019, Munjal introduced a subscription-based model, which garnered over 100,000 subscribers within a month.
Investment Ventures and Personal Life
Apart from Unacademy, Munjal actively invests in various startups like AIRMEET, Avalon Meta, Pepper Content, One Code, and Dazo. While his exact net worth remains undisclosed, Unacademy is estimated to be valued at $3.4 billion. Munjal earned a salary of INR 1.58 Crores as CEO in FY22.
In 2018, Munjal tied the knot with Reema Behl in Jaipur.
Luxuries and Lesser-Known Facts
- Gaurav Munjal started his career as a software developer at Media.net before venturing into FlatChat.
- From a young age, Munjal was drawn to coding, and he honed his skills by developing his first website for his school’s magazine.
- In interviews, Munjal has expressed admiration for figures like Shah Rukh Khan, Steve Jobs, and Elon Musk.
- Beyond his roles as an educator and entrepreneur, Munjal has also dabbled in acting, making a cameo appearance in TVF’s series Pitchers.
- Munjal has reminisced about his childhood determination to build a successful venture, often telling his parents that he would one day create a company as influential as Microsoft.