- Gaurav Munjal steps down as Unacademy CEO, becomes Executive Chairman
- Akhilendra Kumar appointed new CEO as Unacademy enters next phase
- Munjal to remain involved in daily operations and assist upGrad IPO
Unacademy co-founder Gaurav Munjal is stepping down as chief executive officer, handing over the leadership role to Akhilendra Kumar as the edtech company enters its next phase.
Munjal announced the leadership transition in a post on X, saying he would move from CEO to Executive Chairman, while Kumar would take over as the company's new chief executive.
However, Munjal made it clear that the move does not signal his exit from the company's day-to-day functioning. He said he would remain actively involved in operations, work closely with Kumar and also help with the proposed upGrad IPO.
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In his post, Munjal described Kumar as one of the sharpest operators he knows and expressed confidence in his ability to lead Unacademy through its next chapter.
"I'm not going anywhere," Munjal said, underlining that he would continue to work alongside the incoming CEO.
Some personal news: I'm moving from CEO to Executive Chairman of Unacademy, and Akhilendra Kumar will take over as CEO. To be clear, I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay fully involved in operations every day, work alongside Akhilendra and help with the upGrad IPO. Akhilendra is one of the sharpest operators I know, and I'm proud to have him lead us into this next chapter. The best is still ahead 🚀
— Gaurav Munjal (@gauravmunjal) November 11, 2026
Ending his announcement on an optimistic note, Munjal said, "The best is still ahead."
The leadership transition comes a little over two months after Ronnie Screwvala-led upGrad completed its acquisition of Unacademy in September 2026. The all-stock deal valued Unacademy at just over $200 million, marking a steep decline of nearly 94% from its peak valuation of around $3.4 billion in 2021.
As part of the transaction, Unacademy's shareholders received shares in upGrad, while the company retained its existing brands and businesses. The acquisition covered Unacademy's test-preparation operations and subsidiaries, including PrepLadder, Graphy and language-learning platform Airlearn.
When the acquisition was announced, Munjal had said he would continue as Unacademy CEO, overseeing its businesses under the upGrad umbrella. His latest announcement signals a change in that arrangement, with Akhilendra Kumar now set to take over the top executive role.
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The acquisition followed a prolonged period of restructuring at Unacademy, as the company focused on cutting costs and reshaping its business model around online education.
Earlier this year, Unacademy also outlined plans to shift away from operating its own offline learning centres and adopt a franchise-led model. Munjal's move to Executive Chairman comes as upGrad prepares for a potential initial public offering (IPO).
Unacademy has a presence across competitive examination segments such as UPSC, JEE, NEET and GATE. Meanwhile, upGrad operates across higher education, professional upskilling, certification programmes and overseas education services.
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