MAM
CaratLane elevates Avnish Anand as new CEO
Mumbai: CaratLane has elevated Avnish Anand, currently chief operating officer of CaratLane, as its new chief executive officer (CEO) with immediate effect. Anand, an alumnus of ISI Kolkata and IIM Lucknow, was employee No.1 at CaratLane and an integral part of the founding team. He has played a stellar role in building CaratLane into what it is today.
Gurukeerthi Gurunathan, another veteran of CaratLane and the person who has built the technology infrastructure that powers CaratLane’s omni channel business and digital experiences, will continue to play an important role as the chief technology officer of CaratLane. Gurunathan is a seasoned technology leader who holds a master’s degree from IIM Bangalore and has worked with some marquee Fortune 500 companies including a stint in Silicon Valley.
Titan, on 19 August 2023, announced the acquisition of the full stake held by the founder Mithun Sacheti and his family members subject to the completion of customary regulatory approvals.
Commenting on the announcement, Titan managing director C K Venkataraman said, “We are delighted to appoint Avnish as CaratLane’s new Chief Executive Officer. Avnish comes with exceptional strategic and people leadership capabilities and has been instrumental in making CaratLane the true omni channel brand. As CaratLane and CaratLaners look to the future with great excitement and confidence, I am sure Avnish will provide the right leadership that will enable the creation of the highest standards of excellence in everything we do and reach for the stars through those standards.”
Anand on his appointment as the CEO of CaratLane said, “Being a part of the founding team here at CaratLane, I’ve seen the brand’s evolution up close and it’s been such a remarkable journey. Mithun has been a pillar of support and a sounding board for all my ideas these past years, so of course it’s sad to see him go. But I’m really excited for this new chapter as we have a great opportunity to build a bigger and more remarkable business in front of us. It’s definitely a moment of pride for all of us and we look forward to working more closely with the Titan leadership on this exciting journey.”
Brands
UpGrad to acquire Unacademy in share-swap deal, founders confirm
Proposed share-swap could unite two edtech rivals as sector eyes consolidation
MUMBAI: The Indian edtech sector may be inching toward another wave of consolidation, with online learning platform upGrad signing a term sheet to acquire rival Unacademy in an all stock transaction.
If completed, the deal would bring together two of the country’s most prominent education technology companies at a time when the sector is adjusting to slower demand and a sharper focus on profitability after the pandemic driven boom.
UpGrad founder and chairperson Ronnie Screwvala confirmed the development in a post on X, stating that Unacademy co-founder and chief executive Gaurav Munjal would continue to lead the company following the acquisition.
“We at upGrad have signed a term sheet to acquire Unacademy in an all stock deal, with founder and ceo Gaurav Munjal staying on to build Unacademy and focus on what it does best, creating online education products that learners love,” Screwvala wrote.
He added that the agreement includes a break fee provision if the transaction fails to close. Screwvala also said the combined entity could strengthen upGrad’s integrated learning model spanning K12 education, professional training and lifelong learning.
Unacademy confirmed that the proposed transaction will be executed through a 100 per cent share swap, with the valuation to be disclosed only after the deal closes and regulatory filings are completed.
Announcing the development on X, Munjal described the agreement as the beginning of a new chapter for both companies and the wider edtech ecosystem.
He noted that Unacademy had spent the past year reshaping its operations to focus more sharply on online education products. Among the steps taken were consolidating company operated offline centres with franchise partners and launching a Rs 50 crore employee stock ownership plan buyback, in which around 40 per cent of former employees have already participated.
Munjal also highlighted the traction gained by Airlearn, the company’s language learning product, which he said is expanding in markets including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Canada.
“Our cash reserves as of today are more than $100 million,” he said.
The proposed deal also marks a turnaround from earlier talks between the two companies that had stalled over disagreements on valuation and structure. Previous discussions had placed Unacademy’s valuation in the range of $300 million to $400 million, according to media reports.
If the transaction goes through, Munjal will continue as co-founder and chief executive of Unacademy, focusing on building online learning products for students in India and global markets.
For upGrad, the acquisition would broaden its footprint across the education spectrum, from school level learning to professional upskilling and lifelong education.
The move comes as India’s edtech sector enters a more sober phase after years of rapid expansion. Companies across the industry have been trimming costs, restructuring operations and seeking scale to build more sustainable businesses.
Against that backdrop, the potential combination of upGrad and Unacademy could signal that the next phase of edtech growth may be driven less by blitzscaling and more by strategic partnerships and consolidation.
