Education
Scaler appoints new heads for its online and offline businesses
Amar Srivastava becomes chief executive of the online business and group chief product officer; Vidit Jain takes charge of the offline schools
BENGALURU: Scaler is shuffling its top deck as the AI skilling race heats up. The Bengaluru-based tech education company has elevated two senior executives to lead its online and offline businesses, signalling a sharper push into an AI-driven market.
Amar Srivastava, previously senior vice president for product and business, has been appointed chief executive of the online business and group chief product officer. Vidit Jain has been elevated to senior vice president and head of Scaler School, taking charge of the company’s offline education units, the Scaler School of Business and the Scaler School of Technology.
The company has also recently appointed Ratnakar Reddy as head of enterprise for India and the Middle East and North Africa, with a brief to drive partnerships with governments and enterprises for AI-led skilling programmes.
Abhimanyu Saxena, co-founder of Scaler, said the promotions reflect the company’s confidence in both leaders and the direction it is heading. “Amar and Vidit have been central to Scaler’s journey, and their elevations reflect our conviction in their leadership and the direction we are shaping as a company,” he said. “With leadership now in place across the business, we remain focused on building engineers the world’s best companies want to hire. In an AI-first economy, that mission is more urgent and more achievable than ever. Our next chapter is centred on building an AI-native workforce from India, equipped to compete in a technology-driven global economy.”
Srivastava brings over a decade of experience building education-focused ventures. He previously founded Intellify and was part of the early team at Doubtnut. At Scaler, he will lead the online business with a focus on growth, profitability and expansion into new segments, while strengthening the product ecosystem across the group. He is blunt about what the AI economy actually needs. “The AI economy does not have a shortage of tools. It has a shortage of engineers who can think clearly, build reliably, and keep learning as the ground shifts. That is what we are building toward,” he said.
Jain brings more than 15 years of experience across startups and consulting, including stints at MPL and McKinsey and Company. He will oversee growth and profitability of Scaler’s offline business. His priorities are immediate and unambiguous. “The offline experience is where depth gets built, and that depth is critical in the AI era. Over the next 12 months, our focus will be on consistent growth, stronger unit economics, and delivering outcomes for students while building long-term employer partnerships,” he said.
Founded in 2019, Scaler is valued at $710 million and backed by Peak XV Partners, Tiger Global and Lightrock India. Its parent firm, InterviewBit, has featured on the Financial Times’ Asia Pacific High Growth Companies rankings every year from 2021 to 2025. On average, Scaler’s learners see a 4.5x return on investment and a salary increase of around 126 per cent.
With leadership locked in across every business unit, Scaler is betting that the next wave of global tech hiring will be won or lost on the quality of engineers coming out of India. It is a big bet. But the numbers, and the promotions, suggest the company is in no mood to hedge.
Education
Internshala launches 6 founder-led internships with stipends up to Rs 50,000
Intern With Icon offers direct access to top founders, mentorship and hands-on roles
MUMBAI: Internshala, an upGrad company, has launched a new initiative titled “Intern With Icon”, offering six students a chance to work directly with some of India’s most recognisable founders and faces from Shark Tank India.
The programme brings together a high-profile line-up including Vineeta Singh, Varun Alagh, Peyush Bansal, Namita Thapar, Kunal Bahl and Aman Gupta. One intern will be selected to work with each founder, gaining hands-on exposure across business functions along with direct mentorship.
The internships come with stipends ranging from Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000, along with a one-on-one session with the assigned founder. Applications open on April 27 and close on May 10, with final selections to be announced on May 18. The internship will run from May 27 to July 31, 2026.
Unlike traditional programmes, the initiative is degree-agnostic and focuses on potential rather than pedigree. Candidates are expected to demonstrate curiosity, adaptability and problem-solving skills, with basic familiarity in tools like Excel, PowerPoint and Canva seen as an added advantage.
Internshala founder and CEO Sarvesh Agrawal said, “Intern With Icon is designed to bridge aspiration with access. Young talent often admires iconic founders from afar. This programme gives them a chance to learn directly and understand how businesses are built.”
The initiative reflects a broader shift in early-career learning, moving from classroom-style exposure to real-world, founder-led experience. By placing students in the thick of decision-making and execution, Internshala is aiming to make internships less about observation and more about participation.
As competition for meaningful work experience grows, programmes like this could well set the tone for how India’s next generation of professionals gets its first real taste of the business world.
