Unacademy CEO Role Passes From Gaurav Munjal to Akhilendra Kumar
Unacademy co-founder Gaurav Munjal becomes Executive Chairman about two months after upGrad completed its acquisition of the edtech company.
Key Takeaways
- Akhilendra Kumar is the new CEO of Unacademy.
- Co-founder Gaurav Munjal has moved from CEO to Executive Chairman.
- Munjal said he will stay involved in operations and help with upGrad's proposed IPO.
- upGrad completed its all-stock acquisition of Unacademy for just over $200 million on September 1, 2026.
- Unacademy's peak valuation was about $3.4 billion in 2021.
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Unacademy co-founder Gaurav Munjal is moving from Chief Executive Officer to Executive Chairman of the edtech company, and Akhilendra Kumar is taking over as CEO. Munjal announced the change on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.
Munjal said he will stay involved in Unacademy's day-to-day operations and will support the proposed IPO of upGrad, which now owns Unacademy. The change comes about two months after upGrad, led by Ronnie Screwvala, completed its all-stock acquisition of Unacademy for just over $200 million on September 1, 2026.
Unacademy's leadership change at a glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Company | Unacademy |
| New CEO | Akhilendra Kumar |
| Gaurav Munjal's new role | Executive Chairman |
| Gaurav Munjal's earlier role | Co-founder and CEO |
| Announced on | November 11, 2026 |
| Parent company | upGrad |
| upGrad deal completed | September 1, 2026 |
| Deal value | Just over $200 million, all stock |
Unacademy moved under upGrad in a deal far below its peak value
Unacademy runs online test preparation for competitive exams, including UPSC, JEE, NEET and GATE. upGrad and Unacademy signed a term sheet for the all-stock deal in March 2026, and Munjal said at the time that he would stay on as CEO. Under the completed deal, Unacademy's shareholders received shares in upGrad.
The price of just over $200 million was well below the peak valuation of about $3.4 billion that Unacademy reached in 2021. Earlier in 2026, Unacademy announced plans to move away from company-run offline centres towards a franchise-led model and refocus on its online platform.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Unacademy reached a peak valuation of about $3.4 billion |
| March 2026 | upGrad and Unacademy signed a term sheet for an all-stock deal |
| September 1, 2026 | upGrad completed the acquisition for just over $200 million |
| November 11, 2026 | Gaurav Munjal moved to Executive Chairman and Akhilendra Kumar became CEO |
Where Unacademy stands under its new CEO
Unacademy is now part of upGrad, which bought it for just over $200 million in an all-stock deal completed on September 1, 2026. Akhilendra Kumar now leads the company as CEO, while Gaurav Munjal stays on as Executive Chairman and has said he will remain involved in its operations. Munjal also said he will help upGrad with its proposed IPO.
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