Edtech platform Unacademy ropes in Karan Shroff as VP Marketing

Bengaluru-based edtech platform Unacademy has hired Karan Shroff as vice president, marketing.

Shroff will be responsible for scaling the startup’s marketing efforts and shaping the brand’s position, an official statement said.

Shroff was earlier with Xiaomi India as the head of brand marketing.

Prior to Xiaomi, Shroff has worked with Bertelsmann, Wizcraft International Entertainment and Pixies Events. 

“I believe in Unacademy’s vision for quality education and after meeting with Gaurav Munjal, I was convinced that I could contribute immensely towards this vision. There are some exciting times in store for the company considering their incredible growth in recent years and I look forward to being a part of it,” said Shroff. 

"We are working towards adding newer categories and growing the existing ones. We have just begun and the road ahead is extremely exciting. Moving ahead, Karan would be instrumental in giving our brand a voice and showcasing the true strength of the Unacademy platform", said Gaurav Munjal, co-founder and CEO, Unacademy.

Founded in 2015 by Munjal, Roman Saini, Hemesh Singh and Sachin Gupta, Unacademy started off as an educational YouTube channel providing free content for various entrance examinations. 

Subsequently, it developed two proprietary apps – one for learning called Unacademy Learning App and another for teaching called Unacademy Educator App.

Run by Sorting Hat Technologies, the company announced plans to buyback around 30% of employee stock options (ESOPs) from team members in July 2019. 

After raising its Series D round of $50 million from Steadview Capital, Sequoia Capital India, Nexus Venture Partners, Blume Ventures, and others, the startup’s valuation has crossed $200 million, the statement said.

The platform currently claims to have more than 10,000 registered educators and 13 million learners.