UpGrad Founders Ronnie Screwvala & Mayank Kumar Speak About The Evolving Edu-tech Industry

The education technology sector in India has come a long way. The increasing information available on the internet and countless online courses has been a driving force to expedite e-learning among Indians. Experts believe that India has great potential and opportunities in the educational technology sector with a rising young population, increasing internet penetration, and acceptance of online learning as a cost effective-channel.

Maruti Suzuki presents' Nation wants to grow' is an exclusive Republic TV-series that focuses on the stories of brand makers that motivate thousands of Indians to come forward and be catalysts to India's growth story. The series showcases conversations with brilliant Indian minds on several aspects of Budget 2021 & the economic boost that will help achieve the $5 trillion dream. In this episode of the series, we were joined by Ronnie Screwvala & Mayank Kumar.  Two distinguished personalities who have been making waves in the Edu-tech industry. With a versatile industry experience Ronnie Screwala has been making strides across genres. His name has also featured on Esquire's List of the 75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century & Time's 100.  Mayank comes with over 10 years of experience in education as an investor & advisor and is also an alumnus of the Indian School of Business & IIT Delhi. Mayank is the Co-founder & MD of India’s e-learning platform upGrad. upGrad provides e-learners with industry-relevant programs that are devised and delivered in collaboration with a world-class faculty. By merging the latest technology, education, and services, upGrad aims to create an immersive learning experience for the online student community.

"At upGrad, we see two broad outcomes or maybe three broad outcomes after the end of any program. One could be access to a private job & that's where we recently acquired recruit. We have a 30+ member recruitment-focused team that goes to corporates, sources for jobs & places our students in those jobs, which is unheard of in the online education space. Very importantly, we have identified that at mass- India level, not just tier A phenomena, but in smaller towns & smaller cities, many people do their degree program & masters to get access to government jobs," says Mayank Kumar, Co-founder & MD, upGrad .

He further adds," That's where we are looking at the test-prep market as an interesting sort of area, where people after graduating from their undergraduate program can prepare for government tests, whether it's railways, banks, UPSC/SSC. The third outcome that everyone looks forward to is getting access & becoming an entrepreneur. So, I think all three are specific outcomes that, as an organization, we are focused on."

The episode delved deep into the significant changes in the Edu-tech sector caused due to the pandemic & how individuals can benefit from e-learning platforms like upGrad. It also highlighted the ample opportunities & spectrums that have opened up for the education technology sector.