Vidyakul, India’s largest state board focused edtech startup, has announced the elevation of Akhil Hari Angira, former Head of Academics, to the role of Co-founder and Chief Business Officer (CBO). Angira, who joined Vidyakul as an intern in 2018, will now be heading business growth and in turn drive revenue generation, profitability, strategic partnerships and expanding Vidyakul’s reach in underserved areas.
Akhil, an electronics engineer and lawyer, has nearly a decade of experience in IT management and on-ground operations. His journey from an intern-to-cofounder is one for the books. Starting from his internship days, Akhil recognised the impact Vidyakul had and was determined to bring an ‘educational transformation’ in Bharat’s small towns and villages. With a ticket size of as low as INR 300, Vidyakul provides affordable and vernacular education to 2 crore state board students. Under Akhil’s leadership, the company has scaled 15x and improved year-on-year revenue by 10x, all while maintaining positive unit economics. Akhil also has been the driving force behind empowering girls with equal opportunities, with the app now boasting an impressive 55% representation of girl students.
Commenting on the appointment, Tarun Saini, Founder and CEO, Vidyakul, said, “Our greatest strength is our team that has believed in the company’s vision of equal educational opportunity for all from day one. Akhil has been a constant pillar of support for the business- at the back-end as well as on-ground. I am delighted to welcome him as our Co-founder and Chief Business Officer and foresee us reaching greater heights with his able leadership.”
Adding to this, Akhil Hari Angira, Co-founder and Chief Business Officer said, “Coming from a small town and starting off as an intern, I am truly excited for this new innings at Vidyakul. My commitment remains the same: Education for Bharat’s students. Our aim is to ensure access to learning resources and support students from low income backgrounds to thrive academically. I am excited to see how this growth journey unfolds.”
Incorporated in 2017, Vidyakul provides e-learning solutions for state board students of class 9-12 in UP, Bihar and Gujarat at a fees as low as 300/month. Till date, the company has raised INR 21 crore from various entities. Recently, Vidyakul also launched ‘Sankalp Yatra 2024’ to establish free Digital Study Rooms in 500 villages and provide merit based scholarships. The company plans to reach 5 million+ students on its app by early 2025.