Read on Twitter
What @unacademy @gauravmunjal @RomanSaini are doing is sheer brilliance. This is my opinion of how Unacademy has grown and is discovering itself... https://twitter.com/gauravmunjal/status/1292384500324814848
Refresher:
1. Startups are all about experiments & iterations
2. If a startup does the following, they're sure to win:
Insight (user + paisa) + GTM + PFM + Distribution
3. The definition of 'what' you are building keeps evolving with understanding of business, user & mkt
1. Startups are all about experiments & iterations
2. If a startup does the following, they're sure to win:
Insight (user + paisa) + GTM + PFM + Distribution
3. The definition of 'what' you are building keeps evolving with understanding of business, user & mkt
Insight:
Unacademy's inital insight is very straightforward.
If you are preparing for X exam, you would want to study from 'top' teachers in the country and pay for it
Students + parents go to extent of shifting to new cities + spending lacs of Rs. to get access to top teachers
Unacademy's inital insight is very straightforward.
If you are preparing for X exam, you would want to study from 'top' teachers in the country and pay for it
Students + parents go to extent of shifting to new cities + spending lacs of Rs. to get access to top teachers
GTM:
Partly due to @RomanSaini's success, USPC was a clear GTM strategy for unacademy + their initial insight was a good fit. They decided to make an on-demand structured offering for UPSC via courses from diff. teachers. Teacher sourcing was also easy for them
Partly due to @RomanSaini's success, USPC was a clear GTM strategy for unacademy + their initial insight was a good fit. They decided to make an on-demand structured offering for UPSC via courses from diff. teachers. Teacher sourcing was also easy for them
PMF:
Soon after cracking UPSC, unacademy realized that if an on-demand structured learning product from top teachers can be scaled to more exams, they would be able to target a larger market + truly arrive at PMF
That's when @KotaFactory happened and it changed the game
Soon after cracking UPSC, unacademy realized that if an on-demand structured learning product from top teachers can be scaled to more exams, they would be able to target a larger market + truly arrive at PMF
That's when @KotaFactory happened and it changed the game
Distribution (demand-side):
Kota factory provided huge demand of JEE aspirants and other exams just followed. Their distribution strategy of first leveraging Roman's success, then teacher's reputations, then getting into pop-culture was a big hit. This helped them be a 'brand'
Kota factory provided huge demand of JEE aspirants and other exams just followed. Their distribution strategy of first leveraging Roman's success, then teacher's reputations, then getting into pop-culture was a big hit. This helped them be a 'brand'
Distribution (supply-side):
As demand shot up, they obviously had to offer a bigger supply pool not just for JEE but even NEET, boards.
They chose to source educators from youtube.
Luckily, YouTubers are well-connected, have huge fan base & want regular earnings.
As demand shot up, they obviously had to offer a bigger supply pool not just for JEE but even NEET, boards.
They chose to source educators from youtube.
Luckily, YouTubers are well-connected, have huge fan base & want regular earnings.
Here, Unacademy didn't just crack a supply-side distribution hack but also a growth loop i.e. provide an on-demand structured learning product to people (teachers, youtuber, Virat Kohli 
) who have good following -> students would follow.
) who have good following -> students would follow.
The use cases are limitless - be it chess, cricket or test prep
Unacademy has truly evolved it's product definition cleanly at each step. Hacking into youtube or pop-culture is just the beginning.
Unacademy has truly evolved it's product definition cleanly at each step. Hacking into youtube or pop-culture is just the beginning.
In lockdown, I have followed @ReheSamay, @viditchess & chess in general very closely. Choosing chess was just a logical step for them. Their growth & business team is just too deep into youtube these days.
According to me, they've just scratched the surface
According to me, they've just scratched the surface
Recent acquisitions by Unacademy are also as per their horizontal expansion mindset these days
+ regardless to say dher saara paisa thanks to recent fundraises.
PS: I'm not connected to anyone at Unacademy. This is just my POV as an outsider.
+ regardless to say dher saara paisa thanks to recent fundraises.
PS: I'm not connected to anyone at Unacademy. This is just my POV as an outsider.
