#MeetTheNeed – How Unacademy is Scaling Edtech Solutions to Support Students Across India
May 21, 2020
General Atlantic launched #MeetTheNeed, an initiative to collect and share the inspiring stories of the entrepreneurs, businesses and organizations making a positive impact around the world. We’re amazed at the ways our portfolio companies and the broader GA network have mobilized in response to COVID-19. Our teams around the globe are donating to these efforts, and the GA Foundation is amplifying this giving by matching employee donations.
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From Sharad Bhojnagarwala, Vice President in Mumbai
Every year, 25 million students across India sit for over 50 million exams. This includes undergraduate and graduate tests, government career exams and professional certifications. When Unacademy learned that tutoring institutes and universities were stopping classes in response to COVID-19, the company jumped into action to provide critical e-learning support.
Unacademy is a General Atlantic-funded edtech company providing online learning resources in India. In March, they saw that while many students were losing access to offline resources, it was likely that annual exams would continue later this year. As students and educators were eager for support, Unacademy stepped in and launched three initiatives to make continued learning possible.
First, before the national lockdown was even in place, Unacademy opened its online platform to make over 20,000 classes available for free. Students were able to hear from leading experts and prepare for 35 critical exams. The team scaled classes quickly to host over 1,000 classes per day by the end of April.
Second, the team opened its infrastructure and technology to other tutoring institutes, universities and schools across the country at no cost. Using Unacademy’s live classroom capabilities, educators are building their own e-learning efforts without limitations on the number of hours or classes.
Lastly, Unacademy tapped its network of thought leaders to conduct new free courses. The platform now features leading public figures, including professional athletes, political leaders, motivational speakers and educators discussing topics like mental strength, crisis management and leadership.
The team at Unacademy has worked tirelessly to execute these initiatives and the response has been inspiring – identifying a natural opportunity to use its expertise to meet a critical need across India. Unacademy has shown a true commitment to their customers, their community and to education.
Stay tuned for future stories from #MeetTheNeed in the coming weeks
– Read our article on XP Investimento’s efforts in Brazil here
– Read our article on Life Science Cares’ work in Boston and Philadelphia here
– Read our article on Echoing Green’s efforts to support social entrepreneurs here