BYJU’S SETS SIGHTS ON EXAM PREP WITH GRADEUP BUY

Byju’s, the world’s most valuable edtech company with a valuation of $16.5 billion, continued its 2021 buying spree with the acquisition of Gradeup, one of India’s largest online exam preparation platforms, marking its seventh major buy this year. The start-up didn’t reveal the value of the deal. Gradeup will be rebranded as Byju’s Exam Prep and will cater to students preparing for over 150 exams.

Byju’s, the world’s most valuable edtech company with a valuation of $16.5 billion, continued its 2021 buying spree with the acquisition of Gradeup, one of India’s largest online exam preparation platforms, marking its seventh major buy this year.

The start-up didn’t reveal the value of the deal. This partnership will bolster Byju’s presence in the competitive examination preparation category and help harness Gradeup’s pedagogy and student reach, the firm said. And it will give the firm a leg up over its rivals like Unacademy, Simplilearn, Upgrad, Amazon Academy, and traditional education institutes, in the country’s $180-billion worth education sector.

Gradeup will be rebranded as Byju’s Exam Prep and will cater to students preparing for over 150 exams over 25 categories. It will cover government jobs and post-graduate entrance exams such as UPSC, GATE, CAT, Bank Po/clerk, Defence, UGC-NET.

“With Gradeup on board, we will be able to further scale and expand our test-prep offerings in postgraduate level exams,” said Byju Raveendran, founder and chief executive officer of Byju’s. “Gradeup has already proved its mettle and we are excited to join forces with the seasoned team. We aim to bring our complementary strengths and expertise together to create engaging and personalised learning experiences.”

Shobhit Bhatnagar, CEO of Gradeup, said by combining live classes, assessments, and quality study material, the firm has built a highly specialised offering for students preparing for competitive exams.

“Together with Byju’s, we will accelerate our growth and expand our reach across the country,” said Bhatnagar. “Further, we will leverage their strengths in content to deepen ourcurrentproductofferingand broadenourcoverageofexams.”

Byju’s has been on an acquisition spree as the pandemic has accelerated the adoption of online education. The start-up has spent over $2 billion on its seven acquisitions in India and the US this year, according to sources. The inorganic route is expected to help it dominate the market.