India’s biggest sporting icon and former Indian cricket star Sachin Tendulkar has decided to bat for edtech unicorn Unacademy. Well, if we were to put this metaphor in a more simple language then Tendulkar has picked up strategic stake in the Bengaluru based startup. However, the company has refused to disclose the details of the deal but is almost confirmed that he will act as a brand ambassador for the startup.
As part of the deal, the batting maestro will also conduct free interactive sessions with students.
Unacademy’s co-founder and CEO Gaurav Munjal took to his Twitter handle to announce about the news.
Over the last one year, Gaurav Munjal-led company has left no stone unturned in showing its aggressive intent. From big funding rounds, aggressive acquisition strategy to signing one of India’s biggest sporting celebrities, Unacademy has been on a roll.
Unacademy deals in a higher education space where, unlike the K-12 space, the competition is comparatively less intense. The Facebook and SoftBank-backed company’s aggressive acquisition strategy is strategically aimed at gaining an unassailable dominant position in the market.
The company has acquired as many 7 small startups in the last one year in order to strengthen its position in the market. Its last acquisition of TapChief took barely a week ago.
Meanwhile, Tendulkar has invested in quite a few startups in the past. In fact, one of his portfolio companies Smaaash had to shut the shop last year in the wake of heavy losses incurred due to pandemic.
Tendulkar’s other cricketing counterparts like Dhoni and Yuvraj Signh have been equally active in investing in India’s burgeoning startup industry. Last year, power couple Virat Kholi and Anushka Sharma took strategic stake in Digit Insurance, which became the first unicorn of 2021.