The silent sibling: Riju Ravindran’s role in the Byju’s saga

In early 2020, as edtech major Byju’s was finalising a substantial $500 million funding round on the heels of the Covid-19 pandemic, Byju Raveendran, the eponymous founder known for his firm grip on the company, took a more active role in the company’s international business to establish Byju’s as a global name.

Meanwhile, the domestic business—the company's largest segment—was entrusted to Mrinal Mohit, the firm’s chief operating officer. A former student of Raveendran and one of his longtime confidantes, Mohit was among the edtech’s first employees.

To fuel the growth of Byju’s’ core K-12 business in India, Mohit set ambitious sales targets and embarked on a hiring spree to expand the company’s sales team. While this was done to deliver impressive numbers to satisfy Raveendran and investors, it led to a massive rise in the edtech’s spending. From Rs 2,873 crore in the year ended March 2020 (FY20), the company’s expenses soared to over Rs 7,000 crore in FY21.