UpGrad’s Ronnie Screwvala calls for a meeting of edtech founders

UpGrad founder Ronnie Screwvala.

Serial entrepreneur and investor Ronnie Screwvala has called upon edtech founders for a meeting in Delhi this week to discuss core issues pertaining to the edtech sector in India, sources told Moneycontrol.

Screwvala, the founder of the higher learning startup UpGrad, has also been one of the most strident critics of edtech giant Byju's as it has navigated through a series of crises in the last couple of years.

“Mayank (Kumar) and I propose a joint meet of all of us to really discuss a few core issues for the whole sector. Many of us work in different subsets but the underlying theme is this sector and the high impact work everyone is doing has to be positioned as a very credible one,” said Screwvala in an email sent to many edtechs in the ecosystem. Moneycontrol has seen a copy of the same.

He added that the meeting may or may not conclude with the formation of an agenda for next steps, but it would be beneficial to discuss a few things as a collective group.

Also Read: Discussed how to regain credibility with learners, government, media: Ronnie Screwvala on edtech meet up

In December 2021, edtechs like Byju’s and UpGrad formed the IEC under the aegis of the Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI). upGrad’s Kumar initially held the chairperson position, but later stepped down in October 2023 as he wanted to focus more on operations at upGrad.

Prateek Maheshwari, one of the two co-founders of PhysicsWallah, is the chairperson of the India Edtech Consortium (IEC) now.

“I know a loose industry group was formed but right now neither does it have the punch nor any formal recognition. Since many if not most will be attending the conference on 14th Feb we thought we could block a time… Do Make It,” Screwvala added.

The edtech founder recently took to social networking platform X (formerly Twitter) to express support for the decision of Byju’s major shareholders to call an extraordinary general meeting. The aim is to oust the current management and reconstitute the board.

This comes when the edtech sector faces a double whammy of plummeting investments and the fall of the most valued edtech company Byju’s.