Edtech unicorn Unacademy to open offline experience centres

Edtech unicorn Unacademy is set to open its first experience store in Delhi on Saturday. The company has plans to establish similar touchpoints across the country starting with Kota, Jaipur, and Lucknow in the next phase of expansion.

“Every two weeks, a new store is being launched. After these four stores, we are going to take a call on whether we want to open large stores or keep them small – and open 100 or 200 of them. Depending on the response, we are going to decide on the next plan of action,” said Gaurav Munjal, co-founder and CEO of Unacademy.

Unacademy has designed the stores to serve as an offline touchpoint for learners who want to experience and browse through the various platform offerings. The stores are conceptualised to help students stay updated about their chosen career pathways and connect with like-minded people.

On-ground counseling with experts and frequent meetings with the platform’s top educators and several other elements will provide a holistic experience at the stores to expand their knowledge about their chosen goals. Students can purchase subscriptions at the store for any chosen goals after counseling and browsing through the content offering.

“The journey which started with a Youtube channel to democratize high-quality knowledge for everyone is taking a new shape with our Unacademy Stores today. With these Stores, we are taking a step forward towards creating a community of like-minded Learners,” said Munjal.

“We have received tremendous feedback on our products and services, and recognise that a physical experiential touchpoint will benefit them in the long term by fostering trust and confidence,” he added.

In August last year, the company raised $440 million in a funding round led by Temasek, with pro-rata participation from General Atlantic, Tiger Global, and Softbank Vision Fund. The fundraise took the valuation of Unacademy to $3.44 billion.