Byju’s unit eyes 1 million paid users as it gears for acquisitions next year

Great Learning, a Singapore-based professional and higher education startup that is part of the Byju’s group, is eyeing 1 million paid users on its platform in the next five years.

(From left) Great Learning co-founders Hari Krishnan Nair, Mohan Lakhamraju, and Arjun Nair / Photo credit: Great Learning

It currently has a user base of 3 million, of which 70,000 are paid subscribers, Great Learning co-founder and CEO Mohan Lakhamraju told Tech in Asia.

The company is looking to double the number of courses that it offers from 60 to 120 within the next year in order to cater to a wider group of audience. It offers higher education courses in popular domains such as cloud computing, cybersecurity, and management.

Great Learning has a presence in over 170 countries, with 50% of its revenue coming from India.

Team Byju’s

In July, Great Learning was acquired by edtech behemoth Byju’s for US$600 million in a cash, stock, and earnout deal. It also committed US$400 million in investment to accelerate Great Learning’s growth.

“We have access to a lot more resources and capital now, which will allow us to pursue our inorganic growth plans,” said Lakhamraju, who previously headed Tiger Global’s India team. Great Learning will be making multiple acquisitions in the higher education and upskilling segments by the end of next year, with a few to be wrapped up this month.

It was earlier reported that Byju’s had borrowed US$1.2 billion in debt for its future acquisitions.

Interestingly, Great Learning, which had been profitable for the past five years, will miss out the break-even train this year because of its multiple investments in the pipeline to expand its portfolio. Lakhamraju said it will take the startup almost two to three years to bounce back to profitability.

See also: Byju’s aims to be profitable by FYE 2022 despite acquisition spree

SEA growth plans

Great Learning will be ramping up its presence in Southeast Asia in the coming year. The company has already formed a dedicated team to focus on its growth in the region.

“We will be bringing all our courses that we offered in India and the US to Southeast Asia,” said Lakhamraju.