Indian decacorn Byju's CEO talks about future acquisitions, coronavirus, and international expansion

Since India enforced a lockdown across the country in late March, shutting schools and other public places, Bangalore-headquartered startup Byju’s has emerged as one of the quintessential platforms for school-going students in the world’s second largest internet market.It took the startup about four and a half years to amass 40 million students. It’s not everyday that we see an Indian startup with any of these three characteristics — let alone all three in one.In a wide-ranging interview at Disrupt 2020, Raveendran shared the journey of Byju’s, which started as an offline platform that taught students at classrooms, auditoriums, and stadiums; the startup’s plans for further expansion in international markets; his views on merger and acquisition opportunities; and how the coronavirus pandemic has affected his business and the education landscape at large in India, among a number of other things.“Unfortunately it took a pandemic for most stakeholders to try out digital learning.