Meet Roman Saini: Genius who cleared MBBS at 16 and UPSC at 22, Founder of a Unicorn worth 28000 Crore

Roman Saini founded Unacademy with his two friends, Gaurav Munjal and Hemesh Singh, in 2015. Roman has accumulated many feathers in his heat by clearing AIIIMS at 16, UPSC at 22, and founding India's largest online learning app, Unacademy.

Roman Saini: Founder of India's largest online learning app

AASHISH KUMAR JHA | Apr 24, 2023 |

Meet Roman Saini: Genius who cleared MBBS at 16 and UPSC at 22, Founder of a Unicorn worth 28000 Crore

Meet Roman Saini: Genius who cleared MBBS at 16 and UPSC at 22, Founder of a Unicorn worth 28000 Crore

Roman Saini: Roman Saini is a name that has become quite famous in the Indian EdTech industry. He is the co-founder and CEO of Unacademy, one of India’s largest online learning platforms. But what sets Roman apart is his inspiring journey from cracking a medical exam at 16, being one of the youngest Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers to becoming a successful entrepreneur in the education sector. Roman Saini’s journey from being a child prodigy to becoming a successful entrepreneur is a testament to his grit and determination.

The vast majority of people devote their entire lives to seeking that one perfect work opportunity before settling down. For many Indian youngsters, being an IAS officer or a doctor is a dream come true. However, for Roman Saini, these accomplishments are mere pit stops in his journey rather than the final destination. This is evident from his illustrious career spanning from a physician to a former IAS officer, and now an extremely successful entrepreneur. Through his entrepreneurial efforts, he has made quality education accessible to the masses.

Early Life of Roman Saini

Romah Saini was born in a middle-class family in Rajasthan. Roman’s father is an engineer and his mother is a housewife. Avesh Saini, his brother, is a pediatrician, and Ayushee Saini, his sister, is a medical student. Roman became famous among teenage students when he cleared the AIIMS entrance exam for MBBS at the age of 16 only. Not only this, he published his first research paper in a reputed medical journal before the age of 18. Upon graduation, he worked as a Junior Resident in Psychiatry at NDDTC (National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre) for over 6 months. He left this job after clearing the prestigious UPSC CSE (Civil Service Exam).

From Medicine to Administration

Roman made up his mind to appear for the Civil Services Examination during his field posting in MBBS. While he was posted in Haryana’s Dayalpur village, he saw a lack of basic necessities, and people were deprived of many basic rights. As he observed that it was not possible to solve such administrative issues through medicine only, he decided to go into Administrative Services. Roman Saini cracked the UPSC CSE in 2013 with an AIR (All India Rank) of 18. He became one of the youngest IAS officers in the country, at the age of 22.

Beginning of Entrepreneurial Journey

Roman was posted as an Assistant Collector in Madhya Pradesh, where he worked tirelessly for the betterment of society. Despite his success in civil services, Roman was not content with just being a bureaucrat. He wanted to do something to change the education sector of the country. In 2015, after serving for just two years as an IAS officer, Roman resigned from his post to pursue his passion for education. He founded the startup Unacademy along with his friends Gaurav Munjal and Hemesh Singh in 2015.

Success Story of Unacademy

While Gaurav Munjal started Unacademy as a YouTube channel in 2010, the startup was officially launched in 2015 by Munjal, Saini, and their third co-founder Hemesh Singh. Since its inception in 2015, Unacademy has accomplished several feats just like its founder Roman Saini. The Unacademy prepares students for almost all the major Indian exams like JEE, NEET, UPSC, CUET, and many more. The platform has diversified itself into various educational domains, such as Unacademy GATE for GATE and IES preparation, Unacademy Defence for NDA, CDS, and other defense exams, and others. Unacademy now also offers skills-building courses (programming, entrepreneurship, photography, etc.) and foundational (K-12) courses. Some major milestones in the journey of Unacademy are given below:

  • In 2017, Unacademy crossed the milestone of 1 million learners, 5000+ registered educators, and over 40,000 classes
  • Unacademy launched its subscription-based model in 2019
  • Unacademy released Graphy in 2020, which allows entrepreneurs to establish an online school in less than 60 seconds.
  • Unacademy received the much-awaited unicorn status in 2020
  • In 2021, Unacademy ranked first in the LinkedIn top startups list for India
  • In May 2022, the Unacademy launched its first offline coaching center in Kota, Rajasthan

Current Success of Unacademy

According to Gaurav Munjal, Co-founder of Unacademy, Unacademy crossed the milestone of 8 lakh paid subscribers in 2022. Currently, Unacademy is India’s largest online learning app. The Unacademy currently boasts more than 50 Million (5 crores) active learners and more than 1000 top educators. The platform conducts around 2000 live classes daily for various exams. As of May 2022, the valuation of Unacademy is 3.44 Billion Dollars (around 28000 crores).

Through Unacademy, Roman Saini has made quality education accessible to millions of students across India. Roman’s story is an inspiration to many and a reminder that we should never give up on our dreams.

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