Former Swiggy COO Vivek Sunder joins Cuemath as CEO : Tech News

Mumbai: Vivek Sunder, the former chief operating officer (COO) of Swiggy, has joined online math learning platform Cuemath as its CEO, according to a statement by the edtech firm.

Sunder’s appointment comes two months after he
stepped down as COO of the Bangalore-based food delivery company. He was one of the senior executives at Swiggy and announced his departure to staff in July, as reported by ET.

Manan Khurma, who started the platform in 2013, will transition to the role of chairman but will “remain central” to the company’s operations, the statement added. Both Manan’s and Sunder’s roles will take effect from October 1, 2021. They will work together closely for the next stage of growth plans of Cuemath, it said.

Backed by Google Capital and Sequoia Capital India, Cuemath is an online math and code learning platform for children in the K-12 space. So far, it has raised over $64 million in venture funding.

In his new role, Sunder will be responsible for overall business and oversee the expansion of Cuemath in 50 countries, from the existing 20. As chairman, Khurma will focus on pedagogy and developing the curriculum and overall growth strategy.

“I am excited to welcome Vivek to the Cuemath family. I am confident his proven track record and extensive experience building consumer brands, coupled with a laser-focus on industry-leading operational practices, will drive and extend Cuemath’s upward trajectory and become a leader in global Math education,” Khurma said.

Cuemath claims to have served over 200,000 students covering 25 million hours of teaching.

Sunder, who was with Swiggy from 2018-2021, said, “I’m particularly impressed by Cuemath’s razor-sharp focus on a child’s learning outcomes. I am also drawn to the mission of democratising math and aiming to create the next generation of thinkers and problem solvers.”

In June this year, Khurma told Reuters that
Cuemath plans to raise at least $100 million in a new financing round this year, and that the company was aiming to be valued at $1 billion by 2022. It last
raised $40 million in Series C funding led by LGT Lightstone Aspada and Falcon Edge-managed Alpha Wave Incubation in December 2020.

At Swiggy, Sunder expanded the food delivery startup’s geographical footprint to more than 500 cities. Prior to Swiggy, he led P&G’s business in the “East, Equatorial Africa Region comprising Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Angola plus a few other countries,” according to his LinkedIn profile.

Navroz Udwadia, cofounder of Falcon Edge, said, “We are big believers in Cuemath’s vision to become a global leader in online Math education. We think the team of Manan and Vivek are well-positioned to scale the business both in India and abroad.”