Edtech unicorn Emeritus: Now a case study by Harvard Business School

The story of edtech unicorn Emeritus has now become a case study by Harvard Business School (HBS), the company announced today.

‘Emeritus: Achieving Impact, Providing Access’, traces the first phase of the company’s founding journey by co-founders Ashwin Damera and Chaitanya Kalipatnapu, showcasing its approach to education which has expanded opportunities to learners globally, and previews the road that lies ahead.

The case study follows the journey of Damera, an HBS alumnus, and Kalipatnapu, an alumnus of INSEAD, who shared a dream of making societal impact by bringing access to high-quality education. Authored by HBS senior lecturer Ashish Nanda and research associate Zack Kurtovich, it chronicles the origins of Emeritus’s journey from idea to achieving global scale.

Ashwin Damera, Co-Founder and CEO of Emeritus, said, 'Chaitanya and I embarked on this journey to break down barriers to high-quality education. It is humbling to see our endeavour recognised as a case study by Harvard, a world-leading institution. This journey has been a whirlwind, and we hope that our approach to building Emeritus can offer some learnings to other entrepreneurs building mission-driven teams.'

Emeritus was founded in 2010 and became a unicorn in 2021, as it raised $650 million in series E. Emeritus offers customised and open programs in India, Singapore, Dubai, and other global locations in collaboration with IIM Lucknow Executive Education, IIM Calcutta Executive Education, ISB Executive Education, Harvard Business School (HBS), MIT Sloan, Columbia Business School, Kellogg Executive Education, Berkeley Executive Education, and Wharton Executive Education, amongst other leading institutions.