**Gautam Thakar Resigns as CEO of Prosus Edtech Division Amid Industry Changes**
**Meta Description:** Gautam Thakar has stepped down as CEO of Prosus’ edtech division, marking a significant shift in leadership as the sector faces challenges.
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**Gautam Thakar Resigns as CEO of Prosus Edtech Division Amid Industry Changes**
Gautam Thakar has resigned from his position as the chief executive of Prosus’ global edtech practice, which manages over $4 billion in investments. His departure comes after two years in the role and is part of a broader restructuring within the company. Sources close to the situation indicate that Ashutosh Sharma, who leads the India ecosystem at Prosus, has been assuming greater operational responsibilities.
Thakar played a crucial role in navigating the edtech investments of Naspers’ Dutch-listed technology arm during a challenging period characterized by significant valuation corrections and shifts in business models. He previously led OLX Autos and took on the CEO role in August 2021, following an internal reorganization that separated the company’s food delivery and edtech sectors into distinct entities with dedicated leadership.
Prosus is recognized as one of the most active investors in India’s edtech landscape, holding stakes in notable companies such as Byju’s, Brainly, Eruditus, Udemy, Skillsoft, and Stack Overflow. However, the firm has refrained from commenting on Thakar’s exit or the current state of its edtech investments. Multiple attempts to reach Thakar for a statement have also gone unanswered.
Thakar’s resignation occurs amid significant upheaval in the Indian edtech sector, particularly following the collapse of Byju’s. In November 2024, Sameer Brij Verma, a former managing director at Nexus Venture Partners, also departed to establish his own investment firm, Northpoint Capital, aimed at supporting early-stage startups. Verma was instrumental in Nexus’s investment in Unacademy, another key player in the edtech space.
Despite leading a $540 million funding round in Byju’s in 2018, which valued the company at $3.3 billion, Prosus wrote off its $530 million investment in the startup in 2024. Since then, the firm has significantly reduced its edtech operations, contrasting with its successes in other sectors, such as Urban Company and Swiggy, from which it has reportedly earned over $2 billion from its stake.
In July, Prosus made its first new investment in the edtech sector since Byju’s, co-leading a $4.17 million seed round in Arivihan, a platform offering personalized courses in local languages, alongside Accel.
**FAQ**
**What led to Gautam Thakar’s resignation from Prosus?**
Gautam Thakar’s resignation is part of a broader restructuring within Prosus, as Ashutosh Sharma has taken on more operational responsibilities, coinciding with significant challenges in the edtech sector.