UpGrad-Unacademy Acquisition Talks Collapse Over Valuation Differences

• Talks between edtech firms UpGrad and Unacademy for a potential acquisition have failed due to valuation differences.
• UpGrad, founded by Ronnie Screwvala, was reportedly in discussions to acquire Unacademy at a significantly marked-down valuation of $300-400 million from its peak of $3.4 billion.
• Unacademy's investors were expected to receive a minority stake in UpGrad, which valued itself at around $2 billion, but mutually acceptable terms couldn't be reached.
• Ronnie Screwvala confirmed the breakdown, citing valuation disagreements as the primary reason for not proceeding.
• Unacademy has undergone leadership changes, cost-cutting, and a focus on its core test-prep business amidst these discussions.

Why It Matters: Edtech acquisition talks between UpGrad and Unacademy failed due to significant valuation differences.