From Clicks to Crores: The Journey of a YouTube Channel to a Rs. 100 Crore Company!

Arun Prakash started a YouTube channel in 2011 with the aim of teaching technical skills like C, C++, Java, etc. required for the IT sector in a simple way. Today it has emerged as a Rs 100 crore startup called GUVI. What is notable here is that Arun does not come from an entrepreneurial family background, nor does he belong to an upper-class family. He was born in a middle-class family in Madurai.

A local engineering graduate got a job in a multinational company. He had expertise in software through work experience and was interested in teaching it to others. As an extension of that, he started a YouTube channel. Today, it has grown into one of India's most noteworthy EdTech startups. How this development was possible... Here is a conversation with Arun Prakash…

How did you come up with the idea of starting a YouTube channel to teach technology??

“By the way, I am not middle class. Belongs to the lower middle class. My father was working in a textile shop. His monthly salary is Rs.4,000. It was in the midst of this difficulty that he made me study. So, I studied in college with great responsibility. After completing my studies I got a job in a good company. I joined 'Honeywell' in 2003. Then I moved to Paypal. Both are multinational companies. Working there gave me various openings.

By 2008 I went to my college for a program. When I spoke to the students who were studying there, one thing shocked me. Most of the students don't even know the basics about their field. So, I decided to teach them techniques in a simple way. As I was working in the company, I could not directly go and teach them. So I decided to put it up as a video on YouTube. I started taking videos and uploading them during my holidays.

No one watched those videos in the early days. Well, what if they don't watch it now, I kept uploading videos thinking that they would watch it later. Three months have passed. Suddenly my videos were watched by 10 lakh people. I am surprised. If you look for who they are, they are Tamilians who went to the USA, England, and Singapore to study for their masters. Some were working in leading companies. I realized that they also need to understand technologies in a simpler way.

I was sharing this with my friends during lunch break at the office. “Tamil Nadu has more than 500 engineering colleges. Apart from the leading colleges, the students of other colleges do not know the basics,” I said. Other friends also said that this is the situation in their state. Then I came to a conclusion: Engineering students not only in Tamil Nadu but all over India should be taught the basics of the IT sector in a simpler way. So, with the help of my office friends, I started posting videos in regional languages like Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and not just Tamil and English. This is how Guvi's YouTube journey began.”

This sounds like tuition in a way. Every town has good tutors who can teach school and college subjects. But you have turned it into an institution while their teaching function is confined to the village level. When did you get the idea to turn your teaching activity into a company??

“I had no intention of starting a company and making money at that time. Because I was getting paid well through my work. However, a team was needed to organize and add these videos. I realized that it was possible only through a structure called the company. In 2014, GUVI became a company.

My wife was also working with me at PayPal. She was the first to quit her job and devote herself full-time to looking after the company. We realized the potential of Guvi to grow well within six months. I then quit my job and went full-time at Guvi. Another friend Bala also joined us. Based on our long experience in the software industry, we have planned and designed the company's mission and operations.”

A lot of young people have good ideas to start a business. But they say the process of turning that idea into a business is difficult for them. Likewise, it can be seen that those who have the intention of starting a business fail because they do not have the financial strength to do so. Is money the most essential thing to start a company in this era? What is your experience?

“During this period money was not a major factor in starting a company. What matters is a good idea and the ability to execute it. Depending on the market opportunity for your company, you can raise funds from outside.

I think it is important to ask these 3 questions before starting the company. What is your favorite thing, what are you good at, and what are your contributions that people will pay you for? I love teaching and know technology well, and the third question I had to answer was whether people would be willing to pay for my activity.

We visited every engineering college in person and explained the operation of Guvi. Let's take a look at how it can be useful for students. That's how we made it possible for people to pay for Guvi's service. Turning an idea into a business is a challenging task. But if we take a closer look at the emerging industry trends, the career opportunities within them start to become apparent.”

What lesson have you learned from this startup journey??

“I will not show my face in any video initially. There was great reluctance. Culturally, certain characteristics are ingrained in us such as not to talk proudly about ourselves and to be self-restrained. These values apply to individuals. But we cannot take these values to the company. Initially, I was confused about the distinction between the organization and the individual. Then I realized, that if you want to grow your company, you have to talk about the company.

You have to bring your soul to the people. This is what we call branding and marketing. America is the world's leading country in industrial development today due to its marketing. Not just the company, but every individual is in an environment where they must brand and market themselves according to their work. I have realized in this journey that how aesthetically and non-intrusively we do them is important.”