In this article
In this article
10 000 + students, 4 lakh subscribers, and one clear focus — teaching made simple.
The making of Dr. Anand Mani
Dr. Anand Mani’s journey through education has been anything but typical.
Long before launching his own learning venture, he was part of India’s edtech revolution — one of the first educators at Unacademy, where he eventually rose to become Chief Academic Officer for the UG segment.
Between 2019 and 2023, he helped shape academic systems, mentor faculty, and design scalable models of online teaching. Yet, in 2023, he decided to start from scratch — to build something of his own.
“I wanted to test my ideas, to build a smart-book learning platform that re-ignites the habit of studying from books,” he says.
That idea became his first startup — Funda Bombs — a platform built to make adaptive learning fun and book-first again.
But despite the strong concept, it didn’t work.
“It failed miserably,” he admits, “mostly because I wasn’t a tech expert. I was spending more time fixing systems than teaching students.”
The experience gave him clarity — his true strength lay not in code, but in content.
The turning point
After the Funda Bombs experiment, Anand spoke to a few colleagues and friends from his Unacademy days.
Many recommended one platform consistently — Graphy.
He launched his new courses on Graphy soon after — focusing again on what he did best: teaching, mentoring, and building communities of learners.
Why Graphy
For Dr. Anand, the decision was clear. He wanted to teach, not troubleshoot.
“I realized that tech should empower teachers, not drain them. With Graphy, I could finally focus on content instead of code.”
The platform gave him everything he needed — a live + recorded setup, easy course creation, stable performance, and an interface his students already understood.
It also mirrored the classroom-like familiarity of his previous platforms, without the complexity.
“Graphy felt like Unacademy in its best version — simple, responsive, and reliable.”
The business today
What began as a single experiment has grown into a robust, self-sustained education brand:
He runs live mentorship webinars that serve as lead funnels and premium courses for long-term programs — all hosted seamlessly on Graphy.
“It’s simple: Graphy handles the tech. I handle the teaching.”
Challenges and learnings
Even with experience, Dr. Anand admits the new landscape of online learning has changed.
The biggest challenge today? Retention.
“Students buy courses but often don’t finish them. It’s not a problem of content — it’s a problem of motivation.”
He believes the solution lies in recreating human connection digitally — personalized mentorship, accountability, and ongoing engagement.
“In a live batch, students hesitate to ask doubts. Online, they hesitate even more. The missing link is mentorship — someone who keeps them motivated to finish what they start.”
The AI leap
Dr. Anand sees technology — especially AI — as the bridge between personalization and scale.
He believes Graphy’s upcoming AI Avatar features can redefine how learning happens.
For him, this is where education truly becomes ed-tech — not just classes online, but intelligent, interactive, and personalized learning at scale.
The Graphy experience
He praises Graphy’s familiar design and responsive team.
“It feels personal. Whenever I’ve had an issue, someone from the team calls, fixes it, and follows up. That’s rare.”
Expert corner: Dr. Anand Mani’s advice to educators
1. Focus on your core strength
You don’t need to master tech — you need to master teaching. Find a platform that lets you do that.
2. Personalization matters
Students don’t just need content. They need connection. Keep your mentorship human, even online.
3. Let AI work for you, not replace you
Use automation to simplify, not to substitute. The teacher’s role will always remain irreplaceable.
4. Start small, but stay consistent
Growth takes time. Build systems that sustain your teaching, and choose tools that scale with you.
The road ahead
Looking forward, Dr. Anand plans to expand into the K-10 segment by March–April next year — a move he believes will be a game-changer.
Currently, his courses focus on NIT UG and MBBS first-year programs, but the vision is much larger:
a multi-category, multi-teacher ecosystem where learners can find reliable, structured academic content from school to university levels.
“We’re growing responsibly — no investors, no shortcuts. Just steady progress and stronger outcomes.”
