<ul><li>The Indian <keyword id="1464841" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Edtech">edtech</keyword> unicorn has raised $150 million from <keyword id="6437412" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Qatar-Investment-Authority">Qatar Investment Authority</keyword> and Owl Ventures. </li><li>Its reported valuation now stands at $5.7 billion.</li><li>This is QIA’s first primary investment in India.</li></ul>Byju’s, India’s first edtech unicorn, has secured an investment of $150 million from <keyword id="6355203" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="qatar">Qatar</keyword> Investment Authority and Owl Ventures. According to <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/byju-s-confirms-investment-from-qatar-investment-authority-raises-150-mn-119071000421_1.html">reports</a>, Byju’s is now valued at $5.7 billion.<br /><br />Qatar Investment Authority is the sovereign wealth fund of the State of Qatar, who have been investing since 2005. In India, it has investments in real estate, Airtel and Flipkart. However, Byju’s is the first primary investment made by QIA in India.<br /><br />“Indian ed-tech firms attracting interest from eminent investors demonstrates that India is pioneering the digital learning space globally. High adoption and 85% annual renewal from small towns and cities shows increasing acceptance of digital learning as a primary tool for learning at home,” said <keyword id="1702989" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Byju-Raveendran">Byju Raveendran</keyword>, Founder &amp; CEO, Byju’s in a <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/newsbuzz/qatar-investment-authority-leads-a-150-million-investment-round-in-byjus/articleshow/70153452.cms">statement. </a><br /><br />Raveendran further said that with this new partnership they will explore newer markets. Byju’s had raised ₹2.14 billion in March 2019 from NY-based General Atlantic and Chinese VC firm Tencent. <br /><br />In May 2019, the startup had announced that it had turned profitable, thanks to an increase in the number of paid users, at 2.4 million. This number has doubled since last year, when it stood at 1.26 million in June 2018. <br />

Byju’s raises $150 million from Qatar government’s investment fund

<ul><li>The startup has just raised $500 million from US-based private equity firm <keyword id="330063" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Silver-Lake">Silver Lake</keyword>, which has bumped up its valuation to $10.8 billion. </li><li>This year alone, BYJU’S has raised $1 billion. </li><li>BYJU’S currently has over 64 million registered students on its platform – with over 20 million added during the lockdown. </li></ul>Indian edutech decacorn BYJU’S has raised $1 billion so far in 2020. The startup has just raised <a href="https://www.livemint.com/companies/start-ups/after-jio-silver-lake-invests-in-byju-s-pushing-valuation-to-10-8-billion-11599545474180.html">$500 million</a> from US-based private equity firm Silver Lake, which has bumped up its valuation to $10.8 billion. <br /><br />The funding round also saw participation from BYJU’S existing investors – Tiger Global, General Atlantic, and Owl Ventures. <br /><br /> “We are fortunate to be in a sector of positive relevance during this crisis. This has brought online learning to the forefront and is helping parents, teachers and students experience and understand its value. Our classrooms are changing possibly for the first time in 100 years and I’m really excited about the opportunities that we have to redefine the future of learning,” said Byju Raveendran, Founder &amp; CEO, BYJU’S.<br /><br /><table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Investment co.<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Amount<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Funding in 2020<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Tiger Global<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$200 million<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">January<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">General Atlantic<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$200 million <br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">February<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">BOND<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$23 million<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">June<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">DST Global <br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$122 million<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">August<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Silver Lake`<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$500 million<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">September<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />BYJU’S currently has over 64 million registered students on its platform – with over 20 million added during the lockdown. <br /><br />The Raveendran-led startup, which recently acquired coding company White Hat Jr for $300 million, is also eyeing overseas expansion. BYJU’S and White Hat Jr are gearing up for launch in six new countries– UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Germany. <br /><br /><br />SEE ALSO:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/pubg-mobile-will-no-longer-be-developed-by-tencent-in-india/articleshow/77993013.cms">PUBG Mobile will no longer be developed by Tencent in India but experts say that may not be enough</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/workation-new-trend-in-travel-as-indians-find-unique-new-settings-for-work-from-home/articleshow/77990457.cms">Workation – From private villa at the beach to a pool with a view, affluent Indians are finding unique new settings for ‘work from home’</a><br /><br /><br />

BYJU’S funding streak continues – valuation hits $10.8 billion with fresh funds from Silver Lake

<ul><li>Indian <keyword id="1464841" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Edtech">edtech</keyword> decacorn <keyword id="2900267" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Byju">BYJU</keyword>’S said that it has added BlackRock, Sands Capital, and Alkeon Capital as investors. </li><li>While it now has 70 million students, it also has 4.5 million paid subscribers (up from 3.5 million in August).</li><li>The latest investment is believed to be a part of the ongoing $500 million round led by Silver Lake.</li></ul>Indian edtech decacorn BYJU’S said that it has added BlackRock, Sands Capital, and Alkeon Capital as investors. <br /><br />Interestingly, BYJU’S latest user count and paid subscriber base have seen an uptick. While it now has 70 million students, it also has 4.5 million paid subscribers (up from 3.5 million in August, according to data shared by the company).<br /><br />While the exact amount of investment in the latest round remains undisclosed, the latest investment is <a href="https://www.cnbctv18.com/startup/byjus-raises-funds-from-blackrock-sands-capital-others-6988211.htm">believed </a>to be a part of the ongoing $500 million round, which was led by Silver Lake. The round will also see participation from BYJU’S existing investors General Atlantic, Owl Ventures, and Tiger Capital. <br /><br /><table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><strong>Investment co.<br /><br /></strong></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><strong>Amount<br /><br /></strong></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><strong>Funding in 2020</strong><br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Tiger Global<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$200 million<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">January<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">General Atlantic<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$200 million <br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">February<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">BOND<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$23 million<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">June<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">DST Global <br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$122 million<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">August<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Silver Lake`<br /><br /><br />Additional investors: BlackRock, Sands Capital and Alkeon Capital<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$500 million<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">September<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />“As we continue to create engaging and personalised learning solutions, partnerships like these reaffirm our commitment to build and transform the global learning landscape through technology, innovation, and quality pedagogy. Continued support from our existing investors is a testament of their confidence in us and our mission,” said Byju Raveendran, Founder, and CEO in a statement.<br /><br />The Raveendran-led <keyword id="138263" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="startup">startup</keyword>, which recently acquired coding company White Hat Jr for $300 million, is also eyeing overseas expansion. BYJU’S and White Hat Jr are gearing up for launch in six new countries– UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Germany. <br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/mukesh-ambani-reliance-retail-gets-its-second-investment-in-two-weeks-kkr-invests-5550-crore/articleshow/78267281.cms">Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Retail gets its second investment in two weeks – KKR invests ₹5,550 crore</a><br /><br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/hindustan-unilever-chairman-is-urging-the-government-to-spend-more-to-boost-consumption/articleshow/78267444.cms"><strong>Data shows why HUL Chairman is urging the government to spend more to boost consumption</strong></a><br /><br /><br />

BYJU’S onboards new investors – edtech decacorn’s paid subscriber base jumps by a million in a month

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul><li><strong>A former Apple executive who worked on the iPod and Dropcam has a new startup making a super-smart dashboard camera.&#xa0;</strong></li><li><strong>The company and camera are called Owl, and the camera comes with a built-in LTE connection so it can alert you to fender benders and break-ins even when you're not in your car or it's not turned on.</strong></li><li><strong>The company has raised $18 million in venture funding from firms including defy.vc,&#xa0;Khosla Ventures, and&#xa0;Menlo Ventures.</strong></li></ul><p>People in Silicon Valley often spend a lot of time driving. It's just what you have to do if you work in tech at a big company.&#xa0;</p><p>Perhaps that's why one of the most interesting new car gadgets is coming from a Palo Alto startup led by former Apple and Microsoft engineers.</p><p>Owl is a new kind of car camera that combines both a dashcam and a camera pointed into the interior of the car. But unlike cheap dashcams, Owl has a cellular LTE connection and can store 24 hours of video - it's a real computer, which allows it to provide a much slicker user interface than saving recorded video on a removable SD card, which is how most dashcams store video.</p><p>It's the first product out of Owl, a startup co-founded by CEO Andy Hodge, who worked on the iPod at Apple back in the Steve Jobs era. More recently, he spent some time at Microsoft and then Dropcam, the camera startup that was bought by Google. It was at Dropcam where he realized how important video cameras are, and his experience there are why he decided to start Owl, he told Business Insider in an interview.&#xa0;</p><p>The Owl camera is a security camera for your car, but it also can be used to share fun clips to social media, Hodge said, including "Carpool Karaoke"-style moments happening inside the vehicle.</p><p><a href="https://owlcam.com/">The Owl is currently on sale for $349</a>, which includes a year of LTE service, which will eventually cost $10 per month.&#xa0;</p><p>Here's how it works:&#xa0;</p></hr>

A former Apple engineer who worked on the first iPhone is making a super-smart camera for your car - here's how it works

<ul><li>Byju’s acquired <keyword id="8082634" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="white-hat-jr">White Hat Jr</keyword> for an all-cash deal of $300 million.</li><li>The acquisition of White Hat Jr has got everyone talking for its multiple facets – an 18-month old startup made one of India’s largest and fastest venture exits. </li><li>In an interview with Business Insider, <keyword id="327937" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Karan-Bajaj">Karan Bajaj</keyword>, founder of White Hat Jr, gives us a lowdown of how the deal happened and answers the question – did he sell too soon?</li><li>With the deal, Byju’s and White Hat Jr are gearing up for launch in six new countries– UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Germany this month. </li></ul>Six weeks ago, Karan Bajaj, founder of coding <keyword id="1974983" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Edutech">edutech</keyword> startup White Hat Jr, got a WhatsApp message from <keyword id="1702989" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Byju-Raveendran">Byju Raveendran</keyword>, co-founder of edutech unicorn Byju’s, saying that he really admires how Bajaj has built the company. The duo chatted and over the next day, a $300 million deal was chalked out – Byju’s was going to acquire White Hat Jr. <br /><br />The acquisition of White Hat Jr has got everyone talking for its multiple facets – an 18-month old startup made one of India’s largest and fastest venture exits with an all cash deal of $300 million, and Bajaj being one of the major shareholders of the company made a sweet fortune. <br /><br /><table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><strong>Stockholder<br /><br /></strong></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><strong>Stake held in White Hat Jr<br /></strong><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Karan Bajaj<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">40-50%<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Employees<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">10-15%<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Investors <br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">45-50%<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />And this meant, the investors also got a great exit. <br /><br /><table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><strong>Investor<br /><br /></strong></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><strong>Investment<br /><br /></strong></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><strong>Exit value</strong><br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Nexus<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$5 million<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$66 million<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Omidyar<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$3 million<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$45 million<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Owl Ventures<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$3 million<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$30 million<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><em>Source: ET</em><br /><br /><strong>Arriving at the $300 million number</strong><br /><br />The entire deal was done in six weeks and was signed virtually. After Byju WhatsApped Bajaj, they set up a zoom call and aligned the contours of the deal within a day.<br /><br />The first week was about aligning the deal and the term, the second week was aligning with investors and the next four weeks were about the deal closure. <br /><br />And while Bajaj said there was no science behind the $300 million number, he thought it was a great deal, even when the company was growing at a fast rate and closed July with a revenue of $150 million. <br /><br />“We were doing very well revenue wise and with that you would ask for a high value but that was also offset by the fact that the company is very young – it hasn’t lived through many cycles of ups and downs. Neutralising all of that I thought it was a very attractive deal for all of us – Byju’s got the company at a lower multiple than what a company with this revenue would make. Investors made an excellent return on investment and employees who held stocks too got a good deal,” said Bajaj.<br /><br /><strong>Did you sell too soon?<br /></strong><br />For Bajaj, the yogi-turned entrepreneur, who also once led Discovery India and lived in an ashram for a year, money was never an issue. He doesn’t think that he could have held on to the company for longer or gotten a better price, as he has always been more of an “impact” guy.<br /><br />“I realised that I have figured out a product which seems to work really well in India and the US. The next thought was how do I expand very aggressively globally and create teaching jobs. I figured out there's nothing I will be able to do faster and better than I could do with Byju’s,” said Bajaj.<br /><br />The startup was doubling its India and US business month-on-month. In fact, before lockdown the revenue of the company was at $25 million a month and today that has shot up to $150 million, according to data shared by Bajaj. Since its launch in the US in February, they have seen a 150% month-on-month growth and 55% of their revenue comes from the US. <br /><br /><strong>Byju’s and White Hat Jr to launch in 5 new countries</strong><br /><br />There were multiple reports about White Hat Jr having been approached by many other players as well. Bajaj acknowledges that there were a lot of inbound offers for investments, acquisitions, but they didn’t play one against the other. “The moment I spoke to Byju, I found a vision fit and we didn’t negotiate or try to get a better deal,” he said. <br /><br />For Bajaj, the common thread with Byju was a boundaryless view of the world and that also means that they are now set to launch in more countries. Byju’s and White Hat Jr are gearing up for launch in six new countries– UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Germany this month. <br /><br />With the National Education Policy making coding a mandatory subject in school, there’s a vast opportunity in India as well. Both Byju’s and White Hat Jr see over 65% of their users coming in from beyond the top 15 cities, and their aim together is to go deeper into India.<br /><br />For White Hat Jr, which has been cashflow positive since January, while there has been a Business to Consumer revenue from their coding lessons, the NEP also opens up a Business to Business revenue model, where they can help schools teach coding. “It’s a tough subject to create and deliver, and we already have the content available,” said Bajaj. <br /><br />White Hat Jr continues to hire aggressively to fit into their growth strategy. <br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/work-from-home-is-hurting-office-friendship-and-the-team-vibe/articleshow/77407573.cms">No coffee breaks or water cooler gossip – work from home is hurting office friendship and the team vibe</a></strong><br />

A WhatsApp message, six weeks of talks and a $300 million deal – how Karan Bajaj sold his less than 18-month old startup White Hat Jr to Byju’s

<ul><li><keyword id="2900267" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Byju">Byju</keyword>’s raised funds from General Atlantic, Tiger Global to be valued at a whopping $8.2 billion. </li><li>It also gave partial exit to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Times Internet and Sequoia. </li><li>Here’s a breakdown of how Byju’s has seen phenomenal growth over the years.</li></ul>In 2011, a 29-year old <keyword id="1702989" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Byju-Raveendran">Byju Raveendran</keyword> cracked the Common Admission Test (CAT) with 100 percentile, but didn’t join an IIM. What he did instead was build an online tutoring company. Today, the unicorn startup worth $8.2 billion, with Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan as its brand ambassador. <br /><br />Founded by Byju and his wife Divya Gokulnath, Byju’s recently raised $200 million from the private equity firm General Atlantic. Last year, Byju became the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/byju-raveendran-is-newest-and-youngest-face-on-the-forbes-list-of-100-richest-indians/articleshow/71537667.cms">newest face</a> in the Forbes Billionaire list, with a net worth of $1.9 billion.<br /><br /><div type="javascript" title="Custom" contenttype="Image"><cdata><![CDATA[
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<br /><strong>2013</strong><br /><br />Byju’s first funding in 2013 came from Aarin Capital, which is run by Ranjan Pai and Mohandas Pai. It was a series A funding. <br /><br /><strong>2015</strong><br /><br />The next round saw the entry of Sequoia Capital. Byju’s raised the Series B round at $25 million. Later in the same year, it launched the Byju’s app. <br /><br /><strong>2016</strong><br /><br />In 2016, Byju’s raised four rounds of funding, quickly rising in the valuation charts. It raised money from Sequoia, Innoven Capital, Sofina Group, Times Internet and the International Finance Corporation, which is a World Bank Group.<br /><br />In the same year, <keyword id="6354630" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="mark-zuckerberg">Mark Zuckerberg</keyword> and Priscilla Chan’s funding arm – Chan Zuckerberg initiative led a $50 million round and boost the startup’s value to $462 million.<br /><br /><strong>2017</strong><br /><br />Verlininvest, a family office based in Brussels, came on the board of Byju’s. Its valuation touched $600 million. In the meanwhile its growth with 300,000 annual paid subscribers helped turn it into a case study in Harvard. In the same year, Byju’s signed Shahrukh Khan as its brand ambassador. Its reported valuation was at $800 million.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="byju srk" msid="74132869" hostid="261"></div>

<br /><strong>2018</strong><br /><br />In 2018, Byju’s turned into a unicorn – becoming the first edtech company to achieve it in India. With its valuation crossing $1 billion, the startup becoming the 11th unicorn of the country in all. It received funding from General Atlantic, Naspers, and Tencent.<br /><br /><strong>2019</strong><br /><br />This year turned out to be another milestone for Byju’s – it turned profitable. The startup <a href="https://tech.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/internet/byjus-claims-to-have-tripled-its-revenues-to-rs-1430-crore-in-fy19/69583803">reported</a> that its revenue has tripled to reach ₹14.3 billion in the financial year ending March 2019. These swollen revenues come at the back of increase in its paid user base, which stood at 2.4 million. The number doubled from 2018, when it was 1.26 million. <br /><br />In 2019, Byju’s also secured an investment of $150 million from Qatar Investment Authority and Owl Ventures. According to reports, Byju’s was valued at $5.7 billion. “Indian ed-tech firms attracting interest from eminent investors demonstrates that India is pioneering the digital learning space globally. High adoption and 85% annual renewal from small towns and cities shows increasing acceptance of digital learning as a primary tool for learning at home,” said Byju Raveendran, founder and CEO, Byju’s had then said in a statement. <br /><br />In 2019, Byju also became a billionaire – to enter the Forbes Billionaires list. <br /><br /><strong>2020</strong><br /><br />Come 2020, and Byju’s raised funds from General Atlantic, Tiger Global to be valued at a whopping $8.2 billion. A statement from the <a href="https://www.techinasia.com/indian-edtech-firm-byjus-valued-us82-billion">company said</a> that Byju’s is on track to earn a little more than $420 million by the end of March 2020.<br /><br />Through the latest rounds, the Chan Zuckerberg initiative took home ₹167.7 crore through a partial exit. The fund’s investment of ₹22.86 crore in September 2016 is now worth at least seven times more. The same deal also gave handsome returns to Sequoia, Times Internet and SCHF PV Mauritius.<br /><br />See Also:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/byju-raveendran-is-newest-and-youngest-face-on-the-forbes-list-of-100-richest-indians/articleshow/71537667.cms">Byju Raveendran is the newest face on the Forbes list of 100 richest Indians</a><br />

The funding chart of Byju’s – the startup that gave Mark Zuckerberg a 7X return on investment and is worth $8 billion

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Insider spoke to <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/mercedes">Mercedes</a> team principal <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/toto-wolff">Toto Wolff</a> about being the most successful team boss in <keyword id="11953261" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="f1" source="Orion">F1</keyword> history.</li><li>Under Wolff's stewardship, <keyword id="11953265" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="mercedes" source="Orion">Mercedes</keyword> has won a record seven consecutive <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/formula-one">Formula One</a> world titles.</li></ul><p>In the history of <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/formula-one">Formula One</a>, no one can claim to be more successful than <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/toto-wolff">Toto Wolff</a>.</p><p>The 49-year-old Austrian arrived at <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/mercedes">Mercedes</a> in 2013 and set about transforming the team into a relentless winning machine.</p><p>With the help of <keyword id="11953260" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="formula-one" source="Orion">Formula One</keyword> legend Niki Lauda, he lured <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/lewis-hamilton">Lewis Hamilton</a> away from his boyhood team <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/mclaren">McLaren.</a> Hiring Hamilton, the sport's hottest talent, laid the foundations for a period of dominance unlike any other in the sport.</p><p>Under Wolff's stewardship, Mercedes has won a record seven consecutive world championships in both the drivers and constructors categories, surpassing the likes of <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/sebastian-vettel">Sebastian Vettel</a>'s <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/red-bull-racing">Red Bull</a>, Ayrton Senna's McLaren, and <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/michael-schumacher">Michael Schumacher</a>'s <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/ferrari">Ferrari</a>.</p><p>The last time a non-Mercedes driver's name was etched onto the trophy was in 2013 and in 2021, the Silver Arrows are on the hunt for an eighth consecutive victory in both drivers and constructors championships.</p><p>But life has not always been easy for the most successful man in Formula One.</p><h2>As a child Wolff watched his father battle a 10-year illness</h2><div type="image" title="Toto Wolff" height="2893" width="3857" msid="87205562" hostid="261"></div><p>Wolff's childhood was sculpted by the illness and death of his father.</p><p>Diagnosed with brain cancer when Wolff was young, the future team principal would be witness to his father's 10-year struggle with the disease that ultimately resulted in his death when Toto was a teenager.</p><p>"My childhood was very much harmed by my father being very ill all of what I can remember whilst being a child. He was ill for 10 years before he died," Wolff told Insider.</p><p>"We can obviously only talk about ourselves and there is always a risk that our own perceptions and perspectives, we see them as the absolute truths but there is no such thing as absolute truths and I can only see things from my childhood.</p><p>"A young boy that's seeing his father in a degrading condition is something that is always going to affect you and will stay with me forever."</p><p>As his father's illness grew worse, Wolff had to navigate the fact his world was divided into "people that had and people that didn't have."</p><p>"I didn't have," he said.</p><p>That, Wolff told Insider, sculpted the man he became later in life, teaching him self-sufficiency.</p><p>"I remember being a child and saying 'I just want to be responsible for myself.'</p><p>"I think that is a large part of who I am today."</p><h2><strong>The 'humiliation and trauma' of childhood drove him into adulthood</strong></h2><p><strong><div type="image" title="Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff" height="2624" width="3498" msid="87205564" hostid="261"></div></strong></p><p>Fueled by an adolescent realization that he had "to do more" to succeed, Wolff became interested in the twin worlds of finance and motorsport.</p><p>An accomplished driver in his youth, Wolff won the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring in 1994, and competed in high level GT racing.</p><p>He set up his own investment firm at the age of 26 and it was not long before he combined his love of finance with his love of racing and made his first ventures into the world of Formula One, buying a stake in Williams F1 in 2009.</p><p>"I think everybody that is successful above average - whatever success means - there is some kind of driver behind it. </p><p>"That driver can be you are trying to overcompensate for something which could be an inferiority complex. </p><p>"All of these things can have a very low grade or a very high grade on part of your personality.</p><p>"It's about a humiliation or trauma that you have been confronted with in your life. I think these are very strong drivers for me.</p><h2><strong>Managing clashing personalities and styles</strong></h2><div type="image" title="Lewis Hamilton smiles at Toto Wolff" height="2445" width="3261" msid="87205565" hostid="261"></div><p>From his difficult beginnings, Wolff has risen to become one of the most famous and recognizable faces in the sport.</p><p>"I run people that run cars," Wolff replies when asked how he sees his role in the team.</p><p>"It's an understanding of the organization and having a real interest in the people and understanding racing and understanding finance. </p><p>"It's a bit of all of that but the most important is the interest in the people."</p><p>In <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-formula-one-star-lewis-hamilton-earns-spends-his-millions-2021-9">Lewis Hamilton</a> and Valtteri Bottas, Wolff and Mercedes have two drivers with very different personalities. Hamilton is outspoken, bombastic, and a flashy dresser, while Bottas is - publicly at least - calm and reserved.</p><p>Wolff says he tailors his approach to ensure he is always putting his drivers in the best frame of mind.</p><p>"Like with any person out there, I take an interest and what I say will always be driven by beliefs. </p><p>"That is loyalty, integrity, stick to the truths, don't deal in lies and these are the fundamental pillars of dealing with anybody. </p><p>"[The drivers] have different personalities, one will need a different way of interaction to be in the best possible place mentally and in the car then the other one."</p><h2><strong>'I won't let anybody harm the tribe'</strong></h2><p><strong><div type="image" title="The Mercedes team celebrates winning the 2019 constructors championship" height="2661" width="3548" msid="87205567" hostid="261"></div></strong></p><p>As team boss, the Austrian is often looked towards in times of stress for leadership and he said he does have difficulty keeping his emotions in check in those stressful moments.</p><p>"I am an emotional person. I protect my tribe. This is how I see my family, my group of friends, my company and the team. I won't let anybody harm the tribe.</p><p>"This is why I can get quite emotional but I know about it so that means over the years, I can look at it and say don't take it too personally because there is always someone else who has a different agenda and you need to respect that."</p><p>Wolff's job stretches far beyond the pit wall though and on the morning Insider spoke to him, he had already sat in on two sponsorship meetings and a discussion about the Mercedes' Formula E team all before 10:00 a.m.</p><p>While Mercedes' success is his job, Wolff also has a personal interest in its triumphs - he owns a third of the team.</p><p>"There are days which are purely performance related where I'm a sounding board or a participant in meetings about the engineering side of things which is something of great interest to me. </p><p>"On the other side is the commercial aspect of our business. We are a $500+ million revenue business and sponsorships are a large chunk of it."</p><h2><strong>'The Roman Empire fell because they had no countries to conquer anymore'</strong></h2><p><strong><div type="image" title="Valtteri Bottas of Finland driving the (77) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes W12 makes a pitstop during the F1 Grand Prix of Turkey" height="3342" width="4457" msid="87205569" hostid="261"></div></strong></p><p>As Mercedes' dominance of the sport grew stronger, Wolff and his team were faced with a different threat: complacency.</p><p>"There is a reason why not many teams win world championships. </p><p>"There are very few that win consecutive championships and there is none out there - in any sport - that has won seven consecutive titles.</p><p>"We have already pushed the needle quite far and complacency is one of the reasons why teams start losing. That means you have to tackle it straight on. </p><p>"You need to know a lack of objectives, a lack of energy, a lack of motivation, complacency, a sense of entitlement are all factors that contribute to a downfall of any team. </p><p>"The Roman Empire fell because they had no countries to conquer anymore. </p><h2>Guarding against burnout during F1's busiest season ever</h2><div type="image" title="Toto Wolff" height="2680" width="3573" msid="87205571" hostid="261"></div><p>As well as complacency, burnout poses its own problems in today's hectic F1 calendar.</p><p>Insider spoke to Wolff two days out from the start of the United States Grand Prix weekend, the 17th race in this year's calendar.</p><p>By the end of the final race in Abu Dhabi, the teams will have competed in the longest season in the sport's history with a total of 22 Grands Prix. That figure is set to increase next year, with teams expected to cover 75,000 miles around the world.</p><p>"This is something you need to learn [about yourself] and see the early warning signals that may be different for everybody. </p><p>"I know my triggers, I know the warning signals and I know how to counter-steer. That is sometimes very brutal because I need to sit out for a few days and try to reflect. </p><p>One way Wolff manages stress, he says, is by having complete control over when his phone is on. If it's off, he can't be contacted.</p><p>"That's why over the years with the high pressure, I am much better at being able to have a stable daily routine and coping with the stress.</p><p>Sleep is also important, with the Austrian saying he needs a minimum of seven hours every night.</p><p>"I need a lot of sleep, I'm a night owl. One of the factors you need to realize in order to decompress and be the best you is: are you an evening person or a morning person? </p><p>"I'm an evening person, I've always been an evening person so in an ideal world, I stop working at one o'clock at night and I wake up at eight."</p><p>"I am ruthless from that standpoint."</p><h2><strong>Not feeling the pressure and being at a career crossroads. </strong></h2><p><strong><div type="image" title="A team member walks past the Mercedes logo." height="2223" width="2964" msid="87205574" hostid="261"></div></strong></p><p>Despite being locked in the tightest title race in recent years, <a href="https://www.insider.com/mercedes-f1-toto-wolff-red-bull-title-race-no-pressure-2021-10">Wolff said he does not "feel the pressure at all" this year,</a> and that his most mentally challenging season came last year during the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p>"I, personally, was at a crossroads of a decision."</p><p>Wolff was out of contract at Mercedes as team principal, and was also considering his future investments in the sport, having owned 30% of the team since first getting involved in 2013.</p><p>Making these decisions, while fighting for an F1 title, and dealing with the trauma of the pandemic, Wolff says, made for one of the toughest years of his life.</p><p>"It made it much more difficult because then you have this additional dimension of the music has stopped suddenly," he said referring to the pandemic and the months-long delay it caused to the F1 season.</p><div type="image" title="Toto Wolff and his arch rival Christian Horner" height="1249" width="2500" msid="87205575" hostid="261"></div><p>"For the last eight years, we've known we're going from race A to race B then suddenly that new dimension created another problem for me. </p><p>"If you're running all the time, it's quite difficult to jump out and say 'I'm standing still now.' </p><p>"It took me until November to realize that the pause button that was put upon us because of the pandemic was actually positive. Then it accelerated my decision making."</p><p>Ultimately, he signed a new three-year deal as team principal, and increased his ownership stake in Mercedes F1. He now owns 33.3% of the business. Another third is owned by key sponsor INEOS, and the final third by Daimler, Mercedes' parent company.</p><p>At the time, Wolff joked that his fresh commitment to Mercedes was lifelong, <a href="https://www.motorsport-total.com/formel-1/news/toto-wolff-mercedes-dreijahresvertrag-ist-ein-missverstaendnis-20122001">telling a German-language motorsport website:</a> "I have not committed myself for three more years, but for life!"</p>

How childhood trauma and humiliation shaped Mercedes boss Toto Wolff into the most successful manager in F1 history

I visited the world's largest 'Harry Potter' store. Here are the must-see sections, plus games and snacks to try.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>During the off-seasons, <keyword id="6368036" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="hotels">hotels</keyword> still have staff members working hard to prepare for guests.</li><li>In Death Valley, during the highest temperatures, the general manager stays busy and has fun.</li><li>In Yosemite and Michigan, staff works hard to update <keyword id="18966" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Hotel">hotel</keyword> decor and fix everything that breaks.</li></ul><p>Hotels and resorts are full of life during busy seasons, <a href="https://www.insider.com/things-you-should-never-do-in-a-hotel-2019-12">but the action doesn't stop</a> when the guests go home.</p><p>Many <keyword id="6354692" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> destinations have cycles of busy seasons, with tourists abound and high prices, and off-seasons, where there are few or no guests staying on the property. These typically occur during unfavorable weather or general unpopularity, when not many people are traveling to a certain spot. </p><p>During these seasons, innkeepers and general managers work hard to maintain the space and ensure it's at its best and ready to host visitors when next year's busy season begins. And sometimes working on an empty resort has its perks. </p><p>Three leadership figures at hotels and resorts across the US told Insider what it's like to <a href="https://www.insider.com/hotel-deals-concierge-2019-4">experience popular destinations in a whole different way</a>.</p><h2><strong>Death Valley's off-season has incredibly high temperatures, but this general manager doesn't mind </strong></h2><p><strong><div type="image" title="IMG 4516.JPG" height="777" width="1037" msid="81521516" hostid="261"></div></strong></p><p>John Kukreja has experience working in luxury hospitality positions throughout India, Saudi Arabia, and the US. When the opportunity arose to work in California's Death Valley, he jumped at the chance. </p><p>"It was 122 degrees when I came for the interview," Kukreja, who is now general manager of The Oasis at Death Valley, told Insider.</p><p>Death Valley's off-season <a href="https://www.outsideonline.com/2404232/ultimate-death-valley-national-park-travel-guide">is summer</a> when temperatures are at an all-time high and can be unbearable for most visitors. </p><p>"Sometimes people come here when it's hotter, just to experience the heat," Kukreja said. "I always say to make sure to hydrate yourself."</p><p>But Kukreja said some people don't realize how beautiful Death Valley is because of the heat. After the four-month off-season, the weather is pretty mild. </p><p>"People think, 'Death Valley, what are you doing there?' But that's just for the four months that are hot … June, July, August, and September," he added. "Then it's almost like a switch turns off in September, and you have eight months of absolutely gorgeous weather."</p><div type="image" title="5C3FB083 EE3B 4F6F B51D B677AA66E1BF.JPG" height="3024" width="4032" msid="81521517" hostid="261"></div><p>Luckily, the region's heat is no problem for Kukreja or his family, even though the area just hit <a href="https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/nature/weather-and-climate.htm#:~:text=Death%20Valley%20is%20famous%20as,Creek%20on%20July%2010%2C%201913.">134 degrees Fahrenheit</a> - its hottest temperature on record in more than a century. </p><p>His family relocated to Death Valley in 2016, and now they live in the area year-round at The Oasis' employee housing. </p><p>Since the closest town is Pahrump, Nevada, which is an hour away, the resort has an on-site commissary and warehouse for food and supplies. </p><div type="image" title="IMG_6427" height="2274" width="3024" msid="81521518" hostid="261"></div><p>There's also a general store that the employees can get discounts at to buy groceries and other necessities so that they won't have to venture into Nevada for essentials. </p><p>But when they do, Kukreja said, his family is somewhat famous. </p><p>"It's funny because they know us now - we're the 'Death Valley Family,'" Kukreja told Insider. </p><p>During the year, his four kids are homeschooled. While The Inn at Death Valley is closed during the summer, Kukreja and his family keep busy in the community. </p><p>"I coach soccer, we practice ballet, Boy Scouts, all sorts of activities," he said. "People don't always realize that <a href="https://www.insider.com/hotels-with-great-views-2018-8">there's a lot to explore</a> in Death Valley."</p><p>He said his family is always experiencing something new in the area, like catching a glimpse of a mother owl showing off her babies, watching a tarantula cross the road, or spying a wild coyote stalking golf balls thinking they're a snack.</p><p>Still, a lot of maintenance and construction needs to be completed before the hotel reopens. </p><p>When the property is unoccupied, the on-site team focuses on construction and renovation projects to prepare for busy season. Right now, they're also working on building 80 more cottages on the property. </p><div type="image" title="IMG 4527.JPG" height="2268" width="3023" msid="81521519" hostid="261"></div><p>His family also adjusts their schedule during the intensely hot off-season.</p><p>"In the summer, we change the whole family setup - instead of 6:30 we start waking up at 5:30," said Kukreja. This helps them to take advantage of the day before the temperatures begin to go up.</p><div type="image" title="IMG 6615.JPEG" height="600" width="800" msid="81521520" hostid="261"></div><p>They don't seem to mind the temperatures that keep visitors away too much. </p><p>"I say to people you can have the extreme of Alaska in <keyword id="46788" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Winter">winter</keyword> at -40 degrees, or you could be here. It's just a temperature, and just for four months - the rest of the year it's beautiful," Kukreja told Insider. </p><h2><strong>During the winter, this Yosemite inn can be like 'living on a big cruise ship' where something always needs maintenance </strong></h2><div type="image" title="blackberry inn" height="1536" width="2048" msid="81521521" hostid="261"></div><p>Located in the same state but a different climate, The Blackberry Inn Yosemite traditionally closes in late November.</p><p>The chillier late fall and winter temperatures keep guests away until spring, one of the area's <a href="https://jameskaiser.com/yosemite-guide/how-to-avoid-the-crowds-in-yosemite/#:~:text=If%20you%20visit%20outside%20the,waterfalls%20are%20at%20their%20peak.">busiest times of year</a> because of the <a href="https://www.smartertravel.com/yosemites-best-and-worst-in-every-season/">warm weather</a> and prime waterfall access.</p><p>When they first arrived at the California inn, married couple Alex North and Steve McCorkle had no hospitality experience - now, the duo is successfully entering their 14th season. </p><div type="image" title="blackberry inn" height="1536" width="2228" msid="81521522" hostid="261"></div><p>The off-season gives them a chance to rejuvenate and detox, North said, since "it can be draining to be 'on' all the time, and we want everyone to be happy."</p><p>But it's far from a relaxing break. Since it's just the two of them and they're "in the middle of nowhere," they try to do everything themselves.</p><p>"My husband is going to be 73 and I'm going to be 60 this year and we work really physically hard during the off-season," North told Insider.  </p><div type="image" title="blackberry inn" height="1150" width="1534" msid="81521523" hostid="261"></div><p>For the duo, the off-season starts with resetting all of the rooms. </p><p>"When we close in November, we strip the beds, strip the curtains, put the mattresses up against the wall to air out, and we'll crack the windows so that the inside of the rooms also get the chance to rejuvenate and get fresh air to breathe," she explained. </p><p>She said it takes a lot of work to maintain a 36-acre property where something always needs maintenance. </p><p>"It's like living on a big cruise ship - stuff breaks," she told Insider. </p><div type="image" title="blackberry inn" height="1412" width="1883" msid="81521524" hostid="261"></div><p>In their line of work, they "pick up a lot of skills along the way," and if they don't know how to do something they'll conduct their own research to teach themselves.</p><p>The couple also has a lot of their own on-site equipment, including a tractor and a bulldozer.</p><p>"If there's any takeaway, it's that we work as a team here on most things, and try to play to the strengths of the individual," North added. </p><div type="image" title="blackberry inn" height="1536" width="2049" msid="81521525" hostid="261"></div><p>In between painting, getting the carpets steamed, and splitting wood for fireplaces, the couple also ensures their inn is up to code when they reopen in April.</p><p>This includes tasks like replacing batteries in smoke detectors and taking care of the certification for the fire extinguishers.</p><div type="image" title="blackberry inn" height="1536" width="2049" msid="81521526" hostid="261"></div><p>But it's all worth it for the couple - the people they meet and <a href="https://www.insider.com/5-star-hotels-secrets-2018-4">great experiences they can give guests</a> when they return are priceless. </p><p>"My favorite part of hospitality is getting to meet people from all over the world, and learn from them," North told Insider. "You find out about other hidden gems that you'd like to go see yourself."</p><h2><strong>Island life continues during the frigid temperatures of a Michigan winter</strong></h2><p><strong><div type="image" title="Grand Hotel" height="600" width="1200" msid="81521527" hostid="261"></div></strong></p><p>Across the country, Holly Nitzschke, director of convention services at Grand Hotel on Michigan's Mackinac Island, lives on the island year-round overseeing on-site responsibilities at the hotel. </p><p>The hotel's busy season is from summer to early fall because the weather is warmer and more predictable, plus ferry companies <a href="https://www.mackinacisland.org/blog/11-mackinac-island-faqs-for-2019-vacation-planning/#:~:text=Mackinac%20is%20always%20open!,island%20any%20time%20of%20year.">schedule more frequent trips to and from the island</a>. </p><p>She said it's pretty busy but beautiful to be on-site when the property is closed from November through May when the weather is quite unpredictable and not ideal for most guests. </p><p>Her team is always prepared for the worst during off-seasons since the northern Michigan island experiences higher-than-average snowfall and the average winter temperatures can fall between <a href="https://www.weather-us.com/en/michigan-usa/mackinac-island-climate">14 to 23 degrees Fahrenheit</a>. </p><p>"Being on-site during the off-season is very unique," Nitzschke told Insider. "It's very peaceful, very quiet - the island, in general, has an amazing community."</p><div type="image" title="grand hotel" height="900" width="1200" msid="81521528" hostid="261"></div><p>"When I'm at the hotel in the off-season, I work in my same office but it feels very different to have it be so quiet. It's fun to walk around and explore all the guest rooms, see the views and take everything in - you kind of have the entire building to yourself," she said. </p><p>But there's still a lot of work to be done to maintain the 135-year-old building. </p><p>To prepare for winter, the maintenance team turns off most of the electricity and the water. They also remove the decorations, like the outside awnings and big porch lights, since it can get very windy on the island in the winter. </p><p>"You have a short window in the spring where you can get certain tasks done, such as painting, because you have to have a certain temperature," Nitzschke told Insider. She said they have to do a lot of planning so they don't end up displacing guests once they return.</p><p>Since the inn is over a century old, the team also paints and redecorates to adapt to the changing design style of each year. In the fall, they go through each room with a professional decorator to see what needs to be changed.</p><div type="image" title="empty ballroom grand hotel" height="900" width="1200" msid="81521529" hostid="261"></div><p>Nitzschke said her job working in events and conventions for the hotel doesn't calm down during the winter, either, even though there aren't huge bookings. </p><p>"Once the hotel closes in the fall, I get started on assisting with next year's groups," she added. </p><p>Nitzschke plans ahead for the upcoming spring, summer, and fall months since being on an island adds logistical challenges that can make the process difficult. For example, vendors and clients must ship equipment by boat and horse and carriage since just "pulling your car up" is not an option on Mackinac Island. </p><p>Still, she said, Michigan winters can be beautiful, and working at a hotel on <a href="https://insider.com/photos-tour-private-island-you-can-rent-with-friends-florida-2020-10">a small island</a> year-round can feel like being surrounded by a giant family.</p><p>"We've always felt accepted, and people very much look out for each other," she said.</p>

Employees reveal what it's really like working in empty hotels when there are no guests

A significant number of us work a 9-5 job. We do the drive, carry work home with us, and work through lunch on occasions. In any case, a few people simply don't need that — and possibly you're one of them. For you, a 9-5 routine is not an answer. Perhaps you jump at the chance to work prior, or later, or just work specific days of the week. All things considered, there are numerous jobs accessible for somebody with those requirements.<br />
<br />
The work market is moving towards non-traditional office schedules and working hours. Freelance and consulting jobs are putting weight on numerous organizations to re-examine their traditional working schedules.<br />
<br />
Here are a couple of callings for night owls and drifters:<br />
<br />
<strong><keyword id="2130146" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="event-planning">Event Planning</keyword></strong><br />
<br />
As an event planner, your office is basically the venue of the event you are setting up. You essentially show up and plonk your sack or set of tools and hardware and work from that specific location. Be that as it may, for different events, for example, weddings, a large portion of your work will be done remotely and in the field. Your "office" will continue moving with each new gig.<br />
<br />
<strong>Social Media Consultant</strong><br />
<br />
Helping organizations stay up to speed on the most recent social media patterns keeps you sharing your expertise through venture based work. As a consultant, hope to do what's coming to you of hustling. You have the benefit of setting your own particular hours and working in your pajamas each once in a while.<br />
<br />
<strong>Tax Accountant</strong><br />
<br />
We as a whole fear doing our taxes. To such an extent, that a large number of us pay somebody to do them for us. These people are tax accountants, and a large number of them are self-employed. This clearly has some good and bad times. The ups, other than an extraordinary schedule, is that for around four months out of the year (January-April), tax accountants are insanely occupied. The enormous drawback is, obviously, that once tax season is over, work truly backs off.<br />
<br />
<strong>Travel Blogger</strong><br />
<br />
With this sort of career, the world is your office. You will need to travel and experience some of those sites that you should expound on. This implies you will require your camera and laptop more than you will require a physical office. Truth be told, blogging of any sort is one the careers that don't require a traditional office. Being a reporter at a news channel or a magazine gives you a comparative ordeal.<br />
<br />
<strong><keyword id="289754" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="airplane-pilot">Airplane Pilot</keyword></strong><br />
<br />
In the event that you appreciate the traveling life and abhorrence staying in one spot for quite a while, preparing to end up a business airline pilot (or pilot of another sort) might be directly fit for your abilities. It empowers you to exchange the traditional office for inns and storages.<br />
<br />
You will, obviously, be required to sit in the same bound territory for quite a long time at once, yet it's exceptionally not at all like being in an office in that you're flying an airplane.

Don’t like 9-5 working hours, sitting in an office like a
dumb fool? Here are 5 professions for those wanderers

<p><div class="image-container" style="width:800px"><div class="image"><p class="source"><a href="http://www.wittyworx.com/IXIPlay.html">WittyWorX</a></p></div></div></p>
<p>You work really hard all day, so when you're finally back at home, all you want to do is kick back with your iPad and play with some apps.</p>
<p>A little Candy Crush and scotch to ease the pain, am I right?</p>
<p>But no.</p>
<p>First some 8-year-old wants you to talk to them.</p>
<p>Then some 3-year-old is trying to give you a hug.</p>
<p>Ugh.</p>
<p>Fortunately, for you, modern parent, there's a new Silicon Valley startup called WittyWorX.</p>
<p>WittyWorX makes a green robot owl called "IXI-Play" that is programmed with a "<span>rich set of sensors and expression capabilities to support the playful interaction" with your children.</span></p>
<p><span>"<span>With its lifelike body movement and posture, animated eyes and sounds, IXI-Play is very well suited to express its emotions during game play. Children recognize and enjoy this interaction, making IXI-Play feel like a real buddy for playful interaction."</span></span></p>
<p><span>Translation: make sure there's water in your ice cube trays and your iPad Mini is charged, because you've finally got some quality time ahead of you in your evenings, modern mom or dad.</span></p>
<p>WittyWorX showed off IXI-Play yesterday, at a very important conference for <keyword id="6362513" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Startups">startups</keyword> in Silicon Valley called YCombinator Demo Day. All the top venture capitalists attend the event to see what kind of life-improving innovations are coming next. <a href="http://gigaom.com/2013/08/20/ycombinators-latest-startup-pageant-addresses-all-the-markets/">IXI-Play was a favorite.</a></p>
<p><span>Here are some of IXI-Play's expressions. Note the one in the second row from the top, second column to the left. This robot will handle the tough love for you.</span></p>
<p><span><div class="image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><a href="http://www.wittyworx.com/IXIPlay.html">WittyWorX</a></p></div></div></div></span></p>
<p><span>Here's a video demonstration of IXI-Play.  When the dad sits in the easy chair at 41 seconds in, remember to imagine that's you.</span></p>
<p></p>

Finally, A Robot That Will Talk To Your Children So You Don't Have To

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div>If you've ever gone to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, you've seen David Schwendeman's work. Where ever you see a taxidermied bird swooping or animal running, there's a good chance <span>Schwendeman's</span> artful hands carefully crafted that creature in lifelike, frozen animation. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/nyregion/david-schwendeman-museum-taxidermist-dies-at-87.html?_r=0" target="_blank">Schwendeman was the last full-time taxidermist employed at the museum</a>, a position he held until 1986, when he retired to his hometown studio, in Milltown, New Jersey. <span>Schwendeman passed away in 2012 at the age of 87.</span></p>
<p>Photographer <a href="http://www.stevenhirsch.com/" target="_blank">Steven Hirsh </a>was always interested in taxidermy, too, though he never pursued it as a career. Shortly before <span>Schwendeman's death, Hirsch had the chance to photograph <span>Schwendeman's studio. Hirsch shared the photos and some insight into his experience with us.</span></span></p>
<h3>"As a child one of my favorite places was the Museum of Natural History in New York City. And by far the most interesting area in the the museum was the dioramas," Hirsch says.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div>"In the 1980s, I would sneak my SX-70 camera in and make wonderful Polaroids that captured all the animals magnetic and mysterious qualities. So, it wasn't a coincidence that taxidermy popped into my head one day as a fertile subject for a new project."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div>Steven searched for taxidermists on the internet and quickly found Dave Schwendeman's studio in Milltown, New Jersey. Schwendeman had lived in the town his entire life.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div>Hirsch arrived at the beautiful white house and ventured inside, still not knowing that this was the studio of the man who created all of the taxidermy he had been so enthralled with all those years ago.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div>"Eyes stared at me from every direction. Animals filled every nook and corner. Each was brilliant. I realized I had stumbled into a time warp. Nothing was new or modern. Dust filled the air. Lions, owls, crows; every imaginable animal filled every crevice. No empty spaces here," Hirsch says.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div>Bruce Schwendeman, David's son, came out to the front room of the studio and greeted Hirsch. "We talked for a minute and I asked him if I could photograph the interior. With his permission, I spent a few hours there that day making these photos."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div>Eventually, David Schwendeman came out and introduced himself. He explained that his father, Arthur, taught him the trade and that he was so pleased to pass it on to his son, Bruce. "It was incredibly fascinating and I couldn't stop making images," Hirsch says.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div>It was only later, after Hirsch had gone home and read an online biography on David Schwendeman, that he learned that Schwendeman had been the main taxidermist for the American Museum of National History.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div>Hirsch returned to the museum the next day to look at the dioramas again. "Now I had a face to connect to the magnificent displays I had admired as a child. I could visualize the genius that was David Schwendeman," says Hirsch.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div></h3>

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