Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Ashwin Damera, Co-founder & CEO of Emeritus (Eruditus), built one of the world's largest edtech companies: 250,000 learners a year across 80+ countries, working with 85 universities including MIT, Wharton, Columbia and INSEAD. Now he's leading the next shift in Indian education, bringing foreign universities to India, with Bristol, Liverpool, UNSW and Illinois Tech setting up campuses in Mumbai, Gurugram and beyond.
In this Masters' Union Podcast, Pratham Mittal (Founder, Masters' Union & Tetr) sits down with Ashwin to unpack the full journey: the $100M Expedia deal that collapsed the day Lehman Brothers fell, building Eruditus bootstrapped and profitable for 6 years, raising $460M at the peak of the edtech boom, and why he survived when byju's and other edtech giants collapsed.
You'll learn:
Why he walked away from McKinsey to start Travel Guru
The Expedia deal that died overnight, and 3 months of runway
How Eruditus got INSEAD, Wharton, MIT and Columbia as partners with no funding
Good Burn vs Bad Burn: the framework every founder needs
Why raising too much capital was his biggest mistake
The Three Box Solution and the Fosbury Flop of business strategy
Why foreign universities are finally coming to India, and what changes for students
Study abroad vs studying at a foreign university campus in India
AI in education: what actually works
Why the college dropout founder myth doesn't hold up
Whether you're a student choosing between India and study abroad, a founder navigating the edtech industry, or a professional thinking about the future of education, this is the definitive inside account.
#CareerAdvice #MentalModels #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #MastersUnion
Explore our programmes:
UG Programme - https://mastersunion.org/ug-technolog...
PG Programme - https://mastersunion.org/pgp-technolo...
Follow us on:
LinkedIn - linkedin.com/school/mastersunion
Instagram - instagram.com/masters.union
Twitter - https://x.com/themastersunion/
Facebook - facebook.com/themastersunion
Chapters:
00:00 Trailer
02:01 Introduction
03:45 Why Career Capital Matters
05:38 Why Harvard Produces Great Leaders
09:14 Should You Still Go to College?
13:18 IIT vs Harvard: The Real Difference
17:42 Intellectual Capital vs Social Capital
22:03 Career = IQ × Network
27:15 How to Build Powerful Networks
33:11 Harvard Decision Making Frameworks
39:02 Negotiation Lessons from Harvard
47:46 The Best Career Advice for Students
54:13 Personal Branding That Actually Works
59:40 Why Most Professionals Stay Average
01:05:18 Startup Funding Myths
01:11:06 Good Burn vs Bad Burn
01:17:24 Building a $3 Billion Company
01:24:05 AI and the Future of Education
01:31:12 The Three Box Strategy
01:37:40 Mental Models for Long-Term Success
01:44:18 Final Advice for Students
Ashwin Damera, Co-founder & CEO of Emeritus (Eruditus), built one of the world's largest edtech companies: 250,000 learners a year across 80+ countries, working with 85 universities including MIT, Wharton, Columbia and INSEAD. Now he's leading the next shift in Indian education, bringing foreign universities to India, with Bristol, Liverpool, UNSW and Illinois Tech setting up campuses in Mumbai, Gurugram and beyond.
In this Masters' Union Podcast, Pratham Mittal (Founder, Masters' Union & Tetr) sits down with Ashwin to unpack the full journey: the $100M Expedia deal that collapsed the day Lehman Brothers fell, building Eruditus bootstrapped and profitable for 6 years, raising $460M at the peak of the edtech boom, and why he survived when byju's and other edtech giants collapsed.
You'll learn:
Why he walked away from McKinsey to start Travel Guru
The Expedia deal that died overnight, and 3 months of runway
How Eruditus got INSEAD, Wharton, MIT and Columbia as partners with no funding
Good Burn vs Bad Burn: the framework every founder needs
Why raising too much capital was his biggest mistake
The Three Box Solution and the Fosbury Flop of business strategy
Why foreign universities are finally coming to India, and what changes for students
Study abroad vs studying at a foreign university campus in India
AI in education: what actually works
Why the college dropout founder myth doesn't hold up
Whether you're a student choosing between India and study abroad, a founder navigating the edtech industry, or a professional thinking about the future of education, this is the definitive inside account.
#CareerAdvice #MentalModels #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #MastersUnion
Explore our programmes:
UG Programme - https://mastersunion.org/ug-technolog...
PG Programme - https://mastersunion.org/pgp-technolo...
Follow us on:
LinkedIn - linkedin.com/school/mastersunion
Instagram - instagram.com/masters.union
Twitter - https://x.com/themastersunion/
Facebook - facebook.com/themastersunion
Chapters:
00:00 Trailer
02:01 Introduction
03:45 Why Career Capital Matters
05:38 Why Harvard Produces Great Leaders
09:14 Should You Still Go to College?
13:18 IIT vs Harvard: The Real Difference
17:42 Intellectual Capital vs Social Capital
22:03 Career = IQ × Network
27:15 How to Build Powerful Networks
33:11 Harvard Decision Making Frameworks
39:02 Negotiation Lessons from Harvard
47:46 The Best Career Advice for Students
54:13 Personal Branding That Actually Works
59:40 Why Most Professionals Stay Average
01:05:18 Startup Funding Myths
01:11:06 Good Burn vs Bad Burn
01:17:24 Building a $3 Billion Company
01:24:05 AI and the Future of Education
01:31:12 The Three Box Strategy
01:37:40 Mental Models for Long-Term Success
01:44:18 Final Advice for Students
