Manish Maheshwari, the former head of Twitter India, has announced his exit from the microblogging platform, which is now led by new CEO Parag Agrawal, to start his own ed-tech venture. Maheshwari moved to San Francisco as Twitter’s Senior Director, Revenue Strategy and Operations after Twitter India encountered legal challenges with the Indian government earlier this year citing hate speech, false news, and bias.
In a tweet, Maheshwari announced his decision which reads, “After close to 3 years, I am leaving Twitter to dedicate myself to #education and #teaching. While it is with a heavy heart that I leave Twitter, I am excited about the impact that can be created globally through education.”
Maheshwari also noted that his company (Invact) will focus on providing employability training using a virtual reality platform known as Metaversity. The company’s goals according to him, are for everyone to have access to a high-quality, socially immersive learning experience, provided to them wherever they are and at a price that is affordable. He tweeted, “I look forward to your support as we build the team and raise the funds to deliver on this #Metaversity vision.”
Maheshwari along with Tanay Pratap, a former senior software engineer at Microsoft, founded this ed-tech startup. Invact claims on its website to offer offers a 16-week MBA alternative. The announcement comes within a few days after Indian-origin CEO Parag Agrawal took charge of the social media conglomerate when Jack Dorsey stepped down.
Maheshwari joined Twitter in April 2019 to head the company’s operation in India, after a three-year tenure as Chief Executive Officer, Digital at Network18 Media and Investments. Manish worked for e-commerce firm Flipkart, Intuit, McKinsey & Company, and Procter & Gamle before joining Network18 in May 1999.
Maheshwari was summoned by the Ghaziabad Police in June of this year in connection with a hate video that went viral on Twitter. The microblogging platform has been in trouble for failing to comply with local IT laws. He relocated to San Francisco as a Senior Director at Twitter in August 2021 to oversee the company’s revenue strategy and operations in new markets across the world.
Manish Maheshwari graduated from Shri Ram College of Commerce and earned his MBA from Wharton Business School, where he worked on the MBA Admissions Committee, was chosen Co-President of the Asia Club and was the recipient of the Shils-Zeidman Award, Wharton’s highest award for Entrepreneurship.
Maheshwari aims to explore the Indian ed-tech market at a time when the sector is witnessing rapid growth, which is attributable to the rising demand for online education as a result of the pandemic. Given the uncertainties surrounding the reopening of schools, universities, and other educational institutions, ed-tech firms are experiencing an increase in user base and venture capital funding.
