BYJU’S head of international business Cherian Thomas quits; to join US-based Impending Inc 

Cherian Thomas, a top executive at edtech major BYJU’s, has quit the company to become the CEO of US-based mobile application developer Impending Inc.

Thomas has been a key figure at BYJU’S for over six years, leading the company’s international efforts. He was the first global employee at the edtech company in 2017, and is credited with building the international team from scratch, which led to acquiring companies like Osmo. Bengaluru-based BYJU’S made its first US acquisition in early 2019 when it snapped up the educational games maker for $120 million. In his latest capacity, Thomas functioned as the Senior Vice President of International Business of BYJU’S, concurrently taking on the position of CEO at Osmo since January of 2022.  

He completed his notice period and departed from the firm last week.  

Prior to joining BYJU’S in 2017, Thomas co-founded and sold a VC-backed start-up Cucumbertown to Japanese conglomerate Cookpad in 2016. He was also one of the earliest employees at gaming major Zynga.  

Austin, Texas-based Impending Inc has built a slew of popular apps like Heads Up! for The Ellen Degeneres Show and Clear for iPhone. As the CEO of Impending Inc., Thomas will focus on building and scaling the product portfolio while strengthening and growing a global talent pool, the company said in a statement.  

BYJU’S has been battling several issues including the much-needed infusion of fresh capital continuing to be elusive, its valuation taking a hit, and the never-ending layoffs further dampening employee morale. Recently, Deloitte Haskins & Sells, the company's statutory auditor, resigned and three board members, namely GV Ravishankar of Peak XV Partners, Vivian Wu of Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and Russell Dreisenstock of Prosus, stepped down from the board of BYJU’S.