Meet a man who cracked AIIMS at the age of 16, became IAS at the age of 22, withdrew from the Ed-Tech empire of civil servants who made Rs 285,200 crore, and now he is…
Roman Saini’s journey from IAS doctor and co-founder Unacademy stressed his determination to make quality education available to everyone.
Success is not an overnight night, it requires concentration, determination and courage to dream. Roman Saini’s life story is a perfect example. From becoming a doctor at a young age to cracking civil service exams and finally launching one of India’s top ED-Tech platforms, his journey is truly encouraging.
Roman Saini was originally from Rajasthan. His father is an engineer and his mother is a housewife. From the beginning, he was a smart student. Rome passed the AIIMS entrance exam at the age of 16, one of the toughest medical exams in India. He completed MBB before he was 21 and started working at the National Drug Dependence Treatment Center (NDDTC) at the age of 18.
But Rome’s goals were not limited to medicine. He wants to do more for society. While working as a medical intern in a village in Haryana, he saw how people lack basic facilities. This deeply affected him and prompted him to think more. That was when he decided to take the UPSC civil service exam.
At the age of 22, Roman cleared the UPSC exam and became an IAS official. He worked as a regional collector in Madhya Pradesh. But even after the dream came true, he still felt that he wanted to do more.
In 2015, Rome took a bold move and he quit his job at IAS and decided to start something new. He co-founded an online learning platform UnaCademy, along with his friends Gaurav Munjal and Hemesh Singh. Their goal is simple: to enable everyone to receive a high-quality education, especially students preparing for tough exams such as UPSC.
Peak Valuation (2021–2022): After a large round of capital, underage reached a peak valuation of US$3.44 billion in March 2022. ​
Current Valuation (2025): Recent reports suggest that underage are in the process of taking over at Allen Vocational College, with the proposed transaction being unsuccessful at $800 million. This marks a significant decline in its peak valuation. ​
Roman Saini earned Rs 8.8 lakh per year as of 2022, while co-founder Gaurav Munjal made Rs 158 crore and hemesh singh made Rs 111.9 lakh. The journey of Rome shows that having a clear purpose and a strong will has the potential to change life, including one’s own.
