Karthik Lakshman

Co-Founder

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India21 yrs 9 mos experience

Highly Stable

Key Highlights

Co-founded Beacon House to guide students to top universities.
Led Magic Crate to successful acquisition by Byju's.
Extensive experience in strategy across leading firms.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a strategic leader in the EdTech sector with a strong entrepreneurial background.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

Business StrategyStrategic PlanningProgram ManagementBusiness DevelopmentFinancial ModelingGrowth StrategyProduct ManagementEntrepreneurshipProduct DevelopmentSales StrategyOperational Efficiency

Other Skills

AnalyticsBusiness AnalysisBusiness IntelligenceChange ManagementCompetitive AnalysisConsultingCross-functional Team LeadershipDigital MarketingGo-to-market StrategyIntegrationManagementMarket AnalysisMarket ModelingMarketing StrategySupply Chain Management

About

Builder | Strategist | Education Innovator I thrive at the intersection of strategy and execution — spotting patterns, simplifying complexity, and turning ideas into ventures. From launching Magic Crate (later acquired by Byju’s) to co-founding Beacon House, my journey has been about shaping opportunities that create outsized impact. My experience spans Coca-Cola, McKinsey, and scaling startups — giving me the operator’s discipline and the founder’s agility. Today, my focus is on redefining how ambitious students in India and beyond navigate their paths to top global universities. At my core, I believe in the power of lopsided personalities — individuals who dive deep into their passions and channel them into meaningful outcomes. That’s what I’ve tried to do in my own career, and that’s what I help others achieve.

Experience

Beacon house

Co-Founder

Jul 2024 – Present · 1 yr 8 mos · India · Hybrid

At Beacon House, I help high school students and their families navigate the path to top-tier global universities (Ivy League, Oxbridge, and beyond). Our mission is to go beyond admissions checklists — we work with students to build out “lopsided personalities”: deep interests, authentic expertise, and the motivation to create impact.
My role spans:
Strategy & Growth – shaping our positioning, partnerships, and market entry.
Student Journeys – designing programs that combine academic preparation, research, and personal projects into standout applications.
Parent Engagement – working closely with families to align aspirations with global opportunities.
Beacon House brings together my background in scaling ventures, global education insights, and passion for helping young people unlock outsized outcomes.

Business StrategyStrategic PlanningProgram ManagementCross-functional Team Leadership

Byju's

2 roles

P&L Head

Nov 2022 – Apr 2024 · 1 yr 5 mos

Run the Byju's Entrance Prep business which includes UPSC (Online, physical classes), CAT, CLAT, GATE and Govt exams. Acquired by Byju from GradeUp & runs a 200-crore revenue business.
Both the category & Sales teams report into me. Moved the business significantly from red to green on economics.

Business DevelopmentFinancial ModelingChange Management

Head of Growth

Jan 2022 – Oct 2022 · 9 mos

Responsible for Growth of Byju's International teaching business for Math, Coding etc., Also responsible for Category management for Byju's Math including end-to-end revamp of the program, Digital Marketing for Byju's International Business.

Growth StrategyDigital MarketingProduct Management

Magic crate (acquired by byju’s)

Founder

Jan 2015 – Nov 2021 · 6 yrs 10 mos · Greater Chennai Area

Identified white space, raised capital from leading VCs including Fireside Ventures, 3one4 Capital, and Aarin Capital, and led the expansion of brand and product lines; culminating in exit to India’s largest ed-tech player, Byju’s. Run Technology, Sales & Marketing functions at Magic Crate.

EntrepreneurshipProduct DevelopmentMarket Analysis

Hewlett-packard

2 roles

Sales & Marketing

Jan 2012 – Jan 2014 · 2 yrs

Responsible for Southeast Asia sales for HP Enterprise business with revenue upwards of $100 Mn.

Sales StrategyMarket Analysis

Corporate Strategy

Jan 2010 – Jan 2012 · 2 yrs

Developed sales model for Enterprise business, including definition of level of support by account type.
Created Go-to-Market strategy including direct and indirect coverage for HP’s Networking business
Developed 3-year Enterprise Business strategy including key growth vectors and aligned stakeholders on plan.
Evaluated opportunities across developing markets and defined standardized infrastructure (sales, IT, finance, legal etc) needed to accelerate growth in countries smaller than BRIC.
Created market models to understand open-space opportunities for HP. Helped in identification & alignment across 3 core growth vectors – Cloud, Security and Information management.
Developed multiple pitch documents for the board and executive committee.

Strategic PlanningMarket Modeling

Mckinsey & company

Management Consultant

Jan 2005 – Jan 2010 · 5 yrs · Orange County, California Area

Formulated manufacturing location strategy for CEO of a merged semiconductor manufacturer with $3B+ revenue. Decision influenced negotiation proceedings with pre-merger stakeholders.
Led multiple work-streams to improve operational efficiency for Top 5 outsourcer by reducing time per transaction and optimizing delivery to SLA.
Designed sales process based on new store format for electronics retailer to implement across 500+ nationwide stores. Potential impact of up to 40% increase in sales conversion.
Managed banking engagement to convert call center from cost to revenue center with $60-80 MM sales for a top 3 Indian bank. Solution designed and rolled out to 2500+ agents.
Designed change program by working with senior management under guidance from the COO of a top 10 North American bank to improve operating costs by ~10-20% in Marketing, Sales and back-office.
Led efforts at branch level to implement lean cell in mortgage originations thereby reducing lead time for application processing from ~15 days to 1 day; productivity improvement ranging from 30-40%.

Operational EfficiencyChange Management