Cracku's Journey: College Friends to Co-Founders, How It Started?

Cracku's journey over the past 10 years has been phenomenal and established itself in MBA coaching. Founded in 2014 by IIT-IIM alumni, Cracku is a bootstrapped company based out of Hyderabad.

Recently, it celebrated its 10th anniversary and is one of the most preferred choices for CAT online coaching. What sets Cracku apart is its leadership; each of its founders has successfully cracked the CAT multiple times. By understanding the requirements of the exam first-hand, they help their students figure out how to crack the exam.

Let's take a closer look at the journey of Cracku's founders and what inspired them to build this platform.

Cracku's Background: College Friends to Co-founders

Maruti Konduri (CEO & 5 times CAT 100 percentiler) and Srikanth Lingamneni (CTO & CAT 99.97 percentiler) have been friends since their IIT preparation days and got into IIT Bombay together. After their graduation from IIT Bombay, Maruti and Srikanth both joined Rediff. Maruti prepared for CAT while working and aced CAT 2008.

He joined IIM Ahmedabad for an MBA, where he met his then batchmate, now wife and co-founder Sayali Kale (COO & CAT 99.97 percentiler, XAT 99.998 percentiler (AIR-1) & GMAT 100 percentiler). Despite being actively involved in their respective clubs and other extracurriculars, they were able to do well academically and secure international roles in investment banks.

However, Srikanth continued working for Rediff and Playdom for a few more years and later joined IIM Calcutta for an MBA.

Cracku's Coaching Journey: How It Started?

After completing their MBA, Sayali and Maruti worked in Hong Kong and Singapore.

While Maruti's job offered financial security, he soon realised it was not challenging and did not enjoy it. After working for a year, he considered leaving but was convinced to stay. His lack of job satisfaction spurred him to find a different career path. During a company reorganisation, he was laid off, and he decided to take the opportunity to explore entrepreneurship. His wife Sayali encouraged him not to be stuck in an unfulfilling role and to start a business.

After extensive discussions, they decided to launch a startup in India. Eventually, they persuaded Srikanth to join their entrepreneurial journey, which led them to return to India and start Cracku.

Cracku's CAT Toppers' Reviews

Over the years, thousands of aspirants have trusted Cracku for their CAT preparation, and many have achieved outstanding results. Here's what some of our top performers say about their experience with Cracku and how it played a crucial role in their journey to top B-schools.

Mridul Tiwari (99.98%iler) - CAT 2024

• During my CAT '23 and CAT '24, I enrolled for their CAT mock test series and Daily targets, which proved to be of immense help during the final exam day. In 2023, the quant paper was almost a replica of a typical Cracku's dashCAT mock.
• I had many DILR sets to practice with, and the video solutions were detailed, to the point, and easy to understand, making my journey more manageable. Thank you, Cracku team, for your tremendous support over the years.

Aditya Monga (99.95%iler) - CAT 2024

• I am incredibly thankful to Cracku for their outstanding mock test series, which played a key role in my CAT preparation. The extensive repository of high-quality questions, especially the challenging ones, helped me improve my problem-solving skills. The variety of mock tests closely resembled the actual CAT exam pattern, allowing me to build confidence and refine my strategy.
• Each test challenged and prepared me for the most challenging questions. Their mock test series is invaluable for anyone looking to excel in the CAT!

Aaditya Prashant Mehar (99.97%iler) - CAT 2024

• Cracku's mock series and their study room were crucial to my success. They helped me fine-tune my exam strategy and prepared me for the actual CAT challenges the exam would throw me. The daily targets kept me regular and gave me an insight into what topics I needed to work on.

Saarthak Jadon (99.8%iler) - CAT 2024

• Cracku has been essential in my CAT prep. The top-notch lectures by Sayali Ma'am and Maruti sir have helped me significantly. The mocks were the closest to the actual CAT and strengthened my weaknesses.

Abhyudaya Gupta (99.48%iler) - CAT 2024

• I highly recommend enrolling in the Cracku course. The level of questions is optimum, explanations are proper, and you can get timely guidance when needed. The mocks were a game-changer for me! Thanks, Cracku!