Kolkata-based 35 Y-O Financial Expert With 13 Degrees Turns Teacher; Builds A Finance Learning Platform With Over 50K Students Globally

In the city of joy, Kolkata, a 35-year-old financial expert named Aswini Bajaj has woven a tale that’s as inspiring as it is improbable.

Armed with 13 degrees in finance—ranging from CA, CS, and CFA to FRM and beyond—he’s not just a scholar but a teacher who’s turned his passion into a global movement.

From a modest dining table in 2012 to a state-of-the-art 3700-sq-ft facility, Aswini Bajaj and his Aswini Bajaj Classes have become a beacon of hope for over 50,000 students worldwide, chasing dreams in the complex world of finance.

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The Humble Beginnings of a Prodigy:

Aswini Bajaj’s story begins in a middle-class Kolkata home, where books were his first love and numbers his playground. 

By 2012, as a commerce graduate from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, he was juggling his B.Com studies with the gruelling Chartered Accountancy (CA) exams.

“I started teaching a few students at my dining table for pocket money. I had never imagined it would become my life’s work,” says Aswini Bajaj, now the founder, mentor-in-chief & CEO of Aswini Bajaj Classes.

That same year, he began teaching at local coaching institutes, unaware that destiny was nudging him toward a larger stage.

In 2013, Aswini finally clinched his CA qualification and landed a plush corporate finance role at Vedanta Group in Delhi.

Yet, the corporate grind couldn’t dim his passion for teaching. Weekends found him mentoring CFA and FRM aspirants, his enthusiasm infectious.

“I gradually realised that I loved teaching more than anything. It wasn’t just about exams; it was about shaping the futures of people like me,” recalls Aswini Bajaj during an exclusive interview with Startup Pedia.

With his family’s blessings, he left his stable job in 2014, returning to Kolkata to chase a dream that was as risky as it was bold.

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The Challenges Faced During the Initial Journey: 

The early days of going independent were anything but smooth. As a full-time teacher in Kolkata, Aswini faced the harsh reality of building a name from scratch.

“I was an expert in finance, but marketing and tech? I was clueless,” Aswini admits with a chuckle.

With no brand recognition, finding students was a battle. He leaned on his expertise as a guest lecturer at colleges like IITs and IIMs to build credibility. His consulting work with startups and MNCs (over 150 till now) supplemented his income but stretched him thin.

Then a game-changer came in 2015 when Aswini launched an eponymous YouTube channel with a rickety old CCTV camera.

“I just wanted to reach more students. I didn’t expect the world to tune in. The response from students was overwhelming,” Aswini shares with Startup Pedia.

His clear, in-depth explanations of complex CFA and FRM concepts resonated globally, drawing students from over 100 countries. 

Pendrives loaded with recorded lectures became his makeshift solution to help distant learners, laying the foundation for a digital empire.

By 2016, he hired his first employee, marking the precursor of what is today known as Aswini Bajaj Classes. 

Building a Finance Learning Platform from Scratch:

In June 2018, Aswini Bajaj Classes was formally founded as an education startup under Aswini’s Leveraged Growth, a Kolkata-based firm focused on advisory, consulting, corporate training, and education.

The coaching institute offers structured courses for CFA and FRM exams, priced at a modest ₹17,000 for Level 1 and ₹19,000 for higher levels—nearly 50% below market standards.

“Our fee structure has always been inclusive because we want to reach students from all backgrounds and financial situations,” Aswini explains.

His unique approach—teaching all subjects himself to students preparing for all levels of CFA and FRM—ensures uniformity and depth, setting his institute apart in the Indian startup ecosystem.

The launch of the Aswini Bajaj LMS app, available on iOS, Android, and web, was a leap into the ed-tech space.

This digital platform mirrors classroom lectures, offering video content (Aswini’s classroom lectures), practice tests, mock exams, a doubt forum, and a performance tracker.

“Our app is like Netflix for finance students. It’s self-paced, comprehensive, and builds a community of like-minded exam aspirants,” Aswini shares with a grin. 

The app’s study partner feature matches students based on learning styles, fostering collaboration, while its resources empower exam preparation and career growth.

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Navigating a Bootstrapped Journey:

As a bootstrapped startup, Aswini Bajaj Classes faced its share of hurdles. Building a team of over 100, with more than 60% women, on a tight, bootstrapped budget was no small feat.

The education startup’s parent company, Leveraged Growth, even won an award at the ‘Designation Woman Awards 2021’ for its diverse women-led workforce.

Yet, many financial constraints tested Aswini’s resolve.

“Being debt-free and cash-flow positive is our strength. We reinvest every rupee earned to grow sustainably,” Aswini Bajaj explains to Startup Pedia.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought fresh challenges, delaying CFA and FRM exams globally from 2020 to 2022. Aswini’s response was remarkable: he extended app access for his 2020 batch students until 2022 at no extra cost. 

“It was about supporting our students, not about looking at the bottom lines during a historic pandemic,” Aswini says. 

This empathy further cemented the institute’s reputation. 

Aswini’s social media platforms, such as YouTube (125K+ followers), LinkedIn (90K+ followers), and Instagram (35K+ followers), helped amplify Aswini Bajaj Classes’ reach in the digital world, though he shuns the “influencer” label.

“I am a teacher, consultant, and corporate trainer, but not a social media influencer. I don’t endorse any brand or company through my content. Nor do I charge money from any entity for my expression in the digital arena. My opinions aren’t for sale,” Aswini firmly says.

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A Mentor for Life:

Aswini’s influence extends beyond the classroom. As a guest lecturer, he has taught at over 180 colleges across India, including premier institutes like IITs, IIMs, and LBSNAA, inspiring thousands of students and trainees.

His corporate training sessions at firms like Tata, Grasim, and Barclays blend finance with real-world insights and growth counselling.

Notably, in January 2023, Aswini Bajaj’s name entered the ‘International Book of Records' for training 12,746 people in personal finance (through the ‘train the trainer’ model), making it the largest financial literacy lecture delivered in a single day (across multiple cities).

“We’re not just about exams. We exist to equip students from all walks of life with life lessons and a mindset to invest in themselves,” Aswini shares.

Aswini’s mantra, “Invest In Yourself,” resonates deeply with his students.

Through podcasts on his YouTube channel, Aswini connects students with industry experts and successful alumni, fostering a sense of community. His LinkedIn and Instagram posts offer career guidance and thought leadership

Aswini frequently travels across India and abroad to connect with his students.

From booking a banquet hall in Mumbai to an auditorium in Delhi, he has organized several student meetups.

He has also hosted such gatherings in international cities like London, Dubai, and Bangkok—reflecting his deep commitment as a “Mentor For Life".

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Looking at a Brighter Future:

With the Indian and global financial industry booming, the demand for skilled professionals is soaring worldwide.

Nearly 40,000 students take the CFA exam annually in India alone, and Aswini Bajaj Classes is poised to capitalise on this growth.

According to its recent financial reports, Leveraged Growth—the parent company of Aswini Bajaj Classes—is estimated to be valued in the proximity of ₹150 crore. 

Despite its impressive growth, the company has no plans for external fundraising, choosing instead to remain proudly bootstrapped, relying on word-of-mouth and reinvested revenue to fuel its continued expansion.

“We’re working on new ed-tech platforms and models to bridge gaps in education. Technology is our medium, but students are our core,” Aswini hints, guarding details of future plans.

Aswini’s vision is clear: to provide exposure and opportunities he wished he’d had growing up.

“Not everyone has access to the right guidance or networks. We’re here to change that,” Aswini concludes.

As Aswini walks through his sprawling Kolkata office, his teaching journey, from dining table to a global classroom, feels like a script straight out of a blockbuster movie. 

From combating misinformation in the digital world to fostering ethical, skilled professionals, Aswini Bajaj Classes is more than a coaching institute—it has become a movement. 

With a focus on further expanding its team size, a global student base of over 50,000, and a debt-free, bootstrapped, and cash-flow positive track record, this Kolkata startup is rewriting the rules of finance education in India and beyond.

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