Raunak Jain: The Visionary Building a New Education Hub Beyond India’s Metros

For decades, Dehradun has been synonymous with some of India’s most respected schools. But when it came to higher education, students often faced a different equation: leave the city for Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru or another metropolitan hub to access ambitious academic opportunities.

Raunak Jain, Co-Founder and Senior Vice President of Tula’s Group, wanted to change that equation. Over more than a decade, Jain has worked toward building an educational ecosystem that gives students access to global exposure, industry relevance, research and innovation without requiring them to leave Dehradun behind.

His vision has become central to the evolution of Tula’s Group, helping shape its journey from an established educational organisation into a broader higher-education and innovation ecosystem. Rather than viewing Dehradun’s distance from India’s traditional education hubs as a limitation, Jain has sought to position the city itself as a place where ambitious institutions can be built.

Today, Rauak Jain’s leadership responsibilities span Tula’s International School and Tulas University. In 2026, Tula’s University received State Private University status, marking a significant new chapter in the institution’s journey and expanding the scope of the vision Jain has helped shape. His work has also received national recognition, including his selection for 40 Under 40 by ET Edge and The Times Group in 2026, as well as recognition among India’s Most Admired Leaders by Outlook Business Magazine.

But his story is bigger than a university milestone.

It is the story of an education entrepreneur who left an international academic environment, returned to his hometown and chose to build where others might have chosen to leave.

Raunak Jain’s Journey: From Dehradun to London and Back

Raunak Jain’s relationship with education began in Dehradun.

A student of Brightlands School, he later moved to the United Kingdom, completing his graduation and post-graduation at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Living and studying abroad exposed Jain to education systems, institutional cultures and approaches to student development very different from those he had experienced growing up.

But instead of making London his permanent base, Jain returned to Dehradun in 2012.

That decision would define much of his professional journey.

He joined Tula’s International School as its Managing Director and began working from a premise that has remained consistent throughout his career: global ambition does not have to mean geographical relocation.

“My time at Royal Holloway, University of London gave me a global perspective, but it also reinforced the importance of staying rooted. I try to bring both into the way I approach education today.”

For Jain, coming back to Dehradun was not simply a return home. It was an opportunity to participate in changing what the city could offer the next generation.

Raunak Jain’s Bigger Bet on Education

The conventional model of Indian education has often concentrated opportunity around major metropolitan centres.

The best-known institutions, technology ecosystems, corporate networks and emerging career opportunities have historically attracted students toward cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

Jain’s approach represents a different thesis.

Why should a student have to leave a city to access a world-class education ecosystem?

That question has influenced the evolution of Tula’s.

Under Raunak’s leadership, the focus has extended beyond conventional classroom education toward a wider ecosystem incorporating higher education, research, entrepreneurship, technology, sports and industry exposure.

The objective is not simply to produce graduates.

It is to create an environment in which students can develop the skills, confidence and exposure required to compete in an increasingly global economy.

That distinction is important.

For Raunak, education is not merely about acquiring a qualification. It is about creating people who can adapt to changing technology, changing industries and changing definitions of work.

From School Education to a Larger Educational Ecosystem

When Raunak Jain joined Tula’s in 2012, the institution was already established.

His role, therefore, was not that of a founder starting from zero. His contribution has been in expanding the institution’s ambition and helping shape its next stage of growth.

Tula’s University, established in 2006 under the Rishabh Educational Trust, initially focused on engineering and management education. Its subsequent expansion has taken it into a broader multidisciplinary environment encompassing technology, research, entrepreneurship and student development.

Today, the university’s research ecosystem includes more than 2,000 research papers, over 30 patents and government research grants exceeding ₹1.50 crore, while its Technology Business Incubator Foundation supports entrepreneurship through facilities including an IoT laboratory, fab lab and IPR cell.

For Jain, however, infrastructure is only one part of the equation.

The larger objective is to create an institution where students can move from learning to experimentation, experimentation to innovation, and innovation to real-world application.

That philosophy becomes increasingly relevant as areas such as artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity and software development reshape the employment landscape.

Recognition for Raunak Jain

As Tula’s has expanded, so has recognition for Jain’s work in the education sector.

In 2025, Raunak Jain was named Edupreneur of the Year at the Uttarakhand Icons Awards and featured among India’s Best CEOs by Outlook Business.

In 2026, he was included in the 40 Under 40 list by ET Edge and The Times Group, while also being recognised among India’s Most Admired Leaders by Outlook Business Magazine.

These recognitions have come during a period when the role of education leaders is changing rapidly.

The education entrepreneur of today is no longer simply managing campuses and academic programmes. The role increasingly involves understanding technology, employability, research, entrepreneurship, industry partnerships and the changing expectations of a generation growing up alongside artificial intelligence.

That is precisely where Jain’s larger vision for Tula’s is taking shape.

Tula’s University Enters a New Chapter

The granting of State Private University status to Tula’s University in 2026 represents a significant institutional milestone.

But for Raunak Jain, the importance of the development lies less in the title and more in what it enables.

Greater institutional autonomy can create opportunities to develop new programmes, strengthen research, build deeper industry collaborations and respond more quickly to emerging fields.

For an institution based outside India’s largest metropolitan centres, that creates an important opportunity.

The next generation of students may increasingly judge universities not simply by location or legacy, but by what they can actually access: technology, research, entrepreneurship, industry connections, international exposure and opportunities to build something of their own.

That is the ecosystem Jain has been working toward.

The Larger Vision Behind Raunak Jain

There is a certain irony in Raunak Jain’s journey.

He travelled thousands of kilometres from Dehradun to study in London, gained an international perspective and then returned to the city he grew up in.

He could have built his career elsewhere.

Instead, he chose to build here.

That choice is perhaps the most revealing part of his professional story.

Jain’s ambition is not to turn Dehradun into another Bengaluru or Delhi. It is to demonstrate that a city does not need to imitate a metropolitan hub to create globally relevant opportunities.

It can build its own model.

And that is ultimately what makes Raunak Jain’s story larger than the growth of a single educational institution.

He is betting on the idea that the next generation of Indian talent should not have to choose between being globally competitive and remaining rooted in where they come from.

From a student in Dehradun to an international graduate, and from returning professional to education entrepreneur, Raunak Jain’s journey reflects a broader shift in Indian education — one in which opportunity is beginning to move beyond the traditional boundaries of India’s biggest cities.

For Jain, the ambition is straightforward: bring the world to Dehradun, rather than asking every student from Dehradun to go out into the world to find it.