upGrad Acquires World's Largest Internship Platform Internshala

upGrad, Asia's leading integrated skilling and workforce development company, today announced the acquisition of Internshala, the world’s largest early-talent marketplace, for an undisclosed amount — in a 90% stock-swap transaction. 

The acquisition strengthens upGrad’s position across the full career lifecycle — connecting education, skilling, and employment on a single platform. Founded in 2010, Internshala has built a community of over 34 million registered users and 450,000 employers, with ~3 million active applicants annually. The platform sees most of its traffic organically and serves students across India, including more than 40% from Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets.

With the integration, upGrad reinforces its commitment to building structured ecosystems for learners and employers — enabling students to discover internships, build job-ready skills, and transition into full- time roles more efficiently. To fuel this growth, upGrad will invest additional resources to accelerate product innovation, AI-led talent matching, and enterprise hiring models, with a target to scale Internshala’s ₹45 crore revenue base to ₹100 crore and beyond.

Commenting on this acquisition, Chirag Samdaria, Head – Corporate Strategy & Growth, upGrad said “Education and employment in India have operated in silos for too long. This acquisition allows us to strengthen the earliest layer of the career journey - where intent is highest and outcomes can be meaningful. By bridging work opportunities with structured skilling, we are building a more aligned talent ecosystem for both learners and employers.”

Internshala will continue to operate as an independent brand, led by Founder & CEO Sarvesh Agrawal, leveraging upGrad’s scale, technology, and learning ecosystem to expand its offerings and reach.

“This is a very natural partnership where learning meets opportunity. In the last 15 years, Internshala has democratized career start for students. Joining hands with upGrad will allow us to amplify our impact by skilling millions of candidates, offer pre-trained talent to companies at scale, and together become the default launchpad for every graduate's career”, added Sarvesh Agrawal, Founder & CEO, Internshala. Investec acted as exclusive financial advisor to Internshala.

This acquisition marks a key milestone in upGrad’s mission to power India’s skilling economy — supporting millions of learners and organisations through career-aligned education and employment pathways.

About upGrad

Started in 2015, upGrad — Asia's leading integrated skilling and workforce development company, powering the complete learning cycle of individuals. It offers a range of online and hybrid skilling programs and certifications under its B2C portfolio and facilitates top Indian and global universities to offer their Diploma, Master’s, and Executive Doctorates, with all degrees awarded solely by the respective universities, supporting every career stage of individuals - from first job to boardroom. Additionally, selected programs are tailored for Enterprise clients under the corporate skilling division, along with other recruitment and staffing services. More details at (https://www.upgrad.com)

About Internshala

Internshala is the world’s largest early-career marketplace with 35Mn registered users and 70,000 companies. Founded by two IIT Madras alumni, Internshala is democratising career-start for students in India without them needing luck or experience (https://internshala.com/)

Half of India’s Workforce Left Unskilled in the Past Year: upGrad Report

upGrad Enterprise – the corporate skilling division of Asia’s leading integrated lifelong learning company, upGrad has launched a groundbreaking industry report titled ‘Skilling Smarter: A Strategic Guide to Training Across Generations’. Based on insights from 12,300+ professionals across sectors, the report exposes the growing disconnect between employee needs and existing corporate training frameworks — driven by the evolving expectations of a multigenerational workforce.

Despite widespread recognition of upskilling as a business imperative, the report reveals that 50% of India’s workforce remained untrained in FY24-25, while 75% of employees engaged in learning only when mandated. Nearly 1 in 2 Indian workplaces still lack formal skilling strategies, resulting in inconsistent access and widening capability gaps. The findings highlight a lack of personalisation, access, and relevance in training models across generational cohorts, be it the pragmatic Gen X, the independent Gen Y, or the digital-first Gen Z.

Key findings include:

• 1 in 4 workplaces lack formal strategies: 50% of professionals receive no training in FY24–25; only 16% engaged in quarterly learning
• Mandates outweigh motivation: 75% train only when required; top barriers include irrelevance (51%), limited access (43%), and lack of time (42%)
• Mismatch in priorities: Organisations invest in technical and industry-focused skilling, while employees seek leadership, soft skills, and strategic thinking
• One workforce, many learners: Gen X values expert-led formats, Gen Y prefers structured flexibility, and Gen Z wants immersive, on-demand learning — yet 63% of HR leaders do not tailor programs by generation
• Skilling design vs learner preference: While 80% of GenZ train under managers, nearly 50% prefer self-paced or third-party learning formats
• Low investment, low ROI: 60% of HR Leaders allocate under 5% of HR budgets to skilling; 61.5% of CHROs report no measurable impact
• Format fatigue: 50% of GenZ equate skilling with preset digital modules, but 45% want interactive, real-world learning

“There’s a serious skilling gap emerging; we see companies budgeting annually but there’s very little to no skilling provided to employees. Let’s not forget that the pace of technology is outstripping organisational readiness, and we are not ready for the ripples it's going to create very soon. With this report, we want to go out with a strong message that in a multigenerational workplace, skilling — AI-focused and embedded with soft skills — must adapt to the learner’s needs, and not the other way around,” said Srikanth Iyengar, CEO, upGrad Enterprise. “Without personalized, real-time, and career-aligned learning, training becomes a checkbox activity - ineffective at best, costly at worst. This is where, our decade-long experience has been enabling us to design industry-relevant pedagogy and content - rooted in deep learner intelligence. We leverage workforce data effectively to craft adaptive learning journeys that align individual career aspirations with organisational goals, and ensure skills are not just acquired, but applied meaningfully for business impact.”

“Our goal with this report was to spark action, not just conversation, by grounding our insights in unassailable data and living our belief that 'data or it didn't happen.' What sets 'Skilling Smarter' apart is its dissection of the multifaceted challenges of a multigenerational workforce, built upon insights from over 12,300 professionals. This was a deliberate effort to ensure diverse representation and bring serious numbers to bear on serious issues. This rigorous foundation allows us to provide concrete, actionable frameworks for India Inc. As a leader in lifelong learning, upGrad understands the imperative of tailoring education to the learner. This report is our contribution to helping CHROs, L&D heads, and CXOs unlock the full potential of their talent investments by fostering a culture of relevant, outcome-linked, and truly impactful learning” added Shirin Rai Gupta, Director – Marketing, upGrad Enterprise.
The report serves as a strategic guide for CHROs, L&D heads, and CXOs, offering practical frameworks to future-proof their talent investments. It advocates for deeper personalisation, cross-generational thinking, and outcome-linked learning.

About upGrad Enterprise

upGrad Enterprise, the Corporate Skilling and Development division of upGrad—Asia's leading integrated skilling and workforce development company with over 10 million learners enrolled to date—creates impact at scale through its world-class learning programs and tailor-made training solutions. upGrad Enterprise partners with mid and large organisations to equip their workforce with market-ready skills and mindsets that drive success.

With a network of 3000 corporate partners and an impressive 90%+ training completion rate, upGrad Enterprise excels in delivering tailored skilling programs in high-demand fields such as AI and technology. Our offerings include corporate upskilling, government projects, and a train-and-deploy model for Global Capability Centres (GCCs) of leading and Fortune 500 brands, strengthening organisational leadership with new-age skill sets as they spread their footprint across Indian metropolitan cities. These solutions span the employee lifecycle to facilitate digital and business transformation in alignment with organisational goals, leading to capability building and value generation. A two-gold Awards recipient at the Brandon Hall, upGrad Enterprise trained over 600,000 professionals in a single year during FY24. For more details, please visit: https://www.upgrad-enterprise.com/

Upgrad Raises $60 Mn in Series-F from Temasek at Valuation of $2.25 Bn

Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, Temasek, has invested an additional $60 million in Upgrad, an edtech startup focused on higher education and upskilling.

This Series-F round of funding values Upgrad at $2.25 billion.

Additionally, Upgrad's founder and chairman, Ronnie Screwvala, has bought out Bharti Enterprises' stake in the company for $20 million, increasing his ownership to 45%. Upgrad is planning to go public within the next 7-8 quarters.

This comes within a week after Upgrad's MD, Mayank Kumar, stepped down from the company.

Temasek has been a consistent investor in Upgrad. Temasek participated in Upgrad's Series E funding round, contributing ₹81 crore (approximately $10 million) in 2023.

With the latest $60 million investment in the Series F round, Temasek's total stake in Upgrad is now 17-18%.

Upgrad has raised funds through multiple rounds of financing. Below is a summary of their previous funding rounds and the total funds raised:

1. Series A: Raised $15 million in 2015.

2. Series B: Raised $40 million in 2017.

3. Series C: Raised $50 million in 2018.

4. Series D: Raised $100 million in 2019.

5. Series E: Raised $120 million in 2021.

6. Series F: Raised $60 million from Temasek in 2024.

In total, Upgrad has raised $385 million across these funding rounds.

In April, Upgrad placed 55,000 learners in FY24, with strong hiring in fields like marketing, data, and tech 3. Approximately half of these placements were in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai.

Late last year, Upgrad reported a 96% rise in revenue to ₹1,194 crore (approximately $150 million) for the financial year 2023, although losses also widened by 67% to 1,142 crore (approximately $145 million).

Upgrad has attracted investments from several prominent investors over the years.

Besides Temasek, Ronnie Screwvala, Upgrad's founder and chairman, has also invested heavily in the company. Bharti Enterprises was an early investor but recently sold its stake to Ronnie Screwvala. IIFL Asset Management has also participated in Upgrad's funding rounds, along with Omidyar Network India, known for its focus on social impact. Educor Holdings has contributed to Upgrad's growth as well. These investors have collectively helped Upgrad raise a total of $385 million across various funding rounds.

HCLTech and upGrad Enterprise Partner to Offer Job-Aligned Skilling Programs

HCLTech, a leading global technology company, announced its partnership with upGrad Enterprise, the corporate skilling and workforce development division of skilling major upGrad. Together, they will offer a range of job-aligned skilling programs in multiple formats to global clients.

In a strategic collaboration, the two entities will curate world-class content and learning experiences aimed at driving growth and innovation for working professionals and corporations globally. In addition to enterprise learning experiences, the partnership will focus on developing and launching programs in Generative AI and allied technologies, enabling clients and professionals to get trained in new-age skills.

HCLTech and upGrad Enterprise will also launch a Data Science and AI Academy of Excellence (AI AOE), offering clients and learners access to upGrad’s world-class pedagogy and HCLTech’s industry-relevant content and lab facilities. This innovative collaboration, leveraging GenAI solutions and capabilities, will set a stronger precedence for collaboration and drive transformative business impact.

“By combining our edtech offerings with upGrad Enterprise’s proposition for global clients and university-led skilling courses /certifications in high-demand disciplines such as data and emerging technologies, we are set to jointly offer clients and learners a world-class learning experience, complete with high-quality study material and practical, real-world industry experiences, facilitating the quicker application of skills in their professional roles,” said Srimathi Shivashankar, Corporate Vice President and Global Head, EdTech Business, HCLTech.

“With technology rapidly advancing across all domains, upskilling in new-age skills is more crucial than ever. In this era, the focus has moved to applied learning rather than just mastering fundamentals, as it directly impacts real-time ROI. Our collaboration is strategically timed to facilitate strong peer-to-peer learning, enabling scalable real-world outcomes. By seamlessly integrating learning with industry readiness, we empower global professionals and enterprises to effectively enhance their skills and capabilities,” added Srikanth Iyengar, CEO, upGrad Enterprise.

An Oliver Wyman Forum report predicts a $20T boost, which could increase global gross domestic product by 20% by 2030.

HCLTech’s Career ShaperTM edtech platform and services, built on industry- and domain-specific expertise, help enterprise clients and educational institutions train and upskill their workforce and learners on the latest technologies and skills, boosting the overall employability and productivity of the individual learner, the company and industry.

About HCLTech

HCLTech is a global technology company, home to more than 227,000 people across 60 countries, delivering industry-leading capabilities centered around digital, engineering, cloud and AI, powered by a broad portfolio of technology services and products. We work with clients across all major verticals, providing industry solutions for Financial Services, Manufacturing, Life Sciences and Healthcare, Technology and Services, Telecom and Media, Retail and CPG and Public Services. Consolidated revenues as of 12 months ending March 2024 totaled $13.3 billion. To learn how we can supercharge progress for you, visit hcltech.com.

About upGrad Enterprise

upGrad Enterprise, the Corporate Skilling and Workforce Development division of upGrad—Asia's leading skilling company that has 10 million+ learners enrolled to date—creates impact at scale through its world-class learning programs and tailor-made training solutions. upGrad Enterprise partners with mid and large organisations to equip their workforce with market-ready skills and mindsets that drive success. With a network of 3000 corporate partners and an impressive 90%+ training completion rate, upGrad Enterprise excels in delivering tailored skilling programs in high-demand fields such as AI and technology. Our offerings include corporate upskilling, government projects, and a train-and-deploy model for Global Capability Centers (GCCs) of leading and Fortune 500 brands, strengthening organizational leadership with new-age skill sets as they spread their footprint across Indian metropolitan cities. These solutions span the employee lifecycle to facilitate digital and business transformation in alignment with organizational goals, leading to capability building and value generation. A two-gold Awards recipient at the Brandon Hall, upGrad Enterprise trained over 600,000 professionals in a single year during FY24. For more details, please visit: https://www.upgrad-enterprise.com

upGrad Collaborates with Microsoft and IIIT Bangalore to Launch Industry-First Generative AI for Leaders Certification

4-month Certification with applied learning concepts to train mid-career and seasoned professionals with core AI competencies

upGrad, one of Asia’s largest integrated learning skilling and workforce development majors announces a new Certification on its portfolio in GenAI for Leaders with Microsoft and IIIT Bangalore to build a larger community of AI-ready business experts in India. This unique 4-month course is designed with applied learning concepts to train mid-career and seasoned professionals with core AI competencies, positioning them as formidable forces within the tech field.

This industry-first curriculum leverages an inclusive framework enabling learners to assess, design, and transform business problems by applying acquired knowledge in real-life situations. The curriculum is bolstered by strong tech faculty support from India’s premier research university, IIIT Bangalore. It includes live sessions with Microsoft, setting the right tone for India Inc. to upskill and lead the global AI talent supply chain.

The pedagogy also includes other elaborative elements such as:

• Build Your Own Business (BYOB) Case allows learners to bring their own business cases and develop solutions throughout their learning journey, ensuring relevant and hands-on experience
• Engage with industry stalwarts with extensive tech backgrounds, including the Chief Technology Officer of Capgemini, an Entrepreneur and Former Partner at Tata Insights and Quants, the AI/ML Lead at Jio Platforms Limited, and a Former Principal Data Scientist at Hewlett-Packard (HP India), through live sessions and masterclasses
• Include six modules encompassing understanding and application of AI and Gen AI in business, and crafting strategies with ROI-focused project planning
• Curated Capstone Projects to apply learned concepts to a comprehensive project, demonstrating mastery
• Reverse-engineered content and workshops with Microsoft and certification to enhance professional credentials
• 25+ live classes, multiple workshops, and access to cutting-edge AI tools such as ChatGPT, DALL-E, etc.

"As Generative AI revolutionizes the workforce, mastering AI-driven productivity tools is crucial for professionals. This course not only teaches leadership in the AI era but empowers leaders to implement and spearhead GenAI initiatives practically. By joining forces with upGrad and IIIT Bangalore, we offer real-world exposure and seamlessly integrate AI tools into educational frameworks. Our strategic industry-academia collaboration equips professionals with the skills to thrive in the evolving tech landscape, driving innovation, and sustainable growth in India’s tech sector,” said Venkat Krishnan, Executive Director of Public Sector, Healthcare, and Education at Microsoft India.

Commenting on building a skilled nation and contributing to India’s 2047 dream, Dr V Sridhar, Professor In-charge of Continuing Professional Education, IIIT-Bangalore explained the programme is structured to be in line with the market requirements. “AI, and in particular Generative AI is making inroads into every aspect of business processes including marketing campaigns, customer service, and process automation across varied industries such as transportation, hospitality, manufacturing, healthcare, and retail to name a few. When technologies such as these get embedded into businesses, it is the need of the hour for senior leaders to understand how such technologies can be deployed optimally within their organisations to reap the maximal benefits for all stakeholders including customers, employees, and business partners. With this in mind, we at IIIT-Bangalore, in collaborative partnership with the tech industry, offer this programme targetted at business leaders to understand and deploy effective AI solutions in their organisations.”

"This course is not about teaching leadership in the AI era but empowering leaders to adopt and lead GenAI initiatives in a practical way. With the rapid evolution of the industrial landscape, mastering Generative AI is no longer optional but essential," concluded Mayank Kumar, Co-founder & MD, upGrad. "Our collaboration with Microsoft and IIIT-Bangalore brings together the best of academia and industry, providing professionals with the skills needed to stay ahead. Leaders need to understand and leverage AI for driving business results and therefore, upskilling in such industry-ready skills will drive the next wave of talent and economic growth in India."

Certificate in GenAI for Leaders is set to become a pioneering force addressing the dynamic needs of today's workforce - also ensuring that learners emerge as adept AI leaders. Learners completing the course and graded projects will be eligible for a completion certification from IIIT-Bangalore along with a 1-day offline immersion at both - the Microsoft Development Centre and the IIIT-Bangalore campus (each).

upGrad is inviting enrolments and more details on the program, curriculum, and admission can be found through here: https://www.upgrad.com/generative-ai-for-business-leaders-iiit-bangalore/

upGrad and MSDE Trains India’s Youth from Non-Traditional Background in AI and Data Science

The initiative has been carried out through the skilling giant’s not-for-profit arm upGrad Foundation

upGrad Foundation, the not-for-profit and philanthropic arm of Asia's largest integrated learning, skilling, and workforce development company upGrad has recently concluded a 3-city ‘Future Skills Bootcamp on Data Science and Soft Skills’ with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).

Leaders in the frame (From left to right) Smt Trupti Pawar, Arpit Yadav, Dr Naresh Kumar Chavan, Dakshinamurthy Kolluru, Pintu Kumar Jain, Dr Shashikant, Dr Sumit

With a mission to equip India’s youth with essential skills in emerging technologies, each bootcamp was a week-long “train the trainer” program to support the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science from the ground up. 113 trainees were enrolled across National Skill Training Institute (NSTI) centers in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai. The program covered concepts in Data Science, including Machine Learning, AI applications, and Data visualization, along with contemporary soft skills for effective delivery.

This industry-linked initiative was aligned with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's Skill India Mission emphasizing practical, hands-on skilling. It was inaugurated in January this year at the NSTI Bengaluru (W), followed by the second edition in June at the NSTI Ramanthapur, Hyderabad. The latest edition was also inaugurated in the same month at the Chunabhatti campus of NSTI Mumbai by Joint Director, Shri Ketan Patel and Deputy Director, Dr Naresh Kumar Chavan, along with faculty from the uGDX School of Technology at ATLAS SkillTech University and other dignitaries. The initiative exemplifies the strong collaboration between government, industry and academia, and addresses the growing need for upskilling and enabling learners, especially the less privileged, to access opportunities in India’s fast-paced job market. It propels skill adoption by trainers who further train others, thus accelerating a multiplier effect.

"This course is designed to meet the needs of a growing market and the participants are excited and eager to improve their skills in this emerging field. The experienced faculty from upGrad are leading interactive sessions to actively engage the trainees,” commented Shri C.S. Murthy, Regional Director, Maharashtra, MSDE.

“There’s a massive socio-economic disparity in access to high-quality education within our communities. Our country’s most aspirational youth, most often face significant challenges in accessing education and employment opportunities. And as emerging fields like AI and Data Science continue to transform industries and create new job markets, it becomes crucial that we bridge this knowledge gap,” said Pramath Raj Sinha, who has joined One upGrad and is shaping up the agenda at upGrad Foundation. “It was carefully designed to build an equipped Bharat that is equally ready & capable for the global jobs of tomorrow,” Sinha added.

The bootcamps yielded impressive outcomes and received encouraging feedback from trainees. “We have gained knowledge of data science, Python, machine learning, and deep learning, which is very useful for us. Sessions were designed in a way that we could clear each and every doubt with trainers,” concluded a trainee Urmila who attended the Bootcamp at NSTI Bengaluru. upGrad Foundation is set to scale up its initiatives in training craft instructors at NSTI centers across the country. Through relentless efforts to accelerate the adoption of AI and Data Science, the Foundation will continue to empower India with modern-day skill competencies.

About upGrad

Started in 2015, upGrad is Asia’s largest integrated Learning, Skilling, and Workforce Development Company. The offerings range from online & hybrid Degree programs to pathway and study abroad programs to certification and Bootcamps to Diploma, Master’s and Doctorate programs for working professionals. upGrad provides most of these programs to enterprise clients through its B2B arm along with recruitment and staffing services. To date, upGrad has enrolled 10 million+ learners from 70+ countries, boasts a network of 300+ direct global university partners, wide line-up of 2500+ pathway connections, 20,000+ recruitment partners, and an enterprise arm with 3000 corporate partners, worldwide. www.upgrad.com

upGrad Launches the upGrad Alumni Network (UAN) to Accelerate Networking & Career Development for Alumni

An exclusive one-stop online community platform to help its alumni attain the best of professional networking and career development services

upGrad, Asia’s higher EdTech major is revolutionizing the online education space by taking its Lifelong relationship with its learners up a notch. The EdTech major launched an exclusive online community platform -upGrad Alumni Network (UAN), a first in the industry/higher-Ed space to help its learners in every phase of their career progression by bringing to them a host of career development services.

The upGrad Alumni Network is a one-stop online community portal that allows upGrad Alumni to find and discover other members and schedule/organize video meetings, avail of 1-1 mentorship, register & attend alumni events, apply and post jobs, access to resources library, etc. all at one go. The platform is available to the vast alumni pool irrespective of the location to come together and harness the true potential of the vibrant & diverse upGrad community.

“We are thrilled to launch the upGrad Alumni Network - a dedicated online platform that is exclusive to our culturally rich alumni community who are sitting out of multiple geographies across the globe. While our learners have already completed a part of their learning journey with us, it is our due responsibility to empower them with the best of career-driven services. Therefore, this initiative will be a game-changing moment in supporting our alumni community with quick networking and career-building opportunities. As we progress from here, we are sure that these members will be able to unlock the true potential of this highly engaged network,” said Mayank Kumar, Co-founder & MD, upGrad.

The newly launched platform reaffirms upGrad's commitment to being the LifeLongLearning partner for every learner and promises to be with them at every stage of their professional journey.

About upGrad:

upGrad - started in 2015 - is a pioneer in the online education revolution, focused on powering career success for a global workforce of over 1.3 billion. It is one of the few Integrated LifeLongLearning Tech Companies in the world - spanning the college learner to the working professional from the age group of 18-50years and across Undergrad courses, Campus & JobLinked Programs, Studying Abroad, short form to executive programs to Degrees, Masters and Doctoral - with a learner base of over 2 million across 50 countries and over 300 Univ partners & a robust enterprise business with a client base of 1000 companies worldwide.

upGrad’s Global Learning Engine rests on four pillars - (a) its large repository of original & owned content and IP - (b) its own best-in-class proprietary tech platform - (c) its high touch human-led delivery service backed by coaches & mentors - and - (d) an 85% course completion track record, backed by a further 80% career outcomes guaranteed performance.

Already termed Asia’s higher EdTech leader it has offices in the UK, US, Middle East, India, Singapore & Vietnam and presence in many more countries.

upGrad to Acquire Leading EdTech Player Talentedge

upGrad, Asia’s largest online higher education company has entered into an exclusive agreement to acquire Talentedge (i.e., Arrina Education Services, the Holding Company of Talentedge Education Ventures Private Limited), one of India's largest online higher education companies. This would be one of the larger consolidations in the Indian Higher education space. Talentedge is slated to do revenue of over INR 130 Crore this year and double its revenue in the coming year. Sources say the deal value is at 3-4X this year’s revenue.

This acquisition marks the first step in the massive consolidation that is currently occurring through big-ticket acquisitions led by upGrad. upGrad which is currently the number 1 player in this space is acquiring Talentedge, which is currently the number 4 player in the sector.

Gurgaon-based Talentedge offers more than 60 courses in partnership with 20+ universities. Talentedge partners with top Indian & International institutes including IIMs, XLRI, MICA, eCornell, UCLA extension among others, and has more than 5,00,000 individual and corporate learners.

"upGrad has cemented its leadership position as the most integrated player in higher education in Asia, serving learners and working professionals across the age group of 18-50 years. Talentedge has meticulously built a strong business over the last decade and stayed the course in this space where most did not survive and we are very pleased to welcome them at upGrad as we build one of the largest EdTech companies in the world," said Ronnie Screwvala, Chairperson and Co-Founder, upGrad.

Aditya Malik, CEO & MD, Talentedge

 
"Coming together with upGrad enables us to access their best-in-class products and solutions, technology, and their data-driven pedagogical approach. It's a win-win for learners and employers as a consolidated positioning enables us to serve them better. Talentedge will continue to work as is with its University & Institute partners to deliver the quality education to its learners across Degree & Certification programs," said Aditya Malik, CEO & MD, Talentedge.

Gaurav Kumar, President - Corporate Development and M&A, upGrad said, "upGrad’s M&A strategy is to identify companies who share the vision to build a world-class learning organization at scale and we find the Talentedge team as perfect partners. We are in the active stage of closing a few more large acquisitions in India as well internationally which will be announced in the next one to two quarters."

About upGrad:

upGrad - started in 2015 is a pioneer in the online education revolution, focused on powering career success for a global workforce of over 1.3 billion. It is one of the few Integrated LifeLongLearning Tech Companies in the world - spanning the college learner to the working professional from the age group of 18-60 years and across Undergrad courses, Campus & Job Linked Programs, Studying Abroad, short form to executive programs to Degrees, Masters and Doctoral - with a learner base of over 2 million across 50 countries and over 300 University partners & a robust enterprise business with a client base of 1000 companies worldwide.

upGrad’s Global Learning Engine rests on four pillars - (a) its large repository of original & owned content and IP, (b) its own best-in-class proprietary tech platform, (c) its high touch human led delivery service backed by coaches & mentors, and (d) an 85% course completion track record, backed by a further 80% career outcomes guaranteed performance.

Already termed Asia’s higher EdTech leader it has offices in the UK, US, Middle East, India, Singapore & Vietnam, and presence in many more countries.

About Talentedge

The first to bring ‘Live & Interactive’ anywhere learning in digital format, Talentedge is an Ed-Tech firm that is changing the way India learns. With a stated brand purpose of "letting no ambition go unfulfilled”, Talentedge helps professionals to fulfil their dreams and aspirations across India. Offering courses jointly with leading institutes such as IIMs, XLRI, MICA, eCornell, UCLA amongst others, Talentedge enables working professionals to plan their future course of action and fast track their careers through new-age learning that fulfils their career aspirations. Talentedge recreates classroom-type interactions in the virtual world and has already struck a chord with over 500,000 individuals and corporate learners. To know more visit www.talentedge.com

Upgrad - the New Unicorn; Raises a Total of $185 Mn at the Valuation of $1.2 Bn

Doubles in valuation in 60 days from first fundraise; Reports claim in advanced talks for a USD 400 Million fundraise at a valuation of USD 4 Billion

upGrad, Asia’s higher edtech major, has turned a unicorn as it closes a series of raises from Temasek, IFC (International Finance Corporation, a sister organization of the World Bank and member of the World Bank Group), and IIFL. It has raised a total of USD 185 Million at a value of USD 1.2 Billion.

“We are very focussed on our path to being in the top 3-5 companies globally in EdTech and serving the 1 Billion workforce across the age group of 18 to 60 years. We are pleased with the investor interest ever since we opened up for a fundraise, and had our maiden raise from Temasek, followed by IFC and IIFL in the last 60 days. We will announce further updates on M&As, and unlocking value as they unfold. Yes, the last value was at USD 1.2 Billion, but as I keep saying, we are not a fan of the tag name unicorn - for us, it is only a means to a much larger goal,” said Ronnie Screwvala, Chairperson and Co-founder, upGrad confirming the news.

The edtech leader has always been promoter-funded with the founder group still owning 70% plus in the company. Recent reports suggest, the company is in advanced talks for a USD 400 Million fundraise at a valuation of USD 4 Billion, and so this milestone of unicorn is just a path to the larger mission of the global edtech major - upGrad.

Ronnie Screwvala - Co-founder & Chairman, upGrad

upGrad is a pioneer in the online education revolution, changing the lives of millions for the better by “Powering career success for every member of the global workforce as their trusted lifelong learning partner”. Co-Founded by one of the world’s most impactful entrepreneurs, Ronnie Screwvala along with Mayank Kumar and Phalgun Kompalli, upGrad has impacted over 1 million total registered learners in over 50+ countries.

upGrad, Asia’s higher EdTech leader, uniquely drives deep learning for the real world, by creating original content harnessing industry experts across the globe and offers learners a hyper-personalized, comprehensive one-stop solution, combining the power of its’ proprietary AI-driven technology platform with its army of counsellors who handhold learners for the entire duration of their course.

To provide the best university quality education, upGrad brings together the world’s leading universities, faculty & industry experts on an integrated digital platform, delivering an immersive experience with full flexibility to study at one’s own pace. upGrad’s ever-expanding roster of leading global universities includes Duke Corporate Education (US), Michigan State University (US), Liverpool John Moores University (UK), Deakin Business School (Australia), Swiss School of Business Management, (Geneva), IIT Madras (India), IIM Kozhikode (India).

upGrad’s alumni base is employed by blue-chip organizations like Gojek, PayTM, Gartner, Flipkart (Walmart-acquired), Accenture, and E&Y. upGrad is #1, LinkedIn Top Startups India 2020 and is in Top 50 of the FT Asia-Pacific High-Growth Companies 2021 and the GSV Global EdTech 50

upGrad Jeet Builds A Road-To-Success; Help Aspirants Achieve Single-Digit Ranks in GATE 2021 Results

The coaching institute (formerly known as The Gate Academy) has aided over 142 rankers in Top 100 List from the GATE 2021 result

Mumbai, 8th April 2021: Within just a month of launching a new business solution and rebranding its 100% subsidiary, The Gate Academy (TGA), now rechristened as the 'upGrad Jeet', has enabled over 142 government-job seekers to come in the Top 100 AIR (All India Rank) List and move strongly towards achieving their desired career goal. These learners are required to go through 900 hours of training over a period of 12 months, which includes online coaching/training, one-on-one career counselling sessions, projects completion, workshops with industry mentors & experts, along with other engagement programs to help them enhance their skill sets. Such an advanced teaching structure and detailed guidance helps learners crack GATE and attain meaningful professional growth.

One such inspiring success story is of a young upGrad Jeet learner, Polarpu Akhil from Kalyandurgam, Andhra Pradesh, who comes from a very humble background and is a son of a bus conductor. He battled all his personal struggles to achieve great heights in the recently announced GATE 2021 results and secured AIR 4 in Electronics and Communication (EC), thus making his family proud. Akhil now stands as a role model to all those who face financial difficulties and thinks cracking the entrance exams is not possible. "My message to all those who are preparing for Government exams, is to remain positive, and be consistent in your daily preparation," he adds.

Ritesh Raushan, CEO - upGrad Jeet commented, "Most of the Government job aspirants come from humble backgrounds with certain financial or personal limitations. They find it extremely difficult to travel to metro cities for quality education and coaching. Hence, our vision at upGrad Jeet is to get the best of teachers and offer their tutoring to learners from the remotest part of the country who are deprived of quality education."

Mayank Kumar, Co-founder, and MD, upGrad added, "In line with our vision of driving meaningful career outcomes for our learners, we have differentiated and extended our line of solutions to reach the length and breadth of the country. We are happy to support and to play an important role in empowering the nation, particularly the youth."

upGrad Jeet aligns with the brand's ambition of Rural India penetration strategy in making Bharat employable. This also marks the higher edtech leader upGrad's foray into the INR 400 Billion test preparation market for government exams pan India.

About upGrad

upGrad is South Asia's largest higher edtech company offering 100+ courses in collaboration with top-notch global universities like Deakin Business School (Australia), Duke CE (US), Michigan State University (US), Liverpool Business School (UK), IIT Madras (India), IIM Kozhikode (India) and others. The international edtech leader has impacted over 1 million total registered learners over 50+ countries across the world.

upGrad has ranked No.1 in the LinkedIn Top Startups India 2020 list and has been ranked 43rd in the FT Asia-Pacific High-Growth Companies 2021 List in partnership with Nikkei Asia and Statista. This is the third time in a row that upGrad has been featured in the LinkedIn Top Startup list after 2018 and 2019. It is also amongst GSV Global EdTech 50 List.

To know more, visit: www.upgrad.com


About upGrad Jeet

upGrad Jeet aims to ensure the win ("Jeet") of every learner. Winners need to sweat it out every day to win and the course is exactly designed to make every aspirant become an active learner. With daily and weekly goal settings, notification-based study reminders, one-to-one mentorship, 24/7 doubt solving, revision modules, personalization all driven by technology, upGrad Jeet stands for participative learning. We have the best faculties to teach and make the students solve thousands of questions while you learn from basic concepts to mix, and complex ones to ultimately solve questions at the actual exam level and beyond. The learning methodology is like a guided tour where each and every learner is supported according to their level.

upGrad records an Annual Revenue Run Rate of USD 165 Million

Forecasts 25% revenue growth & profitability in the next Quarter

BANGALORE, India, April 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- upGrad, South Asia's largest higher edtech, today announced that it has crossed the milestone of USD 14 Million a month and achieved an Annual Revenue Run rate (ARR) of USD 165 Million. The edtech major now targets 25% revenue growth in the next quarter (April-May-June) with profitability in sight.

 

Ronnie Screwvala said, "It's been a tough Covid year. I know many have said 2020 was a break-out year for edtech, but on the contrary, I can clearly see Higher Education hitting its massive inflection point once the pandemic settles down. Most of us are wondering what will 'change' post the pandemic, but at upGrad we are building on what will not change for the next many decades - the future of online and LifeLongLearning. And that allows us to build a global company, at scale."

upGrad Co-founder & Chairman Ronnie Screwvala is one of Asia's most successful entrepreneurs, having ranked amongst the 100 most influential people in the world by Time 100 and amongst 25 Asia's Most Powerful people by Fortune Magazine. He founded media conglomerate UTV which was listed in India, and on the AIM/London Stock Exchange, before divesting it to Walt Disney at an enterprise value of USD 1.4 billion in 2013. Screwvala, along with his co-founders in his second innings is committing to building upGrad as a global leader in online education.

2020 was the year where upGrad grew by 100% in revenues, tripled its course offerings, hit the ball out of the park on global MBAs, scaled university partnerships, put together a crack global team, crossed 1 Million learners across 50+ countries, delivered 10 Million hours of Learning experiences, and closed 3 acquisitions.

upGrad's success can be seen through it beefing up its leadership team with the hiring of ex-Grab leader Saranjit Sangar as CEO - EMEA, ex-Disney chief Zubin Gandevia as CEO - APAC, followed by developing the four-member board comprising of distinguished leaders for its UK operations and appointment of more leaders to drive business & university partnership across the US & Indonesia.

"For us to get to our USD 2 Billion Revenue goal by 2026, we are well placed in all our building blocks. In 2021 & 2022, we will be linking all the dots in LifeLongLearning - from anyone entering college, to all the way to retirement, and everything in between. The consolidation of our international expansion and strategic acquisitions will further fuel non-linear revenue growth in 2021. upGrad's differentiator of deep learning, record 85% course completion ratio, along with meeting career goals of learners, will keep us a market leader and a partner of choice for our learners and academia alliances around the world," concluded Screwvala, Co-founder & Chairman, upGrad.

Click here to visit www.upgrad.com and learn more about its online programs.

About upGrad

 
upGrad is an international online higher education leader offering 100+ courses in collaboration with top-notch global universities like Deakin Business School (Australia), Duke CE (US), Michigan State University (US), Liverpool Business School (UK), IIT Madras (India), IIM Kozhikode (India) and others. The edtech major has impacted over 1 million total registered learners over 50+ countries across the world.

upGrad has ranked No.1 in the LinkedIn Top Startups India 2020 list. This is the third time in a row that upGrad has been featured in the LinkedIn Top Startup list after 2018 and 2019. It is also amongst GSV Global EdTech 50.

Media Contact:
Neha Prasad
neha.prasad@upgrad.com

upGrad eyes rapid APAC expansion with the appointment of ex-Disney chief Zubin Gandevia as CEO, Asia-Pacific

Zubin Gandevia CEO - Asia-Pacific upGrad

The edtech leader has already impacted one million individuals and is now going global with its proven approach helping bridge skills gap across the region

Mumbai, January 12th, 2021: upGrad, India's largest online higher education company, has signalled its commitment to growing its presence across Asia-Pacific, with the appointment of Zubin Gandevia as CEO for the region.

A respected entertainment industry leader, Zubin most recently served as President, Asia Pacific and Middle East, at FOX Networks Group Asia (part of the Walt Disney Co.). In this role, he led FOX to become Asia's number one Pay TV network, bringing leading media brands to consumers in over 30 countries. In a rapidly changing entertainment sector, Zubin's ability to anticipate consumer demand, champion digital innovation and build strategic partnerships, resulted in impressive market share growth for FOX. He is credited with FOX's first-mover advantage in the region, and was responsible for the launch of high-definition (HD), on-demand entertainment and the direct-to-consumer FOX+ app since superseded by Disney+.

Prior to this, Zubin was Chief Operating Officer Asia Pacific & Middle East at FOX, orchestrating its key merger with Star, and the acquisition of ESPN Star Sports. Zubin had joined FOX from Star TV Network, where he created and scaled the National Geographic Channel. Before that, and while at university, Zubin's natural entrepreneurial spirit saw him co-found one of India's first cable networks that went on to become Hathway, India's largest cable services provider.

On welcoming Zubin to his new role, Ronnie Screwvala, Co-Founder & Chairman, upGrad, said, "Zubin brings an enviable track record of starting and scaling successful businesses and I'm excited for the potential we can unlock with his leadership. Having built a proven and trusted edtech brand in India, we are now poised for growth with plans to scale our offering to support more people in building their future careers, and Zubin is very well-placed to help us achieve this. He brings a lifetime of commercial wisdom and is a proven change-maker with a passion for lifelong learning, which aligns squarely with upGrad's values. His background in forging strategic partnerships and his keen interest in digital content delivery will be key accelerants for our expansion in Asia. I look forward to working with him to realise our vision of reaching a billion people through upGrad."

Seeking to address the employment and upskilling challenges faced by many economies in the region, Zubin will lead upGrad's expansion plans across APAC. Through partnerships with governments, universities and businesses, upGrad will launch localised online courses to boost the career prospects of thousands as countries look to pivot towards new digital and Industry 4.0 skills in response to the rising unemployment.

"By 2025, WEF predicts that around 85 million people will lose their jobs. Whilst, over the same period, 97 million new jobs will be created, these will require very different skills. Without the ability to reskill people quickly, and at scale, millions will potentially be displaced from work. It will require new technology and a fresh approach to partnerships between the government, industry and academia, if we are to meet this challenge head-on and in doing so, truly change the lives of millions for the better," said Zubin Gandevia, Chief Executive Officer, upGrad - APAC.

"I'm excited to be part of this transformation, helping to benefit individuals and societies by making it easier to continue to learn new skills throughout our working lives. What particularly attracted me to upGrad was the company's entrepreneurial approach and obsessive devotion to making the learner experience creative, connected, interactive and immersive - just like in the world of entertainment," added Zubin.

Zubin Gandevia starts his new role from January, 2021 and will be based out of Hong Kong.

upGrad Records 100 percent Growth Since Start of the Fiscal Year

(L-R) Phalgun Kompalli, Mayank Kumar, and Ronnie Screwvala - Co-founders of upGrad

upGrad, India’s largest higher edtech, crossed 1 million total registered LifeLongLearners on its platform recently. The milestone announcement came along with the reporting of the Q3 financial result, where upGrad clocked its highest-ever revenue in a single quarter. It has grown 100% in the last 9 months from the start of the financial year.

Till March 2020, the higher edtech leader had 500K learners on its platform and within three quarters it doubled the number to reach 1 million. With this momentum and its growth plans, upGrad forecasts impacting the careers of the next one million youth & working professionals within the next 18 months, and is targeting an INR 2500 crore revenue run-rate for FY’22.

“We set out in 2015 to pioneer and create a market with strong online, deep-learning options for the 50-100 million working professionals in India. Given our present scale and our future growth plans, we are proud of the impact we have made in changing lives and careers. Our one million, going to a two-million mark, are serious learners who are investing their personal capital to achieve their ambitions, and we are with them as their LifeLongLearning partner,” said Ronnie Screwvala and Mayank Kumar, Co-founders in their first announcement of 2021.

upGrad’s initiatives to get to their growth target are multi-fold and involves:

(a) upGrad Enterprises which will expand on a roster of the top companies and their learning & training needs.

(b) Strong enabler to universities, as online degrees set to drop all barriers and give millions of young Indians a chance to pursue their goals online, as well as, from a university of their choice - something not possible till the sweeping changes brought about by the New Education Policy and the announcements supporting that by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

(c) Great line-up of Indian and global universities, whose list will expand threefold in 2021.

(d) Non-linear growth in allied fields of test-prep, recruitment via M&As, with some more to be announced in the first quarter.

(e) International expansion in the APAC, Middle East, UK, & USA - all scheduled to go live in 2021.

Over 450 companies including The Math Company, PayTM, Gartner, NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India), Flipkart, HDFC Life, Naukri, Accenture, E&Y, and Ola hired 1200+ learners from the upGrad talent pool in 2020, with learners receiving an average salary hike of 46%, beating the industry benchmark of 20-30%. The edtech major’s future plans for driving stronger career outcomes for its learners will be well-complemented by Rekrut India, a recruitment firm that it acquired in the last quarter and will be integrated with the brand this year.

Click here to learn more about upGrad: https://www.upgrad.com/?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=BWI&utm_campaign=BPR_ALL_ALL_ALL_PR_BWI_upGradQ3FinancialResults_ALL_All

upGrad Acquires Recruitment firm Rekrut India; Forecasts A Massive Jump in Career Outcomes for Learners

upGrad, India's largest online higher edtech has acquired Rekrut India, the recruitment and staffing solutions company. This 100% acquisition marks an unprecedented M&A in India, where an edtech company has acquired a recruitment firm.

The Mumbai-based Rekrut India provides solutions to build organisations' human capital through their deep sectoral expertise, an extensive network of 100+ recruiting experts, and pioneering products that are agile & adaptive given the complexities of hiring in today's times. Rekrut has built a wide reach through its multiple hiring models which allow simplified hiring. It is currently working closely with many corporate Startups, MSMEs, and large enterprises.

Driving ROI of education through career outcomes has been a core differentiator for the edtech major upGrad. Acquisition of Rekrut will turbocharge its career engine by opening up wider placement opportunities and propelling accessibility of upGrad learners to Rekrut's hiring partners.

Talking about the acquisition, upGrad Co-founders Ronnie Screwvala, Mayank Kumar, and Phalgun Kompalli, in a joint statement, said, "Rekrut will now open the floodgate of career opportunities for upGrad learners. Hence, we are thrilled to announce the onboarding of the team, a significant step in making upGrad a career powerhouse for professionals. This move is integrally aligned with our company's vision of powering career success for every member of the global workforce as their trusted lifelong learning partner." 

Post the acquisition, Rekrut India, a 100% subsidiary of upGrad, will continue to operate independently, with Ajay Shah continuing as the Managing Director. Given the massive potential of the recruitment sector, which in itself is an INR 15,000 crore market, upGrad firmly believes an independent business in this sector will provide strong non-linear growth opportunities for the edtech major.

"Currently in the market we operate in, we don't give jobs to people; we give people to jobs. This is predominantly due to the skill gap in India. The upGrad-Rekrut synergy will disrupt the ecosystem and build an end-to-end supply chain of manpower, where Rekrut is the demand partner providing cutting-edge jobs and upGrad will supply the highly skilled, and future-ready talent. We will be taking the learners' pipeline to the relevant industry stakeholders thereby helping them find the right talent with speed, while in parallel offering a wider choice of career transition for upGrad learners," said, Ajay Shah, Managing Director, Rekrut.

"Our M&A strategy is focused towards building a wider higher education and career ecosystem and Rekrut fits-in perfectly with its capabilities to drive tangible ROI for our learners. upGrad's plans of 300% growth in its paid learner base and driving career outcomes for these 1.2 million learners by FY25, will be further accelerated with this strategic acquisition," said Gaurav Kumar, President - Corporate Development, upGrad.

The Rekrut acquisition comes at a time when online education has started to gain greater acceptance with recruiters, thereby thawing the age-old offline-online perception divide when it came to hiring talent. Prior to Rekrut, upGrad's in-house career services team was reaching out to around 100-200 hiring partners in a year and drove over 1000 career transitions in 2020, with an average salary hike of 44%. With Rekrut's expertise and core business being driving placements, upGrad is fairly confident to boost its current volume by 10X and drive meaningful career outcomes for learners, at scale, and with speed.

About upGrad: 

upGrad is India's largest online higher education company. Founded in early 2015, upGrad has impacted almost 1 million individuals globally, within a short span of 5 years.

upGrad provides online programs in the areas of Data Science, Technology, Management and Law to college students, working professionals and enterprises. These programs are designed and delivered in collaboration with top-notch universities like IIT Madras, IIIT Bangalore, MICA, BIMTECH, NMIMS Global Access, Jindal Global Law School, Duke CE, Deakin University, Liverpool John Moores University and others. With an 80% program completion rate, robust tech platform, outcome-based learning approach, industry-relevant curriculum, finest university credentials, strong mentorship, and steadfast placement support, upGrad has established its position as the leader in the Indian education system.

IIIT Bangalore and upGrad's PG Diploma in Data Science is India's first-ever PG Diploma, with over 10,000 alumni & learner-base, to be recommended and validated by the NASSCOM and is aligned to Government approved National Occupational Standards (NOS). ​upGrad ranked​ as India's​ No.1​ startup,​ ​as per the LinkedIn​ ​Top​ ​Startups 2020 list. This is the third time in a row that upGrad has been featured​ ​in the​ top startup list by LinkedIn. ​The edtech major received the title of 'Best Education Brands' by Economic Times in 2020​ for the second time, post winning the same title in 2018. ​The brand made it to the​ prestigious​ GSV Global EdTech 50 List 2020. ​Owing to its world-class learning platform. upGrad won the 'Best Communication and Teaching Platform' in the Education Innovation Awards 2020 by Entrepreneur India​ as well as received the title of 'Best Tech for Education' by IAMAI in 2019.

To know more, visit: www.upgrad.com 

upGrad Acquires The Gate Academy, Forays into the INR 400 Bn Test Preparation market in India

Mumbai, 24th November 2020: upGrad, India's largest online higher education company, announces its entry into the test preparation market with the 100% acquisition of The Gate Academy (TGA) for an undisclosed amount.

Bengaluru based TGA is one of India's premier coaching institutes with 57 centers across India and 76 million video hours consumed by its almost 2 lakh enrolled learners for GATE and other entrance tests for various Public/Government Sector jobs.

This move marks the aggressive entry of the higher edtech leader upGrad into the overall Test Prep market. Data shows that just the Government Exam Prep market sees around 40 Million applicants every year spending in a range of INR 10,000, thus opening up a new INR 400 Billion market for the company.

Announcing the acquisition, upGrad Co-founders Ronnie Screwvala & Mayank Kumar, said in a joint statement, "We're thrilled to onboard Ritesh & the team. TGA provides upGrad a non-linear growth opportunity in new-segment entry and deeper penetration in the semi-urban & rural markets, which is in line with our core vision of making Bharat employable by adopting the mantra of LifeLong Learning. With every strategic move, we are ensuring that upGrad leads from the front as India emerges as the teaching capital of the world."

Post the acquisition, TGA will operate as a subsidiary of upGrad and will continue with its brand name. Ritesh Raushan will pursue as the CEO of the entity to build this business line, with all the support from upGrad, who will be providing its proprietary online learning solution and tools for enhancing the learning experience, as well as its sales, marketing, and content prowess. The edtech leader also plans to invest over INR 100 crore into this test preparation subsidiary and will be developing over 20,000 hours of content in multiple languages to provide access to at least one million test-takers annually.

In his new role, Ritesh Raushan, Founder & CEO, The Gate Academy said, "We all are very excited to join hands with upGrad team. We aim to employ our extensive experience in both physical and online modes of teaching to create a world-class product that will bring fundamental changes in the way technology enables learning in the future."

Gaurav Kumar, President - Corporate Development, upGrad, who spearheaded this acquisition said, "This is another step by upGrad in successfully accelerating its strategy for exponential growth and enhancing its product portfolio through acquisition. The acquisition also sets in upGrad's plans for building a comprehensive post-K-12 ecosystem in motion. Bringing in TGA opens up a much larger addressable market that acutely needs quality online training and counselling. We are excited at the prospect of assisting youth from "Bharat" achieve their job aspirations."

Concluding on the acquisition announcement, Arjun Mohan, CEO - India, upGrad said: "With the rapidly increasing interest in online education and commitment to LifeLong Learning, upGrad has strengthened its position in the higher education sector by entering the test prep market with TGA. The coming months will be very exciting as we have a robust plan of over 100 new program launches with top national & international universities, coupled with other acquisitions in the higher education space."

For upGrad, this is a first among the series of M&A's, they plan to announce over the next three months, in allied fields of higher education.

About upGrad

upGrad is India's largest online higher education company. Founded in early 2015, upGrad has impacted almost 1 million individuals globally, within a short span of 5 years.

upGrad provides online programs in the areas of Data Science, Technology, Management, and Law to college students, working professionals, and enterprises. These programs are designed and delivered in collaboration with top-notch universities like IIT Madras, IIIT Bangalore, MICA, BIMTECH, NMIMS Global Access, Jindal Global Law School, Duke CE, Deakin University, Liverpool John Moores University, and others.

With an 80% program completion rate, robust tech platform, outcome-based learning approach, industry-relevant curriculum, finest university credentials, strong mentorship, and steadfast placement support, upGrad has established its position as the leader in the Indian education system.

IIIT Bangalore and upGrad's PG Diploma in Data Science is India's first-ever PG Diploma, with over 10,000 alumni & learner-base, to be recommended and validated by the NASSCOM and is aligned to Government approved National Occupational Standards (NOS). ​upGrad ranked​ as India's​ No.1​ startup,​ ​as per the LinkedIn​ ​Top​ ​Startups 2020 list. This is the third time in a row that upGrad has been featured​ ​in the​ top startup list by LinkedIn. ​The edtech major received the title of 'Best Education Brands' by Economic Times in 2020​ for the second time, post winning the same title in 2018. ​The brand made it to the​ prestigious​ GSV Global EdTech 50 List 2020. ​Owing to its world-class learning platform. upGrad won the 'Best Communication and Teaching Platform' in the Education Innovation Awards 2020 by Entrepreneur India​ as well as received the title of 'Best Tech for Education' by IAMAI in 2019. 

upGrad could become India’s 1st GDPR Compliant Edtech, as it draws Big Plans of International Expansion

Mumbai, 19th November 2020: Since May 25th, 2018, when the E.U. enforced the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, no known home-grown e-learning platform has been operating in member states of E.U. The dry spell might just be broken by upGrad, India's largest higher edtech.

upGrad is building its subsidiaries across EMEA & APAC and has recently onboarded international CEOs to build & run its operations in these markets. The big international expansion plans of upGrad in the coming 6 quarters is hinging on the brand's tech talent which is currently 150 people strong and tech capabilities to support GDPR compliance across all systems, opening the doors to the untapped European Markets.



"Privacy and security are critical for today's online businesses and with India also heading towards a new privacy policy framework, GDPR compliance is an important investment that not only drives international expansion but also readiness for the future," said Puneet Tanwar, Head of Technology, upGrad.



The core product for the learning experience will be unified across markets. The edtech major is building internationalised features such as country-specific content, multi-currency and multi-language support, etc. Also, on the roadmap for next year are features such as multi-region infrastructure deployments that provide learners the best performance due to proximity and resilience to handle any regional outages.



"The project is still in its infancy as one of the key things to materialise this ambition would be to get the right set of talent in the areas of SecOps and high scale multi-region architecture," Tanwar added.



"Factory model education is not restricted to India but is a universal phenomenon. So, is the need for personalised Lifelong Learning that we're building. Given GDPR is the future of data protection policies, building capabilities to ensure compliance to one, will enable us to quickly adapt to other region compliances as well, as we drive adoption of the platform across the globe," said Rohit Dhar, Head of Products, upGrad.



As per the United Nations, 132 of 194 countries have implemented Data Protection and Privacy Laws globally owing to the increasing importance of data and privacy, as COVID accelerates social & economic activities online. Only a matter of time, before the SAARC nations, follow suit.



About upGrad

upGrad is India's largest online higher education company. Founded in early 2015, upGrad has impacted almost 1 million individuals globally, within a short span of 5 years.



upGrad provides online programs in the areas of Data Science, Technology, Management and Law to college students, working professionals and enterprises. These programs are designed and delivered in collaboration with top-notch universities like IIT Madras, IIIT Bangalore, MICA, BIMTECH, NMIMS Global Access, Jindal Global Law School, Duke CE, Deakin University, Liverpool John Moores University and others.

With an 80% program completion rate, robust tech platform, outcome-based learning approach, industry-relevant curriculum, finest university credentials, strong mentorship, and steadfast placement support, upGrad has established its position as the leader in the Indian education system.



IIIT Bangalore and upGrad's PG Diploma in Data Science is India's first-ever PG Diploma, with over 10,000 alumni & learner-base, to be recommended and validated by the NASSCOM and is aligned to Government approved National Occupational Standards (NOS). ​upGrad ranked​ as India's​ No.1​ startup,​ ​as per the LinkedIn​ ​Top​ ​Startups 2020 list. This is the third time in a row that upGrad has been featured​ ​in the​ top startup list by LinkedIn. ​The edtech major received the title of 'Best Education Brands' by Economic Times in 2020​ for the second time, post winning the same title in 2018. ​The brand made it to the​ prestigious​ GSV Global EdTech 50 List 2020. ​Owing to its world-class learning platform. upGrad won the 'Best Communication and Teaching Platform' in the Education Innovation Awards 2020 by Entrepreneur India​ as well as received the title of 'Best Tech for Education' by IAMAI in 2019.



Link: www.upgrad.com

upGrad Redesigns People Policies, as Headcount Grows From 500 to 2000 During the Pandemic

To accelerate the growth momentum upGrad is experiencing since covid, the edtech major increased its employee headcount four-fold to reach 2000 within a short period of 8 months. The scaling necessitated the company to relook and restructure its people’s policies, as employees prepare to continue working remotely till June 2021.
 
Preempting the need for a rounded approach to monitor and meet the psychosocial needs, upGrad’s employee assistance partner with its 1000+ counsellors has been made available 24x7 on online chat, voice calls or video sessions.
 
Preeti Kaul, Head - HR, upGrad said, “Given youth is a majority in our talent, we rightly expected most to move back to their hometowns. We were cognizant that missing the office environment, and interpersonal interactions will have a huge interplay with the current state of living in joint families, with perhaps a lack of personal space, minimal physical & social activities, coupled with the anxiety of the pandemic. Thus, the holistic well-being of our employees, in addition to their physical safety, became the front and center of our people's practices.”
 
While upGrad improved the gamut of employee benefits by allowing covid leaves, add-on features in insurance policies, ex-gratia payouts to tide over dire medical emergencies, as well as invigorated remote employee engagement activities like fitness challenges, yoga classes, informal talk shows with senior leaders, and virtual stand-up comedies; what employees found most de-stressing is the one-on-one expert counselling sessions, where they opened up and uninhibitedly spoke about problems in relationship to self-improvement to sexual health concerns.

"Counsellor helped me analyze my situation. He gave me a clear distinction between decision making and tackling problems that might arise after taking a decision. The session, on the whole, was very helpful to me as it got me closer to understanding my emotions and myself better,” said an employee post a counselling call. Over 30% of employees who availed counselling have gained value and came back for 3 or more repeat sessions, reinstating the need for promoting healthier work-life balance. 

“He (father) clicked a picture of the gifts and shared in all his WhatsApp groups saying "Beti itni badi ho gayi hain ki uske office se ab humein gifts aa rahe hain (my daughter has grown up and today we're receiving gifts on her account),” emailed another employee to the founder's team, whose parents received their Diwali gift in Pithoragarh, a Himalayan town in Uttarakhand. In a gesture to thank the families of the employees who have been the silent supporters of their spouses, parents, and children, upGrad has sent over 2000 customised festive gifts to family members living across 1100 areas in India, ushering in the joy of festivities.

Click here to learn more about upGrad: https://www.upgrad.com/?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=BWI&utm_campaign=BPR_ALL_ALL_ALL_PR_
 

upGrad and BookMyShow partner to build a cohesive LifeLong Learning ecosystem for India’s workforce

The exclusive strategic partnership will enable the large universe of BookMyShow users to access upGrad's best-in-class upskilling and career advancement online programs 

After catering to the educational and entertainment needs of millions of Indians over the years, upGrad, India's largest online higher education company and BookMyShow, the leading entertainment platform in the country today announced a strategic partnership, enabling users to opt for their preferred upskilling, career advancement courses and choice of entertainment - all at a single destination. 

upGrad is the higher edtech leader with a plethora of online programs in partnership with top-notch national and international universities across Management, Data, Tech, and Law. The programs are well structured suiting the industry requirements and demands and is available for professional with a brief to extensive work experience and to the first-time job seekers. With a world-class learning platform available at their disposal, learners can easily shortlist programs based on their competencies and career prospects that shall help them achieve meaningful career outcomes.


Over the last 5 months, virtual workshops and masterclasses on educative, upskilling content have been hugely successful on BookMyShow with the formats gaining ground to become among the top 3 paid categories on the platform. This has enabled a large adoption of upskilling and educative workshops across a wide audience demographic of millions of users on BookMyShow.

Bringing two of fastest-growing sectors of entertainment and education together, this unique collaboration aims to build and offer quality education, career-oriented and upskilling formats to millennials and young working professionals across metros along with tier 2 cities and beyond, where BookMyShow has a strong consumer connect across its plethora of entertainment offerings. Online programs offered by the edtech major will now be available on the BookMyShow platform.

Talking about the partnership, Arjun Mohan, CEO – India, upGrad said, "With this one-of-a-kind arrangement with BookMyShow, we will now be enabling millions of interested individuals with quality higher education options at the ease of their fingertips. We operate in times when optimism for online education is growing at a rapid speed, and such an alliance will only accelerate it further."

Highlighting the importance of the category and its uptake, Albert Almeida, COO – Live Entertainment, BookMyShow said, "With millions locked indoors through this pandemic, adoption of virtual upskilling workshops and masterclasses have seen a huge surge on BookMyShow. This specific category that enables individuals hone their professional skills and helps them with career advancement has risen to become one of the top 3 paid categories on the platform. With geographical constraints and physical learning making way for virtual education, our partnership with upGrad will enable millions of BookMyShow users get access to quality learning and skilling."

About upGrad

upGrad is India's largest online higher education company. Founded in early 2015, upGrad has impacted almost 1 million individuals globally, within a short span of 5 years. 

upGrad provides online programs in the areas of Data Science, Technology, Management and Law to college students, working professionals and enterprises. These programs are designed and delivered in collaboration with top-notch universities like IIT Madras, IIIT Bangalore, MICA, BIMTECH, NMIMS Global Access, Jindal Global Law School, Duke CE, Deakin University, Liverpool John Moores University and others.

With an 80% program completion rate, robust tech platform, outcome-based learning approach, industry-relevant curriculum, finest university credentials, strong mentorship, and steadfast placement support, upGrad has established its position as the leader in the Indian education system.

IIIT Bangalore and upGrad's PG Diploma in Data Science is India's first-ever PG Diploma, with over 10,000 alumni & learner-base, to be recommended and validated by the NASSCOM and is aligned to Government approved National Occupational Standards (NOS). upGrad has ranked No.1 in the #LinkedInTopStartups India 2020 list. This is the third time in a row that upGrad has been featured in the #LinkedInTopStartup list after 2018 and 2019. upGrad made it to the GSV Global EdTech 50 List 2020. upGrad has won the 'Best Communication and Teaching Platform' in the Education Innovation Awards 2020 by Entrepreneur India. upGrad has been awarded the title of 'Best Tech for Education' by IAMAI in 2019. upGrad received the 'Best Education Brands' award by Economic Times in 2018, and the Most Innovative Companies in India' by Fast Company in 2017. 

Link: www.upgrad.com

About BookMyShow

Launched in 2007, BookMyShow, owned and operated by Big Tree Entertainment Pvt Ltd, is India's leading entertainment destination and the one-stop shop for every out-of-home entertainment need. The firm is present in over 650 towns and Launched in 2007, BookMyShow, owned and operated by Big Tree Entertainment Pvt Ltd (founded in 1999), is India's leading entertainment destination and the one-stop shop for every out-of-home entertainment need. The firm is present in over 650 towns and cities in India and works with partners across the industry to provide unmatched entertainment experiences to millions of customers. Over the years, the company has evolved from a purely online ticketing platform for movies across 6,000 screens, to end-to-end management of live entertainment events including music concerts, live performances, theatricals, sports and more, all accomplished at par with global standards. Some of the key properties that BookMyShow has brought to its markets over the past few years include U2's The Joshua Tree Tour, NBA's debut games in India, Disney's Aladdin, Cirque du Soleil BAZZAR as also international artists such as Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber to name a few.

BookMyShow has also built India's largest organic reviews and ratings engine for movies and has driven technology innovations, such as the m-ticket and Movie Mode, impacting tens of millions of users and the industry at large. With continued support from investors including TPG Growth, Stripes Group, SAIF Partners, Accel and Network18, BookMyShow is invested in providing the best user experience, whether on-ground or online. Demonstrating category leadership, BookMyShow has grown beyond India with operations in Dubai, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Singapore amongst others. The Mumbai-headquartered company counts Ticket Green, Eventifier, Masti Tickets, Townscript and Burrp amongst its key investments in the sector. BookMyShow is also committed to society at large, by way of its charity initiative BookASmile, which provides entertainment experiences to the underprivileged. For more information, please visit www.bookmyshow.com

For further details, please contact:

Satasha Praharaj | satasha.praharaj@adfactorspr.com | +91-9124004777

upGrad Records 50 Percent Revenue Growth in Q2

Business Wire India

Higher edtech leader upGrad released the Q2 business performance results, which reports a 50% growth in their gross revenue, thus keeping the company on track for its forecasted INR 1200 crore annual run rate.
 
The growth has been multifaceted this quarter:

(1) 20 new programs were added in Q2 in the areas of Marketing, Finance, Operations, HR, Law, Strategy & Leadership, Analytics, Big Data, IoT, Cyber Security, AI & Data Science

(2) Start date of programs, which used to be once a quarter till the last fiscal, had to be tripled this quarter to meet the growing demand.

(3) This has led to reaching a cumulative of 0.9 million learners, which will gain further momentum in the subsequent months.

(4) Career transition to other jobs for learners increased by 25% in this quarter, which had previously contracted by 60% as compared to pre-covid levels.

(5) The upGrad team size grew by over 800 during this Quarter to a total of 1800 employees spread over 1000 cities.

 
Sharing the financial result, Arjun Mohan, CEO - India, upGrad, said, “With the burgeoning interest in online education and commitment to LifeLongLearning, upGrad is perhaps the only one, who has been able to translate the intent into business at an ARPU of over INR 2.5 Lacs, especially in a market more frugal than ever before. The new quarter looks much stronger given our pipeline of 50+ new program launches with top national & international universities, coupled with our aggressive entry in the online degree space.”

“upGrad talent pool achieved tremendous outcomes in the last quarter. We enabled around 1000+ job transitions in 2020, to date. The covid period did impact the transition rate, but the quality of outcomes stands unwavering. One of our learners securing a package of INR 73 Lacs with a 43% hike in a covid-stricken market, bears testimony to the robustness of our business model,” said Mayank Kumar, Co-founder & MD, upGrad.
 
While the reported Q2 business growth has been largely from the domestic markets, the edtech leader in parallel, is amping up its global outreach by branching into the APAC, Middle East, Europe, UK, and the North African markets. It is also expected to open non-linear business growth avenues by closing in on some strategic mergers & acquisitions that will support its exponential growth track record in the coming quarters.
 
Click here to know more about upGrad:
https://www.upgrad.com/?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=BWI&utm_campaign=BPR_ALL_ALL_ALL_PR_BWI_upGradQ2RevenueGrowth_ALL_All