Ambitio Nets $2 Mn to Boost Its AI-Powered Admissions Platform

SUMMARY

Ambitio raised $2 Mn in a seed funding round led by BLinC Invest, along with participation from investors in India and the UK

The startup’s AI-powered admissions platform leverages over 10 Mn data points to provide personalised insights and expert guidance for students

Ambitio aims to assist over 500,000 students in navigating global admissions with a more transparent and effective process

Artificial intelligence-powered admissions startup Ambitio has raised $2 Mn (around INR 17.5 Cr) as a part of its seed funding round led by BLinC Invest.

The round also saw participation from a clutch of angel investors from the UK and India, including Impetus cofounder Ritu Bapna.

The company plans to deploy the fresh proceeds to scale up its distribution channels. It aims to expand its student user base to over 5 Lakh in the next two years.

As of now, the startup claims to have guided over 5,000 Indian students to get admissions into universities like NYU, Stanford, Wharton and Harvard among others.

Founded by Vikrant Shivalik, Dirghayu Kaushik and Vaibhav Tyagi in 2022, Ambitio specialises in global education admissions process through its AI platform, which acts as a copilot for higher education abroad.

Its product stack includes admit finder to help students gauge their chances of admission in a college by discovering past admits, shortlist builder to personalise their university picks, course finder to find the appropriate global course and scholarship finder to understand the scholarship process better.

The startup operates on a subscription-based revenue model, charging students INR 1,500 for six months. It also has an elite subscription plan for a higher fee, which provides additional expert support.

“With the help of AI, Ambitio analyses over 1 Mn successful applications to create a personalised strategy, and matches students to the best-fit universities using real admission data,” the company said in a statement.

In the study abroad category, Ambitio competes against established players like LeverageEdu and Leap.

Last week, Leap’s student lending arm Leap Finance secured a $100 Mn debt facility from HSBC under its ASEAN Growth Fund.

Meanwhile, Ambitio’s fundraise comes at a time when investor interest in the sector is on an upward trajectory. As per Inc42’s Annual Funding Report, 2024, Indian edtech startups raised more than $568 Mn in 2024, up from $283 Mn in 2023.