Fintech platform Skillsvest raised Rs 5.5 Cr Pre-seed funding from Plug and Play Ventures
In a pre-seed funding round that included both debt and equity, Skillsvest, a fintech platform that specializes in financing education, raised Rs 5.5 crore.
Sascha Mornell and other angel investors participated in the round, which was headed by Plug and Play Ventures. Additionally, UC Berkeley SkyDeck and Jason Calacanis’ Launch Accelerator support the business.
The money raised will be utilized to increase partnerships, improve regulatory readiness, and scale student financing.
Sreemaan Thiruppathiraja and Deborah Schermann founded Skillsvest, which provides international master’s students with a “pay only if you earn” model. The platform allows funding without collateral or co-signers; repayments are based on income and only happen when a predetermined threshold is reached.
The startup currently supports both living expenses and tuition for Indian students pursuing higher education in markets like the US, UK, and Europe.
With a waitlist of over 3,000 students, Skillsvest claims to have deployed more than Rs 1.2 crore thus far. Additionally, it has distribution partnerships with more than 4,500 college counselors throughout India.
Skillsvest hopes to assist 50–100 students over the course of the next 12–18 months while creating a larger ecosystem centered around career outcomes.
