How this startup is changing lives of Indian students without any VC money

ANI |
Updated: Aug 03, 2022 17:18 IST

New Delhi [India], August 3 (ANI/ATK): The year was 2020 and COVID was ravaging the world. In the midst of it all, CampusTrail was born. While its success is noteworthy, the story of its humble beginning is truly commendable. To understand its vision, one must delve into its founding team.
The startup is a brainchild of Abhishek Nalavde – the founder and CEO of CampusTrail, who’s an engineering drop-out and an MPSC pass-out. It was indeed an audacious decision when he announced he wouldn’t be joining the state bureaucracy but would rather pursue his passion and study Finance in the US. In his attempt to land a seat at a US University, he went through a very draining and expensive ordeal where he found himself jumping through various hoops, dealing with multiple agencies and getting ripped off by everyone.
And that’s where the dream of CampusTrail was born – he wanted to create a helping hand for the students: A one-stop-shop that provided a seamless experience and acted as a trusted partner throughout the student’s journey.
To realize this dream, Abhishek turned to his childhood friends and convinced – Rishabh Muralkar, who’s an Architect; Saurabh Dwivedi, who’s a Chartered Accountant; and Akshay Sapkale, who’s a Finance Graduate – to work on this singular mission. Together they pitched in a grand total of twenty thousand rupees, incorporated their LLP, built a website, and started posting digital advertisements.
It clicked! Within no time, inquiries started pouring in, and being a study-abroad aspirant himself, Abhishek was keenly aware of the issues faced by students. He and his team would personally evaluate the profiles of their initial students and shortlist universities for them. They would then help them with their Statement of Purpose and liaise with bankers to help them obtain an Education Loan.

Akshay Sapkale, their Head Counsellor would conduct mock VISA interview for their students. Moreover, they would also help students with small but important stuff such as the opening of foreign bank accounts, obtaining SIM cards, getting accommodation etc.
Initially, CampusTrail’s founding team would work at the ground level, catering to each and every student by themselves. They hired their first employee only when they found themselves overwhelmed with student inquiries. “Bootstrapping is hard. We had to make budget allocation decisions when we had practically zero budget” said Saurabh Dwivedi, the CFO of CampusTrail.
Today, CampusTrail mentors hundreds of students every year who dream of studying in the US, UK or Canada. From mere four founding members, the team now has more than forty dedicated members who work round the clock to guide students to get into their ideal university.
Obsessive focus on creating a great customer experience is at the core of CampusTrail’s philosophy. When asked about this unprecedented growth within such a short span, the COO of CampusTrail, Rishabh Muralkar, attributed the same to building trust with students throughout their process of pursuing higher studies abroad. He said “Every student is quite passionate and very concerned when it comes to their career. Therefore, as counselors, we must share their passion and take diligent responsibility for guiding them toward their goals.”
With zero external investors and not a single penny of VC money, CampusTrail is now expanding its horizons towards Tier II cities, rural towns and villages. It has started conducting seminars to create awareness regarding abroad opportunities among rural students. “The complicated application process and financing abroad education can be daunting for these students. Our mission is to break these shackles and help talented students realize their dreams regardless of their financial background,” said Abhishek, the CEO of CampusTrail.
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