✔India’s First EducationLoanMarketplacetoDeepen Reach in Tier2 &3 Cities, and Scale Consultant Partner Network
New Delhi, June 11, 2025: GyanDhan, India’s leading education financing platform, has raised INR 50 crore in itslatestfunding roundfromedtech leader Classplusand venture capitalfirm PravegaVentures. FoundedbyIIT alumni Ankit Mehra and Jainesh Sinha, GyanDhan is on a mission to make higher education more accessible by leveraging technology to simplify and scale education financing for Indian students—both in India and abroad.
Thefunding will enableGyanDhantoscale itsoperationsandstrengthen itsleadershipin theeducationfinancing ecosystem. The capital will be used to
- Scalethe consultantpartnershipnetworkand invest in technologyto helpstreamlinethe end-to-end student financing journey
- Expand itsphysicalpresenceto50+Tier2and Tier3 cities;
- Double thenumberofpartneredfinancialinstitutionsfrom15 to 30banksand NBFCs;
- Growtheteamacrosstech,credit,and salestosupportregionalscale
- Investincommunity-buildingviaseminars,studentworkshops,andfinancialliteracysessions
Withthisstrategicexpansion,GyanDhanaims todrive loanoriginations worth INR18,000crore(~USD2.1 billion) over the next three years—up from the current INR 7,000 crore (~USD 840 million) in cumulative originations. The company will also tap into emerging opportunities in the skilling and executive education segments.
“This fundraise is more than just capital—it’s a strong vote of confidence in our mission to democratize access to education. At GyanDhan, we’ve seen firsthand how the right financial support can change the trajectory of a student’s life. With this backing, we’re doubling down on building the infrastructure and technology that will unlock educational opportunities for millions off a milies across India.” said Ankit Mehra, Co-founder and CEO of GyanDhan.
ThisroundbuildsonpriorcapitalraisedfromEducation CatalystFund,SundaramFinance, Stanford Angels, Harvard Angels, and angel investors including Pravin Gandhi and Satyen Kothari.
“We love resilient founders, and the GyanDhan team has displayed the DNA of surviving in a tough but massive TAM. Education financing will b ea strong pillar of the evolving India and we are gladtobe apart of this journey.” said Mukul Rustagi, Co-founder and CEO, Classplus.
“Education financing in India sits at a powerful intersection of fintech innovation and social impact. GyanDhan’s dual strategy of marketplace scale and focused NBFC lending, combined with their SaaS platform, demonstrates exceptional market understanding.At Pravega Ventures,we’re backing their team to become the definitive gateway for education financing in India, addressing a massive gap in an underpenetrated market” said Spokesperson, Pravega Ventures.
Despite a temporary slowdown in the global study abroad market due to macroeconomic headwinds andtighter visa norms, the long-term demand for international education remains fundamentally strong. Meanwhile, therising cost of higher education—both in India and overseas—is intensifying pressure on middle-class family budgets.
Yet, India’seducation loanpenetrationremains under20%, starkly lowerthanover45% in developed markets like the US, highlighting a substantial access and affordability gap. The current financing landscape is fragmented, leaving students and consultants to navigate a maze of disjointed options.
As the next wave of growth hinges on technology-led distribution, local presence, and embedded partnerships, GyanDhan’s hybrid marketplace + NBFC model, combined with its partner-first strategy, is uniquely poised to serve as the foundational infrastructure for education financing in India—at a time when students need it most.
Corporate Comm India (CCI Newswire)
