How start-up Uplifters is empowering India’s untapped & underestimated talent pool

Adgully has been turning the spotlight on the entrepreneurs who fought against all odds to bring their dreams to fruition in our special series – START-UP STARS. We at Adgully wholeheartedly support the ‘Vocal for Local’ movement and have been featuring numerous local/ homegrown businesses, brands, and Apps in the count.

Uplifters  is a  skill-based, ed-tech startup with a ‘pay after placement’ model that aims to uplift India’s students from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities and colleges by providing them with the right skills and training and helping them land a good job.

In conversation with Adgully, Umang Sangal, Founder, Uplifters, talks about the establishment of Uplifters, the aim of giving back to the society by helping students from Tier 2 and 3 cities be job-ready with relevant skills, the challenges in the start-up journey and how they were overcome, and more.

What inspired the founding of your start-up, and what problem did you set out to solve?

I always had a dream to start my own venture from my college days, but circumstances led me to a well-paying job through campus placement. However, in 2022, I finally found an idea that aligned with my values of giving back to the society. Hailing from a small city with limited opportunities and mentorship, I was inspired by my experiences in mentoring students, which led to the creation of Uplifters. Our mission is to uplift the careers of students, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. We officially launched Uplifters Academy Pvt Ltd in 2023 and have already conducted college workshops, initiated a summer internship program, and started Pay-after-Placement batches in Data Science, Software Development, and Digital Marketing in the last three months.

Our mission is to empower India’s untapped and often underestimated talent pool, equipping them for some of the most challenging job opportunities.

We offer distinctive features, including:

• Affordable Education: We provide high-quality education at rates that are exceptionally affordable, ensuring that it's accessible to a wide range of students.
• Language Comfort: Our teaching is conducted in "Hinglish," a language that students find comfortable and easy to grasp.
• Industry Readiness: Through our courses and training, we prepare students to be fully prepared for the demands of the job market, making them industry-ready.
• Cost-Efficiency for Businesses: By hiring our job-ready graduates, both larger companies and startups can significantly reduce their training expenses, finding the right personnel at various organisational levels.

Could you provide an overview of your product/ service and its unique features or benefits?

Our mission is to bridge the gap in the tech and business industries by offering comprehensive software development courses such as backend Java developer, full-stack web developer, Python developer, and data science programs, including data scientist, business analyst, and data analyst tracks. Additionally, we provide marketing courses, graphic design programs, and digital marketing training.

Our primary goal is to empower students from Tier 2 and Tier 3 educational institutions with relevant and high-demand skills. We achieve this by delivering top-notch education at highly affordable rates and using a teaching approach that incorporates "Hinglish," a language comfortable for our students.

Through our courses, industry-focused training, and mentorship programs, we aim to significantly enhance students’ job placement prospects, preparing them effectively for the professional world.

How does your start-up differentiate itself from competitors in the market?

Nowadays, skill-based learning is the most popular and important aspect of the education industry. Uplifters is different from other educational platforms because of its Pay-After-Placement model, which provides skills and training to the students as well as helps in the placements.

In this model, students register in any program by paying minimal upfront fees and pay the rest of the fees after getting placement, which reduces the financial burden on the student.

The uniqueness of our company is that we provide the courses at affordable prices, our classes are in “Hinglish”, which is more understandable to the students, and there are industry experts and mentors who always guide the students and help them become industry ready.

We offer courses in three different domains, such as Software development courses, Data science courses, and Marketing courses.

What milestones has your company achieved so far, and what are your future growth plans?

In the span of 6 months, we have already interacted with 2,000+ students through our virtual and college workshops. We have already enrolled 100+ students in our course and we will be starting our placement session from this month onwards.

In future, we aim to introduce new courses that have more demand in the industry, like cybersecurity and AI/ML. We are also aiming to go B2B along with B2C. We would like to tie up with some institutes in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities to help students in their placement. We can become their skilling partner with our placement assistance courses.

How has the start-up evolved since its inception, and what challenges have you overcome along the way?

Since its inception, our start-up has evolved from an idea to the establishment of Uplifters Academy, driven by our mission to provide affordable, industry-relevant education to students hailing from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Along this journey, we’ve confronted and surmounted challenges encompassing research, market dynamics, financial sustainability, operational scaling, partnership cultivation, quality assurance, and effective marketing. Remarkably, within a mere six months, we’ve successfully enrolled over 100 students, a testament to our commitment to empowering individuals and our adaptability to the evolving educational and job market landscape, all while remaining steadfast in our mission to uplift careers and contribute to our community.

How does your start-up contribute to the industry or community you operate in?

Our start-up makes a meaningful contribution to both the industry and the community. By offering cost-effective, high-quality education in fields such as software development, data science, marketing, and design, we play a pivotal role in bridging the education gap for students hailing from Tier 2 and Tier 3 institutions. We achieve this through our unique approach, teaching in a comfortable language ("Hinglish") and prioritising mentorships and industry training. This not only boosts job placement opportunities, but also fosters diversity in the workforce. In essence, our mission is all about empowering individuals to acquire valuable skills, secure employment, and thrive in their careers. It’s a symbiotic relationship, where students receive assistance, companies gain access to pre-trained talent, and, at its core, it is our way of giving back to the society.

What problem does your start-up solve?

We strive to close this gap by providing an incredibly relevant and demanding methodology that offers top-tier job chances to students in Tier 2 and Tier 3 institutions. We will provide education at the most affordable rates and teach students in "Hinglish", which they find comfortable. By properly preparing students through our courses, industry training, and mentorships, we will increase their chances of placement. Larger firms and start-ups would be able to save money on training costs by hiring the right personnel at different organisational levels since our students will be job-ready.

How much funding has the company raised, and from which investors?

The company is bootstrapped and has not raised any external funding from investors.

Who are your target customers, and how are you acquiring them?

Our target audience includes students and employed individuals seeking to enhance their skill sets, as well as women who have taken career breaks and are looking to re-enter the workforce.

We acquire these customers primarily through strategic marketing efforts, with a particular focus on leveraging social media platforms and performance marketing channels.

What are the major challenges the company faces currently?

Major Challenges faced by us are:

• User Acquisition: Acquiring a critical mass of users is essential for success. Effective marketing and user acquisition strategies are vital.
• Funding and Sustainability: Being bootstrapped, it is essential to have a good runway and also get sufficient fund at the right time. Securing initial funding and then working toward sustainable revenue streams can be a significant challenge.
• Adapting to Educational Trends: Education is an evolving field, and it is necessary to stay updated with the latest trends in industry pedagogy and technology to remain relevant.

What is the background and expertise of the founding team?

Hailing from Shamli, a small town in Uttar Pradesh, I graduated with a degree in Computer Science and Engineering from NIT Allahabad in 2018 and bring along 5 years of valuable experience in the IT industry.

My professional journey kicked off at UBS (Swiss Bank) in Pune, where I served as a Software Engineer for a period of four years. Subsequently, I transitioned to the role of Senior Software Engineer at Airtel Payments Bank, where I worked for a year.

What is the company’s growth plan and vision for the future?

Uplifters is committed to advancing the Skill India mission, and our future plans include the introduction of courses aligned with cutting-edge technology trends. These courses will encompass specialised topics such as AI, ML, Cybersecurity, as well as non-technical subjects like Salesforce and Sales. Additionally, we aim to offer financial courses covering areas such as stock market knowledge and financial modeling. To further support students, we aspire to collaborate with educational institutions, facilitating their placement in job roles without imposing any additional financial burdens. It is worth noting that we’ve already conducted thousands of interactions, underlining our dedication to this mission.

How does the company measure success, and what are its key performance indicators (KPIs)?

I have started this organisation to repay my society and make an impact. The only KPI for me right now is to add value. When I see that our mentorship is adding value to the life and the pay-after-placement model is helping students with less paying capacity, I feel satisfied. This is how to measure success by measuring the value added in the life of the students.