Skillsvest, a fintech platform focused on education financing, has raised Rs 5.5 crore in a pre-seed funding round comprising a mix of equity and debt.
The round was led by Plug and Play Ventures, with participation from angel investors including Sascha Mornell. The company is also backed by UC Berkeley SkyDeck and Launch Accelerator by Jason Calacanis.
The proceeds will be used to scale student financing, strengthen regulatory readiness, and expand partnerships.
Founded by Sreemaan Thiruppathiraja and Deborah Schermann, Skillsvest offers a "pay only if you earn" model for students pursuing international master's programmes. The platform enables funding without collateral or co-signers, with repayments linked to income and triggered only after crossing a defined threshold.
The startup currently focuses on Indian students pursuing higher education in markets such as the UK, US, and Europe, supporting both tuition and living expenses.
Skillsvest claims to have deployed over Rs 1.2 crore so far and built a waitlist of more than 3,000 students. It has also partnered with over 4,500 college counsellors across India for distribution.
Over the next 12-18 months, Skillsvest aims to support 50-100 students while building a broader ecosystem around career outcomes.