Skillsvest secures Rs 5.5 Cr in pre-seed funding

Skillsvest, a fintech platform focused on education financing, has raised Rs 5.5 crore in a pre-seed round comprising a mix of equity and debt. 

The round was led by Plug and Play Ventures, with participation from angel investor Sascha Mornell, along with backing from UC Berkeley SkyDeck and the Launch Accelerator founded by Jason Calacanis. 

The newly raised capital will be deployed to scale its student financing operations, strengthen regulatory frameworks, and deepen institutional partnerships. 

Founded by Sreemaan Thiruppathiraja and Deborah Schermann in 2024, Skillsvest offers an income-linked repayment model that enables students to fund international master’s programmes without collateral or co-signers. Repayments are triggered only after graduates start earning above a defined income level. 

The platform primarily caters to Indian students pursuing higher education in regions such as the US, UK, and Europe, covering both tuition and living expenses. 

Skillsvest has already facilitated over Rs 1.2 crore in financing and built a pipeline of more than 3,000 interested students. It has also established a wide distribution network through partnerships with over 4,500 education counsellors across India. 

Over the coming months, the startup plans to expand its reach while continuing to build a broader ecosystem focused on improving career outcomes for students.