Training Industry Magazine - Winter 2023 - 70

CLOSING
DEALS
HOW UPGRAD IS BUILDING AN INTEGRATED PLATFORM
FOR LIFELONG LEARNING
BY SARAH GALLO, CPTM
upGrad wants its learners to succeed -
no matter where they are on their career
journeys. Whether a learner is 18 years
old and is looking for an online degree
program that promotes job readiness
or is a mid-career professional looking
to refresh their skills, upGrad is
committed to bringing value, at every
life stage, to people who seek to learn,
says Myleeta AgaWilliams, upGrad's
international chief executive officer.
upGrad's integrated approach,
which includes partnering with over
300 universities
globally, seems to
be working. The India-based edtech
company closed three deals
last quarter, including the merger of
Harrapa Education, a $210 million
funding round and, most recently, the
acquisition of Centum Learning.
What do these recent moves mean for
the future of upGrad? And what factors
have led to upGrad's notable success
since its founding in 2015? Let's dive in.
MAKING MOVES
Traditionally, upGrad has operated in a
business-to-consumer (B2C) capacity,
meaning that its offerings (i.e., higher
education degrees, internships, courses
for working professionals and more)
were designed to support individual
learners rather than enterprises.
upGrad's B2C strategy certainly helped
the company build its status as a
reputable learning provider. However,
to
remain
competitive
in
today's
evolving ed-tech landscape, Mayank
Kumar, upGrad's co-founder, knew the
company needed to explore businessto-business
(B2B) offerings as well.
That's where Harrapa Education and
Centum Learning came in.
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By merging with Harrapa Education,
an online learning provider also based
in India, upGrad was able to tap into
its clientele of over 100 mid- to largesized
organizations. In addition, Harrapa
Education's soft skills and leadership
development courses would round out
upGrad's portfolio of primarily technical
training offerings.
Undoubtedly, the merger further
solidified upGrad's position in the edtech
market. Just one month later, the
company secured an investment of $210
million, the largest transaction noted in
the third quarter of 2022. With this fresh
funding, the company announced that it
would grow its team from 4,800 to 7,600
employees within three months, making
it one of the largest full-time ed-tech
faculties in the world.
With its newly secured capital in place,
and an expanding workforce on the
horizon, upGrad was well positioned to
make its next move (again, just one month
later) - acquiring Centum Learning.
The acquisition of Centum Learning,
a talent development provider with
expertise in training entry- to midlevel
employees on distributed teams,
meant that upGrad would be better
positioned to cater to India's many
large, multinational organizations
looking for a one-stop solution for
training, Kumar says.
By joining forces with Harrapa
Education and Centum Learning,
upGrad was able to grow its B2B
presence while also building out
its capabilities in two key areas -
leadership development and the ability
to train a large, distributed workforce.
FUTURE GOALS
It's certainly been a busy few months for
upGrad, and the company has no plans
of slowing down any time soon.
In order to achieve its ultimate goal
of building a fully integrated lifelong
learning platform, and to set the
company up for success long term,
Kumar says that upGrad is focused on
three " buzzwords " moving forward:
1. " Lifelong " : upGrad is designed to
support learners throughout their
career journeys and hopes to see
repeat learners coming back for more
development as their needs evolve.
2. " Outcomes " : upGrad aspires to help
learners
achieve career
outcomes,
whether it's landing one's first job
after college, securing a promotion or
moving into a new field altogether. To
ensure learners' success, upGrad has
roughly 5,500 mentors available to
share their real-world expertise and to
offer individual support.
3. " Global " : Moving forward, upGrad
hopes to build its global footprint
and expand its presence, with a
specific interest in the U.S. and
European markets.
Today, learners need ongoing training
and development perhaps more than
ever before. Integrated solutions like
upGrad ensure that learners don't have
to navigate their career journeys alone,
but rather with the help of a trusted
learning partner that can offer guidance
and support, every step of the way.
Sarah Gallo, CPTM, is a senior editor
at Training Industry, Inc., and co-host of
" The Business of Learning, " the Training
Industry podcast. Email Sarah.
https://trainingindustry.com/articles/learning-services-and-outsourcing/ma-in-corporate-training-mergers-investments-and-acquisitions-of-the-third-quarter-of-2022/ https://trainingindustry.com/press-release/workforce-development/upgrad-closes-investment-round-of-usd-210-million/ https://trainingindustry.com/training-industry-podcast/
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