Ajay Singh and Yuri Punj of the Harvard Business School, and Sena Palanisami, an alum of Minnesota University, are co-founders of Stoodnt Inc (estb.2016), a Palo Alto, California-based education technology company which dispenses career and college admission guidance. The prime objective of Stoodnt is to provide an online platform that leverages data, technology and professional expertise to help students worldwide with admission processes for entry into universities in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia among other countries. In its very first year of operations, the company has facilitated admission of 40 Indian students into top-ranked American universities including Chicago, Purdue, Rutgers and Illinois.

Newspeg. Singh was in Kolkata last month (May) to announce the company’s plans for appointing counsellors/partners in India. Stoodnt Inc plans to train well-educated local counsellors to provide study abroad aid and advice. 

History. Singh began his career as a design engineer in Austin, Texas in 1993 after graduating from the University of Texas, worked as an engineer for three years before enrolling with the Harvard Business School (HBS) where he met Punj. Drawing on their work experience before HBS, the duo agreed that the admission pain points of parents and students necessitated the promotion of Stoodnt Inc.

Currently, the great majority of Stoodnt Inc customers are class VIII-XI students, although the company also offers counselling services to graduates seeking admission into B-schools. Most of the company’s study abroad counsellors are based in the US, complemented by ten local counsellors and nine resource persons. The company currently has offices in Gurgaon and Coimbatore with counselling fees ranging from $10 (Rs.650) to $3,500 (Rs.2.26 lakh). Shareholders of the company are top executives of Fortune 500 companies including Rajan Anandan, CEO of Google India.

Direct talk. “Though the majority of students from India are graduates intent on acquiring postgrad qualifications in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects, there’s a rising trend of school-leavers signing up for undergrad degrees abroad in the liberal arts, business, media etc. We believe the number of students opting for non-STEM studies abroad will continue to rise with the expansion of an open-minded upper middle class which values quality, globally acceptable higher education qualifications,” says Singh. 

Future plans. The promoter-directors of Stoodnt Inc believe the future of the company is bright because universities and higher ed institutions worldwide have become aware of the importance of ethnic and cultural diversity on their campuses and are rolling out the red carpet for foreign students. “Our platform enables students to build their e-profiles, upload their work and share it with admission officers in universities of their choice. Thereafter, universities can review their personal and work profiles and contact applicant students directly. However, if applicants need help and advice, we provide it and if required link them up with financial aid and loan providers. And right now, we are drawing plans to service students in the Middle East and South-east Asia,” says Punj.

Baishali Mukherjee (Kolkata)