Visa Crackdowns Are Blocking Students’ Study-abroad Dreams, So India’s Leverage Edu Is Rerouting Them

As visa crackdowns and negotiated tensions artifact accepted study-abroad routes, India’s Leverage Edu is helping students reroute their dreams — from Canada to Germany, and from India to Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. That agility is paying off: nan startup has doubled its revenue, turned profitable, and is now expanding its world footprint.

Over nan past respective months, students crossed emerging markets person faced increasing uncertainty astir world assemblage admissions. Shifting visa rules and negotiated tensions — from nan 2023–2024 standoff betwixt India and Canada to caller strains successful India–U.S. ties complete tariffs and immigration policy — person disrupted exertion timelines and eligibility for thousands. Countries specified arsenic Canada and Australia person introduced stricter student visa policies, catching galore families disconnected guard. Even long-standing section consultants and study-abroad firms person struggled to adapt. Meanwhile, Leverage — nan startup down nan study-abroad level Leverage Edu — has responded by helping students place replacement destinations and set quickly, keeping their plans connected way contempt nan disruption.

The eight-year-old startup was speedy to respond erstwhile India–Canada relations soured, helping Indian students reroute to Germany and assisting Canadian universities successful recruiting from Nigeria — efficaciously salvaging student pipelines successful some regions. It is now applying that aforesaid playbook amid ongoing U.S.–India strains.

While Leverage continues to nonstop students to nan U.S., a increasing stock of that request now comes from countries for illustration Brazil and Vietnam — wherever liking successful U.S. universities remains strong, laminitis and CEO Akshay Chaturvedi said successful an interview.

That expertise to displacement quickly crossed geographies is now cardinal to Leverage’s maturation strategy. In nan past 2 months, nan startup has expanded into Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Vietnam, and Malaysia — emerging markets pinch increasing numbers of students seeking to study overseas but pinch constricted entree to system admissions support. With this push, Leverage now operates successful 16 countries wherever it recruits students, helping them use to universities crossed 11 destination countries.

Beyond applications, nan startup — headquartered successful Noida, a tech hub connected nan outskirts of New Delhi — is positioning itself arsenic a full-service level for world education, helping students plan, finance, and negociate their journeys. Its devices see a mobile app, an AI-powered people hunt engine, a assemblage matchmaking instrumentality called UniConnect, and a recently launched SaaS suite for world universities nether nan marque Univalley.ai.

The startup has besides expanded into adjacent categories, pinch offerings for illustration Leverage MBBS for aesculapian aspirants nether Leverage Edu, arsenic good arsenic Fly Finance for acquisition loans, Fly Homes for student housing, and different services nether Leverage Careers and Compass.

Leverage now places complete 10,000 students annually, up from astir 1,500 conscionable a fewer years ago. Much of that maturation has travel done integrated demand, pinch 60% of student acquisitions requiring zero customer acquisition cost, according to Chaturvedi.

“Our spread has narrowed pinch astir of our world competitors who were either ample listed companies aliases who had raised immoderate of these mega rounds,” he told TechCrunch.

Leverage Founder and CEO Akshay ChaturvediImage Credits:Akshay Chaturvedi / Instagram

Financially, Leverage has seen crisp maturation — and turned profitable for nan first clip this year, a rarity successful India’s edtech sector. The startup closed fiscal twelvemonth 2025 pinch complete ₹1.8 cardinal (around $20 million) successful revenue, doubling from nan erstwhile year’s ₹900 cardinal (approximately $10 million). Between April and September, nan first half of fiscal twelvemonth 2026, it generated much than ₹2 cardinal (roughly $23 million), and is connected way to extremity nan fiscal twelvemonth pinch ₹3.7–₹3.8 cardinal (about $45 million) successful revenue.

On nan profitability front, Leverage garnered ₹120–130 cardinal (approximately $1.4–1.5 million) successful profit aft tax, and expects to surpass ₹250 cardinal ($2.8 million) by nan extremity of fiscal twelvemonth 2026— marking a 256% turnaround from a full-year nonaccomplishment of ₹800 cardinal successful fiscal twelvemonth 2025.

The startup generates astir 25% of its gross from its level businesses, which support students beyond admissions — pinch value-added services including loans, money remittance, housing, and assistance pinch securing internships aliases first jobs. The remaining 75% of gross comes from its halfway acquisition business — nan student placement and counseling services. Within that, astir 20% comes straight from students and 55% from universities successful commissions, Chaturvedi told TechCrunch.

India remains Leverage’s largest root market, accounting for 58% of its full student base. Within nan country, nan startup focuses connected states for illustration Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Punjab — regions that consistently nonstop ample numbers of students to universities abroad.

In position of destinations, nan U.K. remains Leverage’s largest market, accounting for 52% of student placements, followed by Germany astatine 22%. Italy — its fastest-growing marketplace this summertime — is besides gaining traction.

North America presently represents little than 5% of full placements for Leverage, reflecting tightened visa rules and negotiated headwinds successful caller years. The startup expects this stock to turn arsenic its beingness expands crossed Latin America, Southeast Asia, and nan Middle East.

India IPO successful plans, apt for 2026

With rising revenues and an expanding world footprint, nan startup is now weighing a imaginable IPO successful India arsenic early arsenic adjacent year, and finance bankers person already made early pitches, group acquainted pinch nan matter told TechCrunch.

Founder and CEO Chaturvedi did not contradict nan anticipation of a nationalist listing, but he said Leverage would determine betwixt pursuing an IPO aliases raising outer superior aft hitting nan $100 cardinal gross milestone, which nan institution expects to scope sometime successful 2026.

So far, Leverage has raised little than $50 cardinal successful equity. The institution operates crossed 27 countries done complete 50 offices and has a headcount of astir 800 people.