The latest round of capital will enable Springboard to double down on student employability in response to the current job market in India and globally, by creating new hiring-focused products and strengthening employer partnerships to help graduates land their dream careers.

Springboard launched India as its first geography outside the USA in 2019 and has placed its learners in Fortune 500 and world-renowned companies such as Samsung, Salesforce, Visa, LinkedIn, Cisco.

The new capital infusion will help the company further support job-seeking graduates by building several innovative tools for India and global markets.

The innovative tools the organisation wishes to build are ‘The Hireability Forecaster’ this is a tool which provides early indications of student success and potential employability roadblocks by combining the power of predictive technology of Springboard and the insights from its global community of almost 1,000 industry mentors.

With 80% of mentors indicating they would hire their mentee, mentors and coaches will have the ability to indicate student achievement and intervene to course correct if students fall behind.

The other tool it wishes to build is ‘Springboard Introductions’ this is a tool which offers its students personalized, targeted introductions and job referrals from its community of over 13,000 mentors, alumni, fellow students and employer partners that collectively represent over 50% of the Fortune 500 across 108 countries.

The other tool is ‘Student-Job Fit Recommender’ this is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven job matching tool which recommends open roles at employer partners of Springboard that match each student’s unique background and skill set.

Co-founder of Springboard Parul Gupta said India is witnessing one of its toughest challenges owing to the recent job losses that have impacted a large section of the workforce.

It is therefore imperative for displaced workers to make the difficult transition into new, in-demand careers.

Our remote-first, mentor-guided model is uniquely positioned to serve not only these individuals, but also universities and employers who need help navigating today’s new economic reality, said Co-founder of Springboard.

We’re delighted to partner with a great group of investors, as we continue on our mission to transform over one million lives by 2030, said Parul Gupta.

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Springboard Managing Director Vivek Kumar said technology used to be a niche area but that’s no longer the case.

As more and more companies are built on tech, the need to understand concepts like Data Science, AI, ML, UI/UX has become more homogenous, said Managing Director of Springboard.

For learning to be meaningful, it needs to encompass state-of-the-art curriculum with real-world projects as well as mentorship and that is what Springboard stands for, he said.

With this funding we are in a good position to build on our strengths to provide in-demand job skills and holistic support at every step, he said.

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Albert Bielinko, Principal, at Telstra Ventures said the education sector is facing a tectonic shift.

As enterprises and countries alike seek more and better talent with digital skill sets, the technology training market is set to explode, he said.

Highly personalised approach of Springboard is built with the online learner in mind first, not as an afterthought, and offers a life-changing value proposition for Springboard’s graduates, said Albert Bielinko.

Started by co-founders Gautam Tambay and Parul Gupta in 2013, Springboard pioneered a learning model that has enabled thousands of successful career transitions into the most in-demand technology fields via its job-guaranteed programs that are taught entirely online.

Unlike most online learning companies that stop at teaching technical skills, Springboard focuses on employability, that is, about 94% of eligible graduates secure a job within a year, earning an average salary increase of $26,000.

Unique strength of Springboard is its remote-first yet human-centric approach that matches each student 1:1 with a personalized mentor—an industry professional working in their chosen field—who provides weekly feedback to keep students motivated and accountable.

This approach has resulted in 330% student enrollment growth from June 2019 to June 2020.

Furthering its commitment to student employability, Springboard is expanding its career services.

It has tripled the number of virtual apprenticeship opportunities to build portfolio-worthy content and provide real-world work experience.

The career services team has grown its career coaching capacity by 4x to provide more access to office hours, mock interviews, and a team of placement experts assigned to each student.

To provide additional support during the job search, Springboard has extended its professional mentorship after program completion.

In the coming months, Springboard plans to grow its industry-leading course offerings outside the high-tech industry to include additional skills gap disciplines.

The company will also look to deepen its partnerships with universities and employers, enabling them to adapt to evolving reskilling needs in a post-pandemic economy.

To learn more about Springboard and its programs, please visit ‘in.springboard.com/’

This study highlights how entrepreneurs driven by sustainability navigate the complexities of aligning economic objectives with broader societal and environmental goals, even under the pressure to prioritize profit alone, say sources from IIM Lucknow.

Values

The research emphasises how sustainability-oriented values in founders drive Sustainable Business Model Innovation (SBMI), say sources from IIM Lucknow.

This ripple effect fosters a larger ecosystem of sustainable businesses, redefining success to include positive contributions to environmental and social well-being alongside profitability.

Research

Prof. Krishna Chandra Balodi, Strategic Management, IIM Lucknow spoke about the research.

Our research illustrates the transformative influence of founders’ sustainability values on business models that address pressing global challenges, said Prof Krishna of IIM Lucknow.

These entrepreneurs redefine success by integrating their principles into their ventures, striking a balance between profit and meaningful environmental and social impact, he said.

Suscom

The research centers on “Suscom,” a startup renowned for its sustainable practices. By delving deeply into Suscom’s operations, the study revealed that the founders’ values permeate every facet of the business—from product innovation to strategic partnerships.

These values are rooted in a blend of influences, such as family upbringing, sustainability-focused education, and early career experiences with non-profits advocating for environmental and social causes, say sources from IIM Lucknow.

Attention

The research also brings attention to the unique challenges faced by sustainable startups, such as:

Recruiting employees with a sustainability mindset: Building a workforce aligned with the company’s goals.

Eco-friendly sourcing: Procuring sustainable raw materials.

Green logistics: Finding partners who offer environmentally friendly logistics solutions.

Collaborative partnerships: Working with like-minded stakeholders.

Innovative strategies: Developing creative, low-tech production methods that minimise energy consumption and environmental impact.

Standout findings

One of the standout findings is Suscom’s use of traditional and indigenous techniques to reduce energy consumption.

These methods not only align with global decarbonisation efforts but also present an eco-friendly alternative to high-energy industrial processes, say sources from IIM Lucknow.

Significance

As businesses worldwide face mounting pressure to address sustainability and climate change, this research underscores the significance of value-driven leadership, say sources from IIM Lucknow.

It serves as a beacon for entrepreneurs to adopt sustainable practices that not only ensure financial viability but also contribute meaningfully to societal and environmental progress, say sources from IIM Lucknow.

Personal values

By offering valuable insights into how personal values can catalyse sustainable innovation, the study reinforces the need for business leaders to think beyond profits and prioritise long-term, equitable growth.

In 2005, IIM Lucknow expanded its area of influence in the realm of management education by becoming the first IIM to set up a satellite campus exclusively for Executive Education at NOIDA in Delhi NCR region.

IIM Lucknow is accredited by AACSB and AMBA while its EQUIS Accreditation is ongoing. The institute features in the prestigious FT -100 Top Global Business schools for both the 2-year Flagship PGP program and One-year IPMX Program.

It is also consistently ranked amongst top business schools in the NIRF Rankings. IIM Lucknow was the first IIM to start a 2-year full time MBA program in Sustainable Management 10 years back. It also has a long-standing full-time MBA program in Agri Business Management.

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