Mumbai: upGrad, an integrated skilling and workforce development company, has announced the acquisition of Internshala, the world’s largest early-talent marketplace, for an undisclosed amount in a 90% stock-swap transaction.
The acquisition significantly strengthens upGrad’s presence across the full career lifecycle by integrating education, skilling and employment on a single platform. Founded in 2010, Internshala has built a community of over 34 million registered users and 450,000 employers, with nearly 3 million active applicants annually. The platform attracts largely organic traffic and serves students across India, including over 40% from tier-2 and tier-3 markets.
Through this integration, upGrad aims to create a more structured ecosystem for learners and employers, enabling students to discover internships, build job-ready skills and transition into full-time roles more efficiently. To support this expansion, upGrad plans to invest additional resources in product innovation, AI-led talent matching and enterprise hiring models, with an ambition to scale Internshala’s ₹45-crore revenue base to ₹100 crore and beyond.
Commenting on the acquisition, Chirag Samdaria, Head – Corporate Strategy & Growth, upGrad, said, “Education and employment in India have operated in silos for too long. This acquisition allows us to strengthen the earliest layer of the career journey – where intent is highest and outcomes can be meaningful. By bridging work opportunities with structured skilling, we are building a more aligned talent ecosystem for both learners and employers.”
Internshala will continue to operate as an independent brand under the leadership of Sarvesh Agrawal, Founder & CEO, while leveraging upGrad’s scale, technology and learning ecosystem to expand its reach and offerings.
“This is a very natural partnership where learning meets opportunity. In the last 15 years, Internshala has democratized career start for students. Joining hands with upGrad will allow us to amplify our impact by skilling millions of candidates, offer pre-trained talent to companies at scale, and together become the default launchpad for every graduate’s career,” Agrawal added.
Investec acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Internshala.
