India-based skilling and workforce development firm upGrad has announced the acquisition of Internshala, one of the world’s largest early-talent marketplaces, in a 90% stock-swap transaction for an undisclosed amount.
The acquisition is aimed at strengthening upGrad’s presence across the full career lifecycle by integrating education, skilling, and employment pathways onto a unified platform.
With the integration, upGrad said it is reinforcing its commitment to building structured ecosystems for learners and employers. The company plans to enable students to discover internships, develop job-ready skills, and transition into full-time roles more efficiently.
To support this expansion, upGrad will invest additional resources to accelerate product innovation, AI-led talent matching, and enterprise hiring models. The company has set a target to scale Internshala’s ₹45 crore revenue base to ₹100 crore and beyond.
Commenting on the acquisition, Chirag Samdaria, Head – Corporate Strategy & Growth at upGrad, said the move addresses long-standing fragmentation between education and employment in India.
“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,” Samdaria said.
Internshala will continue to operate as an independent brand under the leadership of its founder and CEO, Sarvesh Agrawal, while leveraging upGrad’s scale, technology, and learning ecosystem to expand its reach.
“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 said.
Investec acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Internshala on the transaction.
Internshala, founded in 2010, has built a community of more than 34 million registered users and 450,000 employers, with approximately 3 million active applicants annually. The platform generates the majority of its traffic organically and has a strong reach across India, with over 40% of users coming from Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets.
The acquisition marks a significant milestone in upGrad’s strategy to power India’s skilling economy by supporting millions of learners and organisations through career-aligned education and employment pathways.