Ed-tech company upGrad is set to launch eight new Offline Experience Centres (OEC) in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to accelerate its regional penetration in FY24. According to an official release, upGrad recorded a 400% increase in counselling sessions during previous January to this year.

With 35+ PAN India Centres operating, upGrad has the most centres in West India, followed by South India and an international presence in Nepal. These Centres have dedicated and skilled counsellors/coaches to guide visitors, potential learners and their families through the market trends, explain to them how upskilling could add another layer of expertise, and address specific other academic and non-academic queries. Moreover, owing to the rapid growth momentum, upGrad expanded its office presence across AP & Telangana during FY23, bringing the total team strength to 300+ in just two regions.

upGrad was founded in 2015 by Ronnie Screwvala, Mayank Kumar and Phalgun Kompalli to offer short entrepreneurship and data science courses. The Mumbai-based company spans several segments, from test prep, study abroad, undergrad degrees, and university campus courses. Its offerings include finance, law, business, and software for the 18-60 age group.

Speaking about the development, Head of Offline Sales – India, Jeetender Singh, said:

We understand that learning preferences across metros and non-metros, especially tier 3 or beyond, are non-identical. Hence, we constantly upgrade our outreach techniques to ensure we scale our reach and that every person we connect with is aware of our product to make an informed learning choice. AP & Telangana remain the two most important business-ready regions for us. Hence, it is even more critical for us to track the constantly evolving learning patterns and develop market-ready products for higher growth.

Furthermore, commenting on the business, Mayank Kumar, co-founder, MD, upGrad, said

While the internet has made inroads to most locations today, it still does limit the genuinity of the information shared. With these counselling sessions, we want to empower India’s youth and every household with easily available information for a positive output.

Since 2020, upGrad has acquired several startups, including Harappa, Rekrut, Work Better, Gate Academy, Impartus, KnowledgeHut, Global Study Partners, Talentedge, and INSOFE. The startup claims that it has a learner base of over 3 million across 100+ countries, more than 300 University partners, and a robust enterprise business with a client base of 1000 companies worldwide.