upGrad Acquires Internshala to Dominate Early-Career Recruitment

upGrad has announced the acquisition of Internshala, the world’s largest early-talent marketplace.

The deal, finalized on February 26, 2026, is structured as a 90% stock-swap transaction.

While the exact financial terms remain undisclosed, industry sources estimate the deal values Internshala at approximately ₹100 crore.

Bridging the Silos: Education Meets Employment

The acquisition is designed to integrate the “full career lifecycle” onto a single platform.

By combining upGrad’s professional skilling programs with Internshala’s massive internship network, the entity aims to solve the chronic “readiness gap” in the Indian workforce.

Currently, Internshala boasts 34 million registered users and 450,000 employers, facilitating roughly 3 million active applications annually.

Chirag Samdaria, upGrad’s Head of Corporate Strategy & Growth, noted that education and employment in India have long operated in silos.

This merger allows upGrad to capture talent at the earliest stage of their professional journey, where career intent is highest.

upGrad Scaling to the ₹100 Crore Revenue Milestone

upGrad plans to inject significant resources into Internshala to accelerate its growth. The primary focus will be on:

AI-Led Talent Matching: Enhancing the algorithm that connects candidates with specific job requirements.
Enterprise Hiring Models: Expanding B2B services where companies pay to source pre-trained, “job-ready” talent.
Product Innovation: Developing new features to help students transition from internships into full-time roles.

Currently, Internshala operates with a revenue base of ₹45 crore. upGrad has set an aggressive target to scale this to ₹100 crore and beyond within the next 18–24 months.

Operational Continuity and Rural Reach

Internshala will continue to operate as an independent brand under the leadership of its Founder and CEO, Sarvesh Agrawal.

The platform’s unique strength lies in its organic reach, with over 40% of its users coming from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.

Sarvesh described the partnership as a “natural launchpad” for graduates, leveraging upGrad’s technology stack to amplify social impact at scale.

Investec served as the exclusive financial advisor to Internshala for this transaction.

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