Tech startup Nestlings raises $1.5m to help international students through college application process

Nestlings, an online portal that guides international students through the process of applying to colleges in the US, Canada, and the UK, has raised $1.5 million in a Seed Round of funding from Candid Ventures.

The funding will help the tech startup to grow its team, strengthen its technology infrastructure, and increase its number of university partners across the globe. To date, Nestlings has helped more than 30,000 students identify and/or apply to colleges and universities through the platform.

Sowmya Satish, Founder and CEO, Nestlings: "International students seeking graduate or undergraduate degrees in the U.S. need guidance and support. That's why we built an application portal that focuses on mentoring these students through every step of the process, from developing a college list, providing application support and visa assistance, to answering any questions students may have along the way with peer-to-peer mentorship. Nestlings was created to make a difficult process easier for everyone involved."

Often compared with The Common App, an application tool used by American students, Nestlings seeks to make the application process in the U.S., U.K., and Canada easier for both undergraduate and graduate students from around the world. The portal is free for all students.  Nestlings is designed to make navigating the college application process simpler for students and also works with colleges and universities to increase their brand awareness and enrollment numbers in international markets. The company's recruitment partners extend to more than 500,000 students in Asia alone, making Nestlings a strategic asset for many schools that look to expand their reach into that part of the world.

Satish's brainchild gained momentum when she and her husband and Co-founder Raj Basavaraju partnered with more than 180 institutions around the world to help colleges and universities connect with prospective international students. This seed round was funded by Candid Ventures, a group of investors led by Anu Vora and based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Candid Ventures invests in technology companies primarily led by women and people of color, seeking to fill the considerable gap in funding for underrepresented founders.

Anu Vora, Healthcare and EdTech Investor: "Nestlings has the power and the platform to make a tremendous positive impact on students' lives and ultimately their career choices. We are thrilled to be working with such an outstanding, service-driven team."

Because a student's career path relies heavily on their finding the right college fit, Basavaraju said the company plans to expand in the near future and offer job placement services as well.

nestlings.com