3 IIT Grads Help 50,000+ Students Fund Dreams Abroad

Ankit Kumar from Rajasthan had his admission letter to the University of Florida in hand, but no clue how to pay for it. His parents' savings weren't enough, and banks kept giving confusing answers about loans and collateral. His dream of studying biomedical engineering abroad was slipping away.

He's not alone. Thousands of talented students from smaller Indian cities get into great universities abroad, only to hit a wall when it comes to financing their education.

Jainesh Sinha knows that pain intimately. Growing up in Patna, Bihar, his father ran a small phone booth. When Jainesh wanted IIT coaching in 11th grade, the Rs 50,000 cost was impossible for his family. He taught himself instead, then made it into Super 30, a free coaching program for underprivileged students.

Super 30 changed everything. Living in a simple dormitory with 29 other students, Jainesh got the mentorship and support he needed to crack the IIT entrance exam. But the experience taught him something bigger: brilliant students fail not from lack of talent, but from lack of guidance and resources.

After graduating from IIT Delhi in 2009, Jainesh kept meeting incredibly smart students from tier 2 and tier 3 cities who had university offers but couldn't figure out how to fund them. Banks demanded collateral most families didn't have. Documentation requirements confused parents unfamiliar with financial systems. Dreams died in paperwork.

Ankit Mehra, also from Bihar, saw the same pattern. Students from smaller cities had ambition but no roadmap through India's opaque education loan system. They needed more than just loan options; they needed someone to walk them through every step.

In April 2016, Jainesh and Ankit launched GyanDhan in Delhi. The platform does what banks rarely do: it puts students first. Instead of just processing applications, GyanDhan counselors guide families through documentation, compare loan options, and explain every requirement in simple terms.

Aman Jain joined straight out of college that same year. He built the platform's outreach, helping it connect with students across India. His contributions eventually earned him a spot as the third co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer.

The Ripple Effect

Today, GyanDhan has helped over 50,000 students secure education financing to study abroad. The platform works with multiple lenders to find options that fit each student's situation, including loans without collateral for those who need them.

For students from smaller cities especially, the platform offers something invaluable: someone who understands their background and speaks their language. Counselors explain processes that seem designed to exclude rather than include. They answer questions families didn't even know to ask.

Ankit Kumar got his loan and is now preparing to leave for Florida. His parents can sleep easier knowing their son's dream survived the financing maze. Thousands more students are following similar paths, their talents no longer trapped by geography or financial literacy gaps.

What started as one student's struggle with coaching fees has become a bridge helping India's brightest minds reach the world's best universities, regardless of which town they call home.