Leverage Edu, which helps Indian students enroll in global colleges, has registered over three-fold growth in its operating scale in the fiscal year ending March 2023. At the same time, the Delhi-based firm’s losses rose 70%.
Revenue from operations for the edtech startup spiked 228% to Rs 69 crore in FY23 from Rs 21 crore in FY22, its consolidated financial statements filed with the Registrar of Companies show.
Founded in 2017 by Akshay Chaturvedi, Leverage Edu provides full-stack services including counseling, application-admission support, and financing to students pursuing international education. It assists students from India, Nigeria and Nepal, among others.
The student placement services formed 90% of the Leverage Edu’s total operating revenue which shot up 3.26X to Rs 62 crore in FY23. The remaining income derived from other support services. Notably, 84% of the total revenue was generated from international sources, with India contributing 16% of the company’s income.
On the cost front, employee benefits became the largest burn accounting for 38% of the overall expenditure. This cost grew 2.1X to Rs 66 crore in FY23 whereas advertising cum promotional cost saw a surge of 2.6X to Rs 55 crore in the previous fiscal year (FY23).
Leverage Edu’s information technology, legal professional, rent, commissions, and other overheads took its total expenditure up by 154% to Rs 173 crore in FY23 from Rs 68 crore in FY22. Head to TheKredible for the detailed expense breakup.
Expense Breakdown
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https://thekredible.com/company/leverage-edu/financials
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- Employee benefits
- Rent
- Information technology
- Legal professional
- Advertising promotional
- Commission paid
- Others
At the end, Leverage Edu’s losses grew 70% to Rs 103 crore in FY23 from Rs 47 crore in FY22. Its ROCE and EBITDA margin stood at -272% and -136.6%, respectively. On a unit level, it spent Rs 2.51 to earn a rupee.
FY22-FY23
| FY22 | FY23 |
| EBITDA Margin | -142% | -136.6% |
| Expense/₹ of Op Revenue | ₹3.24 | ₹2.51 |
| ROCE | -31% | -272% |
The company had raised around $70 million across rounds and was last valued at around $140 million. According to the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, Blume Ventures is the largest external stakeholder with 16.9% followed by Tomorrow Capital and DSG Consumers Partners which command 14.82% and 12.52% stake, respectively.
As LeverageEdu has grown, it has also expanded the breadth of its offerings, be it test prep or even funding arrangements. While that indicates focus on its target group, the firm is exposed to multiple risks due to its high costs. Disruption in markets like Canada has been well documented, but other lucrative western markets in Europe, besides the US, could also see a slowdown due to a poor job market there. Chaturvedi builds a strong narrative, reflected in the backing of over 50 investors he has garnered over the time since he launched the firm. That also provides him many avenues to seek tie-ups, expansions and more. However, eventually it all has to come back to something that can move ahead more sustainably. In a sector particularly loyal to strong brands, a drop in marketing costs should be expected now that the firm claims significant success behind it.
