After leaving his mark in the Indian edtech space, upGrad co-founder Mayank Kumar is now tapping into the talent mobility market with his new startup BorderPlus.
Kumar’s new venture, which is expanding both its geographic reach and sectoral footprint, will attempt to drive home the advantage India has with its largely young population amid a global shortage of skilled workers.
Over the next two years, BorderPlus plans to build talent pipelines across seven international regions—the US, UK, Canada, Australia-New Zealand, Western and Southern Europe, the GCC (Gulf Corporation Council), and East Asia (including Japan and Korea).
Simultaneously, it is widening its sectoral focus from healthcare to six verticals: hospitality, retail, early childhood education, special needs caregiving, manufacturing, and logistics. The goal is to eventually operate 42 “mobility pathways” connecting Indian and international talent demand nodes.
Germany, with favourable regulatory tailwinds and high demand for nurses, is the company’s launchpad. It has become the pilot market for BorderPlus’ core model that includes a rigorous finishing school that prepares candidates for language proficiency, cultural fluency, and professional readiness. “Language is non-negotiable when you’re dealing with patients,” Kumar said. “That’s why we treat our training like a bootcamp.”
The startup has plans to launch three more such centres – in Delhi NCR, the North East, and one South India – over the coming months. Beyond that, BorderPlus will adopt a franchise model to expand its training centres.
To scale up effectively, the firm is building an AI-led platform that personalises training, supports multiple languages, and allows junior instructors to deliver consistent quality across locations. Its future model blends technology with hands-on instruction—complete with voice-practice bots that can help candidates master pronunciation and contextual fluency. This, Kumar said will be critical to scaling through the franchise model, and ensuring uniformity in curriculum and training modules.
The company’s finishing schools in Pune and Kochi have already begun ramping up in take. “Over the past three months, we have received interest from more than 20,000 nurses across Maharashtra and Kerala,” Kumar shared. After a screening process, 500 nurses have been shortlisted and are currently undergoing training. As BorderPlus expands to new catchment areas, it expects to grow this pipeline to 100,000 nurses within the next three months.
BorderPlus has also begun sourcing talent beyond India. With finishing centres now operational in the Philippines and Brazil, 150 nurses are currently being trained for global healthcare placements.
To fund its multi-pronged growth, the company raised $7 million in seed capital and is preparing a follow-on round.
BorderPlus is also exploring acquisitions in varied markets.