upGrad has announced the acquisition of Internshala for an undisclosed amount in a 90% stock-swap transaction.

The acquisition strengthens upGrad’s position across the full career lifecycle by connecting education, skilling and employment on a single platform. 

Founded in 2010, Internshala has built a community of over 34 million registered users and 450,000 employers, with around 3 million active applicants annually. The platform draws most of its traffic organically and serves students across India, including more than 40% from Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets.

With the integration, upGrad said it is reinforcing its commitment to building structured ecosystems for learners and employers, enabling students to discover internships, develop job-ready skills and transition into full-time roles more efficiently. 

To support this expansion, the company will invest additional resources to accelerate product innovation, AI-led talent matching and enterprise hiring models, targeting the growth of Internshala’s INR 45 crore revenue base to INR 100 crore and beyond.

This acquisition marks a key milestone in upGrad’s mission to power India’s skilling economy — supporting millions of learners and organisations through career-aligned education and employment pathways. 

Investec acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Internshala for this deal. 

Chirag Samdaria, head – corporate strategy and growth at upGrad,  said, “Education and employment in India have operated in silos for too long. This acquisition allows us to strengthen the earliest layer of the career journey - where intent is highest, and outcomes can be meaningful. By bridging work opportunities with structured skilling, we are building a more aligned  talent ecosystem for both learners and employers.” 

Sarvesh  Agrawal, founder and CEO, Internshala, added, “This is a very natural partnership where learning meets opportunity. In the last 15 years, Internshala has democratised career start for students. Joining hands with upGrad will allow us to amplify our impact by  skilling millions of candidates, offer pre-trained talent to companies at scale, and together become the  default launchpad for every graduate's career”