TLDR:
Blume Ventures has made its largest maiden investment of $10 million in Interview Kickstart, an edtech firm based in the US. Interview Kickstart is a platform for technology professionals looking to work at top tech companies, with over 20,000 people completing its programs. The funding will be used to expand globally, starting with India as a test market.
Bengaluru-based venture capital firm Blume Ventures has made a significant investment of $10 million in Interview Kickstart, a US-based edtech firm. Interview Kickstart is a platform designed to help working technology professionals prepare for top tech companies, offering programs in AI, Machine Learning, Data Science, and other advanced engineering and product areas. The company has seen over 20,000 participants in its programs.
The programs at Interview Kickstart are priced between $2,000 to $9,500, depending on the duration of the curriculum chosen. They are developed and delivered by 550 current and former software engineers, data scientists, and recruiters from leading tech companies like Meta, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google. Students, referred to as working learners, have received job offers exceeding $250,000 annually on average, with the highest offer standing at $1.2 million.
Founded in 2014 in California, Interview Kickstart started as an offline setup to train engineers for recruitment at Google. In 2018, it transitioned into an online business, and in 2023, the parent company, Upward & Onwards, was incorporated. The company currently operates with 130 global staff members, a majority of whom are based in India.
Blume Ventures, with a $300 million corpus for Fund IV, typically invests in startups at the seed and pre-Series A stages. This $10 million investment is Interview Kickstart’s first round of funding, as the company has been bootstrapped and cash-flow positive since its inception. The founders of Interview Kickstart are looking to use this funding to expand globally, starting with India as their test market.
