Arshi Khan, a 24-year-old engineering student from Bhopal, dropped out of college to start her career counseling business. At a very young age, she became the founder of CollegeKhabri an Edtech startup based in Bhopal. Let’s read how Arshi has become an inspiration for many individuals.
Taking up the Wrong Career Option
Arshi’s journey began when she lost her father. She was completely clueless after losing her father as there was no one to guide her. After talking to some friends, she decided to pursue engineering. Within a year, she realized that this was not what she wanted to do. Eventually, she lost interest in engineering and decided to drop out.
But then, she realized it was not only her problem; many students choose the wrong career path as they don’t have proper guidance on what they should do. That’s when she decided to solve this universal problem.
Launching the Startup
In 2019, with Rs 25,000 in hand, Arshi launched CollegeKhabri’s end-to-end career counseling service. The platform covers numerous topics related to college life, educational updates, and student issues and guides students in choosing the right career path.
Starting with analyzing students’ profiles to explore different career paths based on their grades, interests, and aptitudes, this online portal compares two colleges on the basis of fee structure, review, placement, facilities, faculties, and more. The aim of CollegeKhabri is to empower students with the knowledge they need to make informed choices.
What Makes CollegeKhabri Different from Other Competitors?
Unlike its competitors like Shiksha, CollegeDunia, and Collegedekho, CollegeKhabri does not work for colleges and lead generation. But provides information about colleges and actively connects students with placement and scholarship opportunities. This unique approach makes the platform stand out from other competitors.
Challenges and Solutions
In the beginning, Arshi faced numerous challenges in starting up her business despite having an idea in place. Some major obstacles that she faces include building a team, obtaining tech support, and securing financial assistance.
Despite these obstacles, she overcame them by initially hiring college interns. Eventually, she met:
- Avinash Seth, an AWS-certified professional corporate trainer joined her startup as Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
- Rothar Jelis, who was running a career counseling service and had a great experience in it, also joined.
With the addition of these team members, CollegeKhabri is now a team of 20 members. They have started a YouTube channel called StudentKhabri. Through this channel, they virtually provide valuable guidance to students on choosing the right career path for a successful future.
Revenue and Charges
With an investment of just Rs 25,000, CollegeKhabri succeeded in generating revenue of approximately Rs 30 lakh in just three months.
The counseling services charges ranges from Rs 1000 to Rs 10,000, depending on the individual student’s performance, grades, needs, and requirements.
In 3 months, 19,000+ students approached them and 1,700 signed up for the services. Moreover, they have thousands of UG courses admission queries lined up.
Awards and Recognition
For her hard work and dedication in solving students’ career path problems, Arshi received an award from the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. Additionally, she also participated as a speaker at TEDx and Josh Talks.
Future Plans
In the future, Arshi is looking forward to developing AI-based psychometric tests as a part of CollegeKhabri services. They are building an AI-based psychometric test aimed to do make the career counseling process independent. Moreover, there are plans to expand to Tier II and III cities and reach as many students as possible.
Arshi’s journey is the inspiration for many. She turned her struggles into a successful business by establishing CollegeKhabri. From an engineering dropout to a successful businesswoman, she serves as an inspiration to many. Arshi’s father must be proud of her achievements.
