IPO-bound Imarticus Learning acquires MyCaptain for Rs 50 crore

Professional education firm Imarticus Learning has acquired edtech startup MyCaptain in a deal worth Rs 50 crore, deepening its footprint in non-tech career education and expanding its presence in India’s tier 2 and 3 cities. The acquisition marks the company’s fourth in as many years as it targets 5 million learners by FY28.

Founded in 2016 by Mohammed Zeeshan, Sameer Ramesh, and Ruhan Naqash, Bengaluru-based MyCaptain offers live cohort-based programs, bootcamps, and mentorship in creative and new-age career paths such as digital marketing, content creation, and design.

The startup claims to have 5 lakh learners and broke even on EBITDA last year on a revenue of Rs 27 crore. Nearly 60% of its user base comes from tier 2 and 3 cities, and 80% are students or early professionals exploring creative and entrepreneurial careers.

With this acquisition, Mumbai-headquartered Imarticus enters the college skilling segment. The company plans to integrate MyCaptain’s 60+ live programs into its national infrastructure of 20 training centers across 16 cities. The deal also brings Imarticus a grassroots campus network spanning over 1,500 colleges, positioning it to deliver career education further upstream in the learner lifecycle.

Imarticus Learning, which was founded in 2012 by Nikhil Barshikar and Sonya Hooja, has been ramping up its acquisition-led expansion in the run-up to a potential IPO. In 2023, it acquired Hero Mindmine, the training arm of Hero Group. Earlier deals include the game-based learning platform StratOnBoard (2022) and social learning company Eckovation (2021).

“Our collaboration with MyCaptain marks a pivotal step in strengthening Imarticus’ vision to be the lifelong career partner for learners across their journey,” said Barshikar in a statement. “With MyCaptain, we aim to deepen accessibility in non-tech career domains and significantly expand our reach in Tier 2+ cities.”

MyCaptain, which has raised $4.7 million from investors such as Ankur Capital, Inflection Point Ventures, Firstport Ventures, and the Singapore Angel Network, has built a reputation for high learner engagement, with a reported Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 70.

The acquisition expands Imarticus’s employee base to over 850 and brings a group of ex-founders into senior leadership roles. The company said the additional entrepreneurial experience would help it scale MyCaptain’s offerings by 5X over the next three years.

Imarticus claims to be the only Indian partner authorized to offer preparatory programs for all five top global finance certifications — CMA, CFA, ACCA, CPA, and FRM. It also claims to have impacted over 1 million learners to date and placed more than 75,000 in top companies. It partners with global academic and corporate institutions, including IIMs, IITs, ISB, Oxford, PwC, and KPMG.