Started with Just ₹30,000, This Odisha Entrepreneur Built a ₹10 Crore Annual Turnover EdTech Startup

Every year, millions of Indian engineering graduates find themselves unemployable—not due to a lack of talent, but because of outdated college training

With minimal exposure to modern skills like EVs, solar tech, robotics, or AI, students often graduate unprepared for real-world jobs. According to the Economic Survey 2023-24, only 51.25% of Indian graduates are deemed employable.

For Himansu Sekhar Panda, a young engineer from Odisha back then, this wasn’t just a statistic. A flying drone at a tech fest once sparked his curiosity, but with no mentor or lab, his interest remained unexplored.

Determined to fix this gap, the Odisha-based entrepreneur Himansu Sekhar Panda founded Skyy Rider Institutions in 2018—an initiative that later evolved into Skyy Skill Academy, an Odisha-based EdTech startup focused on making India’s youth truly job-ready.

Skyy Skill Academy: Revolutionizing How India Learns

Today, the Odisha-based EdTech startup Skyy Skill Academy operates through three primary learning models:

Online Live Programs: Instructor-led sessions in real-time (not just boring pre-recorded videos), with two-year access to recordings. This model solved the biggest problem in India’s ed-tech industry—dropout rates.

“80% of students quit self-paced courses. Live teaching keeps them engaged,” said the Odisha-based entrepreneur.

Hybrid Learning: A mix of 20-30% in-person lab learning at Skyy Skill’s city centers (including at IIT Kanpur) combined with 70–80% online learning. Perfect for working professionals.

Full-time Offline Programs: At campuses in Bhubaneswar, Mumbai, and Hyderabad, students work hands-on with EV batteries, AI kits, solar diagnostic tools, and more—graduating truly job-ready.

Pricing remains affordable and student-friendly. While short-term certifications start at ₹2,000, even the long-term job-guaranteed programs are capped between ₹20,000–₹1.5 lakh.

“We’re not just about courses. We’re about outcomes. Every student gets unlimited interview opportunities until they’re placed,” Himansu, the Odisha-based entrepreneur shared during a Startup Pedia interview.

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Cycled Every Day To Become An Entrepreneur

Raised in a small town in Odisha, the founder of Odisha-based EdTech startup Skyy Skill, Himansu grew up with parents in government jobs—his father working in the public service and his mother a teacher.

A bright student, he was always passionate about mentoring. Himansu knew early on that he wanted to do something different, something bigger and impactful. 

“I was always drawn to training and mentoring. During my college days back in 2014–15, I began to train college students on how to assemble cars,” said the Odisha-based entrepreneur.

But life had other plans first. After earning a degree in engineering, Himansu joined Triveni Turbines Limited, a company in partnership with General Electric, with a package of ₹7–8 LPA.

The corporate life didn’t appeal to him, though it was a way to make his parents proud.

“I wasn’t interested in corporate work, but at that time, it was important to show my family I was ‘settled’.” recalled the founder of Skyy Skill.

With the desire to be an entrepreneur and do something impactful in skill training for youth, he decided to leave his job. However, since the job was based on a contract or bond, he had to pay ₹3 lakh to set himself free from that job.

He bought a bicycle and cycled every day for over 10 kilometers to save on bike petrol or public transport. In 2017, he left the job and launched Skyy Rider Institutions—now Skyy Skill—with just an investment of ₹30,000–₹40,000.

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From 18 Students to 2 Lakh Trained Across India 

Starting with a small summer internship for 18 students, the Odisha-based EdTech startup has now trained over 2,00,000 students by 2024 across online, hybrid, and offline programs.

Over 800 students were placed in 2023 alone, in top companies such as Ola Electric, Tata Technologies, Gravton Motors and Ampere.

Skyy Skill has also established over 60 Centers of Excellence (CoEs) in colleges across Odisha, Maharashtra, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and Chhattisgarh, increasing placement rates by 40–50% in partner institutions.

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From ₹30,000 to ₹10 Crore Revenue—Completely Bootstrapped

The Odisha-based EdTech startup was bootstrapped with just ₹30,000–₹40,000 in savings by founder Himansu Sekhar Panda. The early days were marked by personal marketing efforts, where Himansu visited hostels and colleges to spread the word. Despite the limited resources, the academy managed to generate a revenue of approximately ₹30 lakh in its first year.

The year 2019 brought unexpected challenges when Cyclone Fani struck, causing damage to training infrastructure worth ₹10 lakh. As a result, revenue was impacted, and growth slowed down temporarily. However, the academy’s model—combining offline training with college partnerships—started gaining recognition and laying a stronger foundation for the future.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, all physical training had to stop, causing a dip in revenue. But the Odisha-based EdTech startup adapted quickly—shifting to live online sessions and enrolling over 3,500 students. This move not only steadied their revenue but also proved that online learning could work at scale for their model.

Post-pandemic, Skyy Skill Academy witnessed rapid scaling. They started setting up Centers of Excellence (CoEs) inside colleges and introduced hybrid and full-time offline programs to meet growing demand. The academy also began partnering with CSR initiatives, including the Shell Foundation, further accelerating their growth.

Today, the Odisha-based EdTech startup has achieved an impressive annual revenue of ₹10 crore, remaining completely bootstrapped without any external funding.

“It was tough to deal with these challenges, but as an entrepreneur, I had no option but to find ways to overcome them. I had 18 team members to take care of during these challenges. Instead of asking them to leave, I made them stay with my savings,” said the founder of Skyy Skill in the Startup Pedia interview.

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What’s Next: A Skill University 

Looking ahead, Skyy Skill Academy is gearing up for major growth. It plans to build a dedicated Skill University where companies compete for most skilled students.  

The Odisha-based EdTech startup also plans to scale to 200+ Centers of Excellence nationwide, offering advanced training with tech-driven learning and strong industry partnerships.

Additionally, it plans to enter lab equipment manufacturing to supply high-quality, affordable tools for technical institutes across India.

Skyy Skill Academy aims to reach ₹25 crore in revenue by 2025 and lay the foundation stone for its Skill University.

"We don’t just want to create another university. We want to create a system where every graduate is already industry-ready before they even get their degree,” said Himansu Sekhar, the Odisha-based entrepreneur while concluding the Startup Pedia interview.