The current college application system for students from outside the country is considerably behind the times. Unlike U.S. students who benefit from the convenience of the Common Application – a single portal for applying to numerous schools – international applicants must manage the individual requirements and processes of each institution separately, navigating a vast landscape of thousands of colleges.

This process is often lengthy and complex, a challenge that Nestlings, a startup located in Cupertino, California, aims to resolve. The company was established by Sowmya Satish, previously a product manager at Apple, and her spouse, Raj Basavaraju, with the intention of simplifying the college application experience for international students.

Approximately fifteen years ago, Basavaraju relocated from Bangalore to pursue a master’s degree at Glasgow Caledonian University.

“During my search for a program of study, I struggled to locate a suitable course and adequate support,” he explained. “Obtaining essential information proved difficult, including details about safety, lifestyle, and other crucial factors.” This experience inspired him to create an online resource to improve accessibility to this information for future students considering studying abroad.

Fundamentally, Nestlings is a platform designed to assist international students in exploring colleges in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, and submitting applications to multiple institutions through a unified application. In addition to this core service, Nestlings seeks to connect students with mentors in their chosen fields for guidance, and to facilitate post-graduation job placements for Nestlings students.

“Our objective is to support students in building their careers, extending beyond simply being an application portal,” Satish stated.

Nestlings aspires to be involved throughout a student’s professional journey, from the initial decision to pursue higher education to the job applications submitted during and after their studies.

Like any platform focused on college recruitment, Nestlings’ success is directly tied to its user base. Consequently, the service is offered free of charge to students, with fees instead levied on partner institutions – both universities and employers – when a student is successfully placed with them. This business model functions as a two-sided marketplace, growing its student base through referrals and attracting institutions by demonstrating recruitment outcomes.

To date, Nestlings has registered over 30,000 students on its platform. It has established partnerships with more than 180 universities and recently entered into a non-exclusive agreement with a major testing center in Southeast Asia. This partnership is part of Nestlings’ strategy to expand its student reach without incurring agent fees or advertising costs.

As a young company, Nestlings faces significant competition from ApplyBoard, which recently secured $75 million in funding at a valuation of $1.4 billion. ApplyBoard provides similar assistance to international students navigating the college application process, but operates on a much larger scale and is further along in its development. ApplyBoard did not respond to a request for comment regarding Nestlings.

Nevertheless, Nestlings intends to differentiate itself by adopting a broader focus on overall student success, rather than solely on college admissions. This emphasis was a key factor in Nestlings’ acquisition of AdmitAlly, a Cincinnati-based video chat platform that connects students with mentors and prospective students with current college students.

“Particularly during the pandemic, we recognized the value of integrating existing technology rather than developing it from scratch, and saw an opportunity to quickly incorporate AdmitAlly’s platform into Nestlings’ offerings,” Satish explained. “International recruitment is expected to be challenging this admissions cycle, as students are unable to visit campuses and recruiters cannot travel abroad.”

AdmitAlly, founded by Anu Vora, was acquired for an undisclosed sum. As part of the transaction, Vora joined Nestlings’ board of directors and also became an investor in the company. In addition to leading AdmitAlly, Vora manages an investment firm and incubator, Candid Ventures, and contributed $1.5 million in seed funding.

Amidst ongoing changes in higher education, including declining enrollment and the rise of remote learning, Nestlings remains optimistic about the enduring appeal of a United States education for international students. The success of this strategy, however, depends on the continued demand for such opportunities.