Jan 06, 2020: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India – With a long term aim to disrupt student accommodation space in India, UniAcco raises seed funding from Adventum Offshore, an investment and wealth management firm. India’s newest entry into the startup world, UniAcco (uniacco.com), is all set to become a leading global demand platform and the ultimate destination for any student who is actively seeking education in the UK, Australia or the USA. With $1 million funding, the company aspires to be one of the prominent players in student accommodation space in the coming years.
The Founder, Amit Singh aims to create a unique market place in the Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) sector where it’s still at an early stage and a significant value can be created by a platform. With over 20 years of experience in the financial and real estate industry, Amit brings in the right balance of organisational skills, PBSA owner relationships and an understanding of best practices. The Co-founder, Sayantan Biswas, comes with rich experience in co-living spaces and student accommodation in the global market. Sayantan comes with a strong domain understanding of the business, especially from the product and demand side. He is an IIT, Roorkee drop out and has been part of a few startups in the past. He was also shortlisted for the Peter Thiel Fellowship Summit.
Amit and Sayantan started UniAcco ‘a prop-tech company’ catering to international students looking for the right advice and best-suited accommodation. UniAcco offers premium personalised student accommodation along with a range of other hassle-free services to ease the journey of students. An overwhelming demand for PBSA across fast-growing educational markets led them with an idea to create a global marketplace for international students. The motto of the company is Compare-Consult-Choose. The initial round of funding is led by the promoters of Adventum Offshore – an investment and wealth management platform which enables UHNW clients to participate in various global opportunities. Considering the student accommodation opportunity internationally, the idea appealed to them strongly.
On UniAcco platform, students can compare, consult and choose their accommodation from several established property providers. It is a one-stop solution for hassle-free resettlement of the student in an unfamiliar environment. Some of the USPs of UniAcco are free visa consultation, availing loans from premier institutions in India, setting up a student bank account with top banks in the UK, cost-effective guarantor service, airport pick-up service for a smooth check-in and a pre-activated overseas SIM. On each step, technology is the driving force behind the smooth operation of UniAcco.
It is not only limited to curated accommodation recommendations but also comes with an integrated payment gateway for seamless bookings with a status update, AI chat-bot for customized support and automation for end-user retargeting to secure successful conversions. The team at UniAcco comprises young professionals and experienced individuals who are experts in their respective domains. UniAcoo thrives on implementing international practices in Indian markets. Soon, they aim to enter and develop the PBSA market in India by implementing the best global practices.
Founder Amit Singh says, “Our goal is to be with the student at every step of selecting an accommodation by empowering them with contrivances like the ability to compare and choose an apt accommodation using our consultative platform with the intent of making the transition as smooth as it can be.”
Emron Samuel, Director – Adventum Offshore Pvt. Ltd. says, “Coming from an international platform, we understand the space well, the scale of opportunity available in the student accommodation market for international students is huge and prop-tech is the way to capture it/solve it. We are very excited to be part of this journey and looking forward to add in whatever way we can to the team with our international experience.”
