A product-based SaaS startup, ExtraaEdge is an admissions and marketing automation Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software to help the education industry increase, manage and predict their admissions. Speaking to their core belief, Abhishek Ballabh states, “Our maksad (aim) is to bring the power of technology to education, thereby making the processes and outcomes better. Our lakshya (vision) is to become the globally preferred education marketing technology to increase admissions and optimise marketing spend.” Ballabh adds that digitisation in the admission process is the need of the hour in the education sector. Having discovered numerous loopholes in the traditional admission process, the venture found a way to make the admissions process for the education industry run more smoothly, which would benefit not only the students but also the admissions teams.
Fundamentals of entrepreneurship
As an entrepreneur, having a great idea is just the beginning. Sales and go-to-market strategies are always driven by understanding problems, articulating them well, and solving them with your customers. “Customers need not be sold, they are making buying decisions and your marketing should help in facilitating that decision’,” says Ballabh. Other challenging aspects that can be daunting include funding and business relationships.
Philosophy on education
Ballabh’s philosophy of education is based on two aspects: The future of technology and the future of ‘learnability’. Tech enablement will tremendously help educational institutes to work better and grow their enrolments by smartly using all the different tools in order to serve different purposes. The second aspect is entirely based on helping students promote their learning outcomes and employability. B2B companies can strengthen the technology part, whereas a strong game in B2C can boost learnability. The tech players, government, private players, and different buyers within the education industry are the pillars of the philosophy.
Post-pandemic world
After the pandemic, all educational institutes understood the need to become digital-first and this is exactly the change that Ballabh would like to spearhead. For businesses to reach their consumers digitally, they need a strong GTM strategy. For every dollar earned by educational institutes, 70 paise is spent by them to acquire customers, informs Ballabh. At the end of the day, every institute wants to reduce its customer acquisition cost and increase its conversion rate. This is where ExtraaEdge will bring the change.”