It is never easy to achieve success with a startup, but with dedication and hard work, anything is possible. Today, we will discuss Ankit Mehra, the co-founder of Gyan Dhan Financial Services Private Limited, which provides education loans to students. Mehra was born into a silk trader family in Nathnagar, a town in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district. He earned his B.Tech degree from IIT Kanpur and then moved to the United States for a job. However, he decided to leave his job and pursue a startup. Today, thousands of students aspiring to study abroad are benefiting from this startup.
Ankit was a bright student from a young age. He passed his 10th examination with a good percentile from St. Joseph’s School in Bhagalpur in 2001. Later, his family enrolled him at Delhi’s DPS RK Puram. After completing his 12th grade, he appeared for the JEE exam and cracked it. He then joined IIT Kanpur, where he completed his B.Tech in Mechanical engineering in 2007.
He was placed with an American firm, Capital One Financial Corporation. Unfortunately, he did not receive an H-1B visa, and the company paid him an American salary while he was still in India. Later, the company set up an office in Bengaluru, and he finally moved to the United States in 2010. He is married to Priyanka Jain, and they are blessed with a daughter.
Ankit and his friend founded a startup, Gyan Dhan in 2015. The start up helped those students who have talent and ability to pursue a course in foreign university but they did not have adequate funds to support their studies. They have joined hands with India’s largest bank, SBI and other nationalised and private banks.
Gyan Dhan received a license as a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) from the banking regulator, the Reserve Bank of India. This means Gyan Dhan can now provide loans directly to students. Gyan Dhan has provided loans to over 4,500 students.
