India's byteXL raises $9M Series B to scale AI skilling in engineering colleges
What's the deal? Indian edtech company byteXLDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has raised $9 million in a Series B round led by Elevar EquityDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, with participation from existing investors Kalaari CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and the Michael & Susan Dell FoundationDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The company plans to use the capital to expand its institutional footprint and strengthen its AI and technology-led learning platform.
What does byteXL do? Founded by Karun and Sricharan Tadepalli, byteXL works with engineering colleges — particularly in tier II and tier III cities — to embed technology and AI skilling into the regular academic curriculum. Its hybrid B2B model combines industry-aligned coursework, hands-on learning, and trained educators across students' four-year engineering journeys.
What's the endgame? byteXL aims to grow from 40 to 120 institutions and from 200,000 to 500,000 students across 15 states over the next two years. The new money will fund academic and delivery capabilities plus new industry-aligned skilling programmes.
Why now? The round follows a $5.9 million Series A in July 2024, giving byteXL a capital base to accelerate its expansion.
“As we enter our next phase of growth, our focus will be on expanding our institutional footprint, deepening our technology and AI capabilities, and building byteXL into a larger and more impactful player in India's technology education ecosystem,” Karun said.
Elevar's founder and managing partner Sandeep Farias framed the bet around reach: “At Elevar, our investment approach is centered on backing scalable models that accelerate the economic momentum of entrepreneurial households.”
The signal: At $9 million, the round sits in the lower tier of global venture deals by size, placing it in roughly the 15th percentile. But its focus on embedding AI skills within mainstream engineering education — rather than selling to individual learners — reflects a growing push to close India's tech talent gap at the institutional level.
Read more: entrepreneur.economictimes.indiatimes.com
Image credit: niyam bhushan
