{
  "id": 12556868,
  "title": "Edtech firm byteXL raises $9M as investors back college-linked AI skilling model",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/edtech-firm-bytexl-raises-9m-as-investors-back-college-linked-ai",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-07T05:23:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "YourStory",
    "slug": "yourstory",
    "url": "https://yourstory.com/2026/10/edtech-firm-bytexl-9m-investors-back-college-linked-ai-skilling-model"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Edtech startup byteXL has secured $9 million in funding, led by Elevar Equity, with support from Kalaari Capital and The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. The Hyderabad-based firm, founded by brothers Karun and Sricharan Tadepalli, collaborates with engineering colleges in lower-tier cities to integrate AI and technology learning into students' regular degree programs. Their B2B model involves institutions rather than direct sales to individual learners.\n\nThe latest round follows a $5.9 million Series A raised in July 2024. byteXL's graduates have found IT and engineering roles, totaling 7,600 placements last year. The new capital aims to broaden the company's institutional network, enhance technology and AI capabilities, boost academic and delivery capacity, and develop new industry-aligned programs. byteXL plans to expand its reach from 40 institutions to 120 and 200,000 students to 500,000 across 15 states within two years.\n\nCEO Karun Tadepalli emphasizes sustainable outcomes from the increased focus on AI skills, while Kalaari Capital's Sampath P notes the company's alignment with existing college ecosystems and its trajectory towards profitability. The funding aligns with the edtech market's shift towards more selective investments, with sector equity funding dropping to $214 million in the first eight months of 2026. However, capital still flows to differentiated AI and education businesses, as seen with Arivihan and ProLearn.\n\nThe Indian government's initiatives, such as the Skill India Digital Hub and SOAR program, also support AI and employment-linked learning. ByteXL's success hinges on its ability to transform the emphasis on AI skills into measurable learning and employment outcomes. Other players in the space, like Elevate Education, have also attracted significant funding, reflecting the growing interest in this sector.",
  "summary": "Hyderabad-based byteXL said the fresh capital will help expand its college network, strengthen AI-led learning tools and reach 500,000 engineering students across 15 states.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}