As artificial intelligence takes over certain workplace functions, Emversity, a workforce-training startup based in India, is developing talent pipelines for positions it believes AI cannot fill. The company has secured $30 million in a new funding round to grow its job-ready training programs in the world’s most populous market.

This all-equity Series A round was spearheaded by Premji Invest, with additional investment from Lightspeed Venture Partners and Z47. The Bengaluru-based startup announced the funding on Thursday, bringing its total raised capital to $46 million.

India continues to face a growing skills mismatch, with many graduates lacking job-ready abilities even as vital service sectors encounter difficulties hiring trained personnel. In healthcare, official figures indicate the country has approximately 4.3 million registered nursing staff and 5,253 nursing institutions graduating around 387,000 nurses each year. Despite this, recent analyses consistently highlight a persistent shortage. The hospitality sector similarly contends with an estimated 55% to 60% gap between labor demand and supply.

Emversity aims to close this divide by incorporating employer-developed training programs into university syllabi and operating skill centers linked to the Indian government’s National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). These centers provide short-term certifications and job placements.

Founded two years ago, the startup has formed partnerships with 23 universities and colleges spanning more than 40 campuses. It concentrates on "grey-collar" roles—jobs requiring practical training and formal credentials—such as nurses, physiotherapists, medical lab technicians, and hospitality positions including guest relations and food and beverage service.

To date, Emversity has trained roughly 4,500 learners and successfully placed 800 candidates into jobs, according to founder and CEO Vivek Sinha. He noted that applicants have included engineers, MBAs, and even PhD holders. "I began conversations with these learners," Sinha explained. "Some had paid tuition to private colleges and invested 16 to 18 years to earn their degrees."

Sinha observed that the skills gap has expanded in recent years and may widen further as automation and new workplace technologies reshape employer expectations for entry-level hires. Meanwhile, demand remains robust in credentialed fields like healthcare, where hands-on training and specific staffing ratios are still critical. "AI can reduce administrative tasks for a nurse, like filing patient details or managing electronic records," Sinha said. "But AI cannot replace a nurse when you still need one for every two beds in an ICU."

The startup collaborates with employers including Fortis Healthcare, Apollo Hospitals, Aster, KIMS, IHCL (Taj Hotels), and Lemon Tree Hotels to co-create specialized training modules. These are then integrated into degree programs at partner universities. Emversity does not charge employers for this service; instead, it generates revenue through fees from partner institutions and from short-term certification programs at its NSDC-affiliated skill centers.

The company operates with gross margins of about 80% and has maintained customer acquisition costs below 10% of revenue by relying primarily on organic channels rather than paid marketing, Sinha shared. He added that Emversity runs a career counseling platform for high school students, which attracted over 350,000 inquiries and contributed to more than 20% of revenue last year.

With the new capital, Emversity intends to extend its reach to more than 200 locations within the next two years. It plans to deepen its focus on healthcare and hospitality while moving into new sectors like engineering, procurement, construction (EPC), and manufacturing. The startup is already in advanced talks with a leading Indian EPC firm to design and launch role-specific programs this year, with manufacturing-focused training slated to begin next year.

To ensure consistent training outcomes across its network, Emversity blends employer-informed curriculum design with practical training infrastructure. This includes simulation labs for clinical roles such as nursing and emergency care.

Last year, revenue was nearly evenly split between the university-embedded programs and the short-term courses offered at its own skill centers. While Emversity currently supplies talent for domestic employers, Sinha sees a future opportunity to meet international demand, particularly in healthcare, as aging populations in countries like Japan and Germany seek skilled workers. An exact timeline for this global expansion was not disclosed.

Emversity employs about 700 people, including 200 to 250 trainers deployed across its campus network.