Revolutionizing EdTech: My Odyssey with Mentoris Education AB

When I started my company in the EdTech industry, I realised that traditional recruitment methods for European universities were expensive and ineffective. That's why our team decided to pivot our marketplace connecting students with mentors to provide digital recruitment services for universities. We successfully pilot tested our services with Jönköping University in Sweden, Lapland University in Finland and a few others.

Although the pilot projects went well, the sales cycle to public institutions was longer than we anticipated. Our targeted customers were slow to change and preferred to attend in-person education fairs abroad to attract potential students.

Empowering Chinese students: a successful pivot

Despite the setback on B2B sales, we were undeterred and continued to work hard to promote our digital recruitment service. Our persistence paid off when we gained traction from our Chinese customers. I grew our newsletter to 10,000+ subscribers (WeChat account "孰能无惑") and managed an online & paid community of 1000+ members.

We saw an opportunity to pivot our business again and focus on empowering Chinese students to pursue higher education overseas. And our team adopted diverse and effective business models to achieve sustainable profitability.

Commission from the university

• We established partnerships with universities to receive a commission for recruiting students to relevant bachelor and master programmes.

Consultant Service and Package Services for the Chinese students

• We established thought leadership through content creation in different Chinese social medias to attract clients.
• We offered specialised study abroad consultation for a fee on an hourly basis. And we also offered tailored made package services, for example, assisting students to apply for 6 - 8 European universities for a fixed service fee.

The Paid Membership model

• We offered valuable and members-only content and online courses for our students to improve our customer lifetime value and overall profitability.

As a result, by strategically implementing a combination of the aforementioned business models, our team managed to diversify our revenue streams and optimise profitability. Our team successfully helped our clients study at top Nordic universities and receive prestigious scholarships from the EIT Masters, Danish government, Uppsala University, and the Royal Institute of Technology and we established a reputable small business in the Chinese market.

During these three years, I became adept at content marketing, B2C sales, community building, and product development. I led a remote team of talented content creators and programmers, and together we delivered results at a high standard. I put value creation for our customers at the center of every business decision, which resulted in an increase in revenue and a loyal customer base.

Being a founder allowed me to hone my skills as a proactive problem solver and a team player. With my diverse experiences and skills, I become confident that I can add value to any organisation looking for a creative and driven individual who can thrive in a fast-paced and constantly changing environment.