Bootstrapping an EdTech: Angad Singh Shares Edoofa’s Journey at Masters’ Union

The recent CXO Session at Masters’ Union, hosted by Angad Singh, Co-Founder and CEO of Edoofa, provided an unfiltered look into building a bootstrapped education company. Singh spoke about Edoofa’s journey to profitability, the flaws in India’s higher education system, and the opportunities in global student mobility, particularly between Africa and India.

India’s Higher Education System: Structural Challenges

Angad began by reflecting on what he calls the structural flaws in India’s private universities. Many institutions, he explained, were created by business owners with little interest in education, often prioritising revenue over student outcomes. This leads to practices like fake placements, recruiter kickbacks, and false promises.

For students from small towns and rural areas, the lack of information creates vulnerability. Families often rely on agents or local recommendations, leaving students trapped in poor-quality programmes.

Higher Education Challenges in India

1. Private universities often prioritise profits over academics

2. Students face fake placements and exploitative practices

3. Rural students lack access to reliable information

From MyMissionAdmission to Edoofa

Before Edoofa, Singh experimented with MyMissionAdmission, a video-based counselling marketplace. While it generated traction in Bhutan and even quick revenues, he admitted the model failed. The real customers became investors, not students, creating a trust deficit.

This failure became the foundation for Edoofa. Singh and his co-founders refocused on student-first counselling, where the process begins with free sessions and credibility is built before fees are charged. The idea was simple: treat students as partners, not leads.

Building Credibility in Education

1. Lead-generation models create trust deficits

2. Edoofa prioritises free counselling before fees

3. Students must be treated as partners, not transactions

Bootstrapping Edoofa: 84 Months of Profitable Growth

Edoofa has achieved 84 consecutive months of profitability, currently earning around ₹1 crore in monthly revenue. Singh credited this to a culture he calls dukandari, where every team member operates like a shopkeeper, responsible for outcomes, not just processes.

The company avoided ESOPs in its early years, kept fixed costs low, and relied on variable incentives to drive performance. Singh reminded students that every founder must sell, and credibility compounds faster than fundraising.

Lessons in Bootstrapping Business

1. 84 months of sustained profitability

2. Culture of ownership over entitlement

3. Credibility outlasts investor capital

Africa–India Student Mobility: A Global Education Opportunity

Singh highlighted the education gap in Africa: fewer than 2,000 universities serve a population of 1.3 billion. India, by comparison, has over 50,000 institutions for 1.5 billion people. This imbalance creates an opportunity for India to position itself as a global education hub for African students.

Edoofa has built partnerships with more than 200 schools and actively brings African students to Indian universities. The appeal lies in India’s affordable tuition, English-speaking campuses, and growing international credibility.

Global Education Opportunities

1. Africa has a demand but a limited supply of universities

2. India offers affordable, quality alternatives

3. Student mobility can make India a global education hub

Building Culture That Scales

For Edoofa, scale comes from alignment and documentation. Every process is recorded to ensure consistency as the team grows, allowing knowledge transfer and accountability.

Singh explained that constraints were a hidden strength, forcing the team to innovate within limits, refine operations, and build credibility step by step. “Constraints spark creativity,” he told the audience.

Edoofa’s Culture Principles

1. Document everything for transparency and scale

2. Operate with alignment and accountability

3. Treat constraints as fuel for innovation

Future of Higher Education: Medical Tourism and Beyond

Singh sees growth opportunities in medical education and medical tourism, areas where India holds natural advantages. While private universities are easier to partner with due to direct incentives, public institutions are also beginning to collaborate.

For him, the long-term vision is clear: India can become a global education hub, drawing students from Africa and beyond with affordability, credibility, and trust.

Future Directions in Higher Education

1. Expanding into medical education and tourism

2. Partnering with public as well as private universities

3. Positioning India as a hub for global students

End Thoughts: Shaping Entrepreneurial Mindset 

The CXO Session with Angad Singh underscored what Masters’ Union aims to bring into the classroom: first-hand accounts of founders building credible, profitable businesses in volatile markets.

For students, the message was sharp:

1. Build trust before scale

2. Profitability is a discipline, not an outcome

3. Constraints push you to innovate

4. Global opportunities lie in unserved markets

At Masters’ Union, conversations like these show how bootstrapped journeys can rival venture-backed growth stories, offering a different lens for future entrepreneurs.