International Student Commission Platform

ApplyBoard is a platform that helps international students find and apply to universities, earning commissions from schools for successful student placements. The business leverages the high tuition rates international students pay and universities' desire to attract them.

Key Points:

• Core Business Model:

  • Help international students find suitable universities
  • Handle application process on students' behalf
  • Earn commission from universities for successful placements
  • Initial commission was $3,000 per student, later increased to ~10% of tuition

• Early Traction:

  • 11 contracted schools paying commissions
  • 14 additional schools in pipeline
  • 1,500+ students signed up
  • 160,000 Facebook likes with only $10 in paid marketing

• Market Opportunity:

  • International students pay 2-3x higher tuition than domestic students
  • Example: $25k domestic tuition vs $50-75k international tuition
  • Many international students struggle to differentiate between schools
  • Schools actively seeking international students for revenue

• Business Evolution:

  • Started as offline consulting
  • Pivoted to software-based platform
  • Customer acquisition cost only few dollars
  • Lifetime value per customer ~$1,000

The business has grown from these beginnings to reach a reported $3B valuation, demonstrating the massive market opportunity in international student placement services.