Aussie tech start-up Vygo expands to SL

Australia-based tech start-up Vygo (vygoapp.com) announced the expansion of their offices to Sri Lanka in January 2021.

In a bid to build out a globally distributed engineering team, the company hopes to tap into Sri Lanka’s vibrant and growing pool of local software engineering talent while contributing to Sri Lanka’s tech start-up ecosystem. Vygo is an edtech start-up on a mission to help students around the globe to reach their full potential. From the moment students start their university journey, the Vygo app puts all of the university’s tutors, mentors, counsellors and advisors at their fingertips, allowing them to text, video call and book support sessions with verified experts.

Head of Product Amrit Rupasinghe likens the Vygo experience to “having an older sibling by your side on campus to help navigate your higher educational journey, whether it be support with chemistry, career development or your mental well-being”.

Founded in 2017 by Ben Hallett, Joel Di Trapani and Steven Hastie - the brand has since successfully rolled out their peer-to-peer offering to students within Australia and the United Kingdom. Statistics from Vygo implementations have shown 91 percent of students reporting an increase in academic performance; 84 percent feeling less stressed about studies after sessions; up to 800 percent increases in student engagement and a 62 percent reduction in students thinking about dropping out of their degree.

Vygo CEO and Co-founder Ben Hallett commented, “The strategic decision to expand to Sri Lanka comes at a time where COVID-19 continues to affect many industries. With the brand’s primary audience being a younger and tech-heavy-user, it is imperative that our talent hub become home to bright, young, thirsty minds. We strongly believe that with the high standard of software engineering academic programmes in Sri Lanka, the resulting graduates will become ideal candidates for Vygo.” The Vygo team is backed by prominent education investors and industry leaders from Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Utilised by universities in Australia and the UK, as well as by government partners, Vygo continues to offer a win-win for both students and universities, reducing dropout rates by providing hyper local and accessible tutoring and mentoring on campus. The brand also provides universities with data pertaining to which subjects and degrees prove to be most difficult, thus requiring additional educator/peer support - resulting in better university management understanding of their courses and customers.

Concluding, Hallett stated, “Vygo prides itself in being a brand that understands and pushes the boundaries of the industry, whether local or global. We want to continue doing so and thus welcome like-minded techies who see possibilities where not everyone can. We look forward to entering the

Sri Lankan market and really pushing the boundaries of innovation in edtech.”

Vygo has been named in the Top 50 Edtech companies in ANZ for 2020; in the top 200 Global Elite Edtech start-ups in 2020 by ASU GSV and was nationally recognised for its growth and ability to help universities navigate the challenges of COVID. The brand also won the Australian Edtechx award in 2019. Vygo currently employs staff across Australia and the UK, will be raising another funding round in 2Q of 2021 and plans to double its team within the year.