Campus Binge is a student-led startup which aims to facilitate the transition from school to college life. College is an exciting chapter in one’s life, something that almost everyone has, is or will go through in their lifetime.

In India, nearly 1.2 cr students graduate class XIIth and make the shift to college. Up to 3.7 cr students study in colleges in various undergraduate and postgraduate courses. This population is expected to rise to 14 cr by 2030, as per Higher Education in India: Vision 2030, EY. 80% of them are migrant student population- students who travel from City A to City B for higher studies.

This is a huge change in one’s life. There is a massive information gap between your average school student and a college student. Every child graduating from class XIIth wants to connect with a college senior- to understand more about the institute, culture and city life, and thus make an informed decision. With no existing platforms to connect the two, Campus Binge aims to bridge this gap.

Transforming to new heights

With the introduction of the New Education Policy of 2020, flexible streams have popped up. Flexibility increases complexity, and thus the need for information. The Campus Binge community connects students at the +2 stage with college students. Once the student is in a new city, with the help of their college chapters and teams, they provide students with a parallel college experience by conducting events, trips, workshops and more.

Based in Bangalore, the community offers various interactive features like discussion forums, and interest-based groups, and enables students to connect with their peers both academically and socially. College is a time to explore a multitude of opportunities, both within and outside the classroom. Campus Binge serves as a hub for discovering various extracurricular activities, internships, volunteer opportunities, and campus events. Navigating the challenges of student life, Campus Binge understands this and offers a range of resources to support students in various aspects of their lives. CB positions itself as every student’s ultimate big brother in college.

The Student Economy & Puzzles Living

The student economy in India is nearly a 60 Billion dollar market, and with all the government policies and demographics, it is expected to triple in the next 7 years. Once a student shifts to college, Campus Binge monetises them through various revenue models like accommodation, merchandising, hyperlocal tie-ups and more. Puzzles Living, Campus Binge’s housing brand, currently operates 700 beds and 10 buildings in Bangalore. In partnership with local PG operators, they have established a student-friendly accommodation at 99% occupancy.

“Housing helps us monetise the major chunk of the student economy and also establish offline hubs for our community. In 2023, we look to expand our college chapters to other institutes in Bangalore, thus setting up our businesses there by the 2024 academic season. Once the Bangalore student economy is set up, by January next year, we will start setting up our chapters outside of Bangalore, targeting student cities like Pune, Delhi and more,” said Rishitabh Thapliyal, Founder of Campus Binge.

The Future

Rishitabh graduated from Ramjas College, University of Delhi in 2022. Having started Campus Binge in his second year during the covid-lockdown, Rishitabh feels that the early start has given him a lot of learning but there is still a long way to go.

Campus Binge was awarded by the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand in 2021. Recognised by University of Delhi and NMIMS Mumbai, they also featured in the Top 10 Startups 2021 by EO Global Student Entrepreneur Awards. Bootstrapped and profitable, Campus Binge looks to touch 150K $ in revenue by next year and will look to raise funds in the near future when they fuel their national expansion.