Lorien Finance, a financial technology company bridging global capital markets with students from emerging economies, announced it has secured $2.25 million in Pre-Series A funding, setting the stage for a transformative shift in education financing worldwide. This funding round was led by FlatIronX, a New York-based early-stage VC firm investing in fintech solutions with ties to India. And additional investors include Seedstars International Ventures (SIV)—backed by IFC, Visa Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, and Symbiotics—as well as Ahimsa Capital, Bhavesh Gupta (former Paytm President & COO), Ashneer Grover (former-BharatPe MD), Play Holdings, and Silver Ridge Accelerator.
With global education financing expected to pass $500 billion by 2029, affordability remains a major barrier for students in emerging markets. Lorien Finance is addressing this challenge by leveraging AI-driven lending and a global lender network to make education financing more accessible, faster, and smarter.
Lorien Finance connects students to a $3+ billion lending pool from 17+ international lenders, including Sallie Mae. This enables students to access interest rates as low as 3.49%. Since inception, over 1,000 Indian students have applied for funding through Lorien Finance.
With this funding, Lorien Finance will expand its reach to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities in India, where access to financing remains limited. And the company will also strengthen its AI-driven risk assessment technology, enabling faster underwriting decisions and more personalized financing solutions for students and lenders.
KEY QUOTES:
“For too long, financial constraints have determined who gets access to quality education, leaving millions of talented students in emerging economies behind. We are changing this by making financing more inclusive and data-driven. This investment will help us push the boundaries of innovation, offering personalized funding solutions while empowering lenders to make confident, real-time decisions.”
– Nikhil Mudgal, Founder & CEO of Lorien Finance
“The combination of a digital-first lending process and a data-driven risk assessment model is what makes Lorien Finance such a compelling opportunity. This approach not only benefits students but also strengthens the financial system by enabling lenders to deploy capital more effectively.”
– Shreya Choubey, Partner at FlatIronX
“Access to quality higher education remains a challenge, and Lorien is uniquely positioned to bridge the financing gap, enabling more Indian students to study at top global institutions.”
– Charlie Graham-Brown, CIO & Co-Founder at Seedstars International Ventures
