Passage – a new company that seeks to match talented immigrants to life-changing educational and career opportunities led by Canadian tech entrepreneur Martin Basiri – announced it has secured C$40 million (US$30M) in a seed funding round led by Drive Capital.
Launched on-stage at Collision – which is North America’s fastest-growing tech conference – Passage is not Basiri’s first journey in the EdTech Space. Basiri is also the co-founder and former CEO of ApplyBoard, an organization that grew to be the largest study-abroad platform.
This round of seed funding will support Passage as it is building out its operational capacity and further develops its technological platform. And it will also help Passage execute its first pilot project – which aims to help more than 100 female-identifying students from Afghanistan access Canadian educational opportunities with clear career paths to fields facing acute worker shortages across the nation.
KEY QUOTES:
“At a time when our country struggles to fill critical jobs in STEM, bioscience, manufacturing, cybersecurity, health care, trades, and more, we know that there is a pool of dedicated talent globally who wish to study and work in Canada yet lack the financial means to do so. Our mission at Passage is to provide access to life changing educational and career opportunities. Passage’s platform empowers immigrants to access opportunities by matching their talents with Canada’s most crucial workforce needs. Passage then works to provide financial solutions and connect them to the logistical support they need in their transformational journeys to a life in Canada.”
Martin Basiri — who came from Iran to study in Canada in 2010
“An investment like the one we are making in Passage is an investment in Canada’s future. With thousands of jobs sitting unfilled in the economy, affecting goods and services Canadians need, Canada is facing a socio-economic crisis that must be addressed. Martin and his talented team are doing just that. Passage will serve the best talent in the world – while also serving Canada.”
— Nick Solaro, Partner at Drive Capital
