Bengaluru-based CollPoll, an education startup with a platform developed for institutions such as universities, has raised and closed its pre-Series A investment round.

The platform developed by the education technology startup enables connections and collaborations between students and faculty, while working to break down the barrier that exists in relation to information and educational institutions. CollPoll was founded in 2013 by Hemant Sahal.

The startup with 40,000 paying users has closed its pre-Series A round with Manipal Global Education Services, an educational institution in Bengaluru, in the lead.

“Manipal Group believes in investing in big ideas which will transform the education landscape globally,” S. Vaitheeswaran, MD and CEO of Manipal Global said. “Hemant and team have taken their deep learning in India’s education environment and applied it to the problem of modernizing the ecosystem.”

Funds from the round will be put toward the startup’s plans for rapid growth, technology integration, portfolio growth and global expansion to markets such as South-East Asia and West Africa.

“The rapid customer growth we’ve seen this year and commitment by educational visionaries has put CollPoll in a tremendous position to build an open, connected ecosystem for all education participants,” Hemant Sahal, CEO of CollPoll said. “My own journey of education transformation started with Manipal Global and I am thrilled that CollPoll is partnering with a truly global and mission-oriented education leader.”

Users of CollPoll’s platform come from educational institutions including Jindal Global University and KLE Technological University. Last year, the startup raised seed funding from a number of investors including Janakiraman S, Co-founder of Mindtree and Aditya Dev Sood, Founder of Startup Tunnel.

While facing roadblocks such as home-grown systems and enterprise resource planning, India’s education technology is expected to see growth over the next few years, with startups such as CollPoll providing platforms such as theirs.

(Picture courtesy: https://twitter.com/coll_poll)