{"id":45023,"date":"2026-03-02T07:00:42","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T01:30:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.globalindian.com\/youth\/?post_type=story&p=45023"},"modified":"2026-03-02T08:48:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T03:18:31","slug":"kalyan-goud-janagam-lse-graduate-turning-alumni-networks-into-mentorship-pipelines-with-impactgrad","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/old.globalindian.com\/youth\/story\/cover-story\/kalyan-goud-janagam-lse-graduate-turning-alumni-networks-into-mentorship-pipelines-with-impactgrad\/","title":{"rendered":"Kalyan Goud Janagam: LSE graduate turning alumni networks into mentorship pipelines with ImpactGrad"},"content":{"rendered":"

(March 2, 2026) <\/strong>When Kalyan Goud Janagam looks back at his journey from Hyderabad to Sydney, Singapore, and finally the London School of Economics, and at the journeys of other Indian study-abroad aspirants, he sees a pattern.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIndian students are among the most capable globally,\u201d he tells Global Indian<\/em><\/a>. \u201cYet many remain underrepresented in fully funded programmes, not because of merit, but because of informational inequality.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At 25, the London School of Economics<\/a><\/span> (2025) alumnus and economics graduate from the University of New South Wales<\/a><\/span>\u00a0(UNSW), Sydney, is working to solve that inequality. As Co-Founder of ImpactGrad, an international education initiative, the Hyderabad native is building what he describes as not just an admissions consultancy, but \u201ca curated academic network\u201d that connects Indian students directly with alumni and scholarship recipients from some of the world\u2019s most competitive institutions.<\/p>\n

In an era where global education has become both aspirational and expensive, ImpactGrad is betting on peer-led mentorship from those who have successfully navigated the system themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

An idea born from lived experience<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Kalyan\u2019s exposure to global education began early. He completed his Bachelor\u2019s degree in Economics at UNSW Sydney, after academic exposure across Singapore and Australia, including a prior year of study at SP Jain School of Global Management.<\/span><\/p>\n

Those years were transformative. Living in multicultural environments and interacting with individuals from over 50 nationalities broadened his worldview. Later, his MSc at the London School of Economics deepened his engagement with academic and policy networks.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was during this journey that he noticed a troubling gap. While Indian students were academically strong, many lacked access to credible mentorship that demystifies applications, scholarships, interviews, and documentation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea behind ImpactGrad emerged from a simple observation,\u201d he explains. \u201cTalented students often miss life-changing opportunities simply due to a lack of credible mentorship, clarity on applications, and access to structured preparation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Kalyan

A curated academic network<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Through ImpactGrad he has been trying to bring together alumni and scholarship recipients from leading universities across the UK, USA, Europe, Australia, and Asia including mentors from Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Harvard, Columbia, Tufts, Imperial College London, and King\u2019s College London.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur model allows applicants to receive guidance directly from individuals who have successfully navigated these systems themselves,\u201d Kalyan says.<\/span><\/p>\n

The emphasis is on lived experience rather than generic advice. Many mentors in the network are recipients of highly competitive global scholarships such as the Chevening Scholarship and other fully funded programmes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEach mentor associated with ImpactGrad has been mentoring applicants for several years,\u201d he notes. \u201cCollectively, our network has already helped more than 300 students secure admissions into elite international institutions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Importantly, that number reflects the cumulative mentoring experience of the network much of which predates the formal creation of ImpactGrad.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cImpactGrad as an organisation is relatively new,\u201d he clarifies. \u201cBut our mentors have individually been guiding applicants informally for years through alumni groups, university societies, and personal mentorship.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In other words, the platform formalises and structures a mentorship culture that already existed\u00a0 but was fragmented.<\/span><\/p>\n

Building a bridge between Indian talent and global institutions<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cWe began by addressing the lack of structured guidance available to Indian applicants,\u201d Kalyan explains. \u201cHowever, we also support applicants who are studying or working abroad.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

ImpactGrad\u2019s services cover mentorship, application strategy, interview preparation, scholarship guidance, documentation support, and profile building delivered by individuals who have themselves been selected by top institutions.<\/span><\/p>\n

The initiative began as a largely voluntary mentorship platform. \u201cImpactGrad started as an alumni-led guidance initiative,\u201d Kalyan says. \u201cWe still conduct many free mentorship sessions, webinars, and scholarship guidance programmes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

However, as demand grew, sustainability became a factor. Today, ImpactGrad operates on a hybrid model.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo sustain operations and provide structured services like application review, profile building, interview prep, documentation support, we now also offer paid consulting packages,\u201d he explains. \u201cSo today it is mentorship-driven but professionally structured.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Students discover ImpactGrad through LinkedIn, professional networks, referrals from past applicants and mentors, university outreach sessions, webinars, and education communities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A small team with a global vision<\/strong><\/h3>\n

ImpactGrad is currently led by Kalyan and two co-founders alongside a small group of senior mentors and advisors.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of them is Sourabh Wade, a PhD from King\u2019s College London and a Commonwealth Scholar. The other co-founder, Smruthy Emmanuel, oversees backend operations and ensures organisational continuity.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe work closely with a small group of senior mentors and advisors who actively contribute to mentoring and application guidance,\u201d Kalyan says.<\/span><\/p>\n

The mentors have lived through the scholarship essays, recommendation letters, interviews, and financial planning challenges that aspirants now face. In a crowded education-consulting market, that authenticity becomes their differentiator.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Kalyan

Addressing informational inequality<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a structural information gap,\u201d mentions Kalyan. \u201cStudents in certain schools or cities have access to alumni networks, institutional counselling, and structured preparation. Others, equally capable, don\u2019t.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This informational inequality can mean the difference between applying for a fully funded Chevening Scholarship, and never even knowing it exists.<\/span><\/p>\n

By building a trusted global alumni ecosystem, ImpactGrad aims to reduce that asymmetry. \u201cWhen students secure fully funded scholarships, it changes not just their trajectory, but often their family\u2019s trajectory,\u201d Kalyan says. \u201cAccess to global education opens up research, policy, and career pathways that were previously inaccessible.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Future plans\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cMy goal is to build ImpactGrad into a structured international guidance and access platform, not just admissions consulting, but a mentorship ecosystem,\u201d he explains. \u201cAlongside this, I also intend to remain engaged in research and policy-oriented work related to education access and social mobility.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As thousands of Indian students dream of Oxford tutorials, Harvard classrooms, or LSE lecture halls, the difference between aspiration and acceptance often lies in guidance. Kalyan believes that guidance should not be a privilege.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGlobal education shouldn\u2019t depend on who you know,\u201d he says. \u201cIt should depend on your merit and having the right information to present it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n