upGrad’s Mayank Kumar and OYO’s Ayush Mathur launch BorderPlus

Mayank Kumar, co-founder of upGrad, and Ayush Mathur, a former senior leader at OYO, have teamed up to launch BorderPlus, a platform designed to connect blue-collar workers with global job opportunities. 

BorderPlus will begin by focusing on the healthcare sector in Germany, with plans to expand into industries like hospitality, retail, teaching, construction, logistics, and trucking. The platform also intends to explore opportunities in other countries over time. 

Mathur, former President of OYO Europe, emphasized the labor shortages in Denmark and Germany, especially in roles such as housekeeping, during his tenure at OYO.

Kumar, who stepped down from his operational role as managing director at upGrad late last year, will remain involved in the edtech company’s strategic decisions while working on this new venture.

BorderPlus has already launched its first pilot batch with about 10 candidates and aims to scale quickly. Initially, training batches will be conducted once a month. Each program lasts 6-9 months and includes online, blended, or offline formats, with the final phase conducted offline to focus on language learning.

According to the company, the first training center is located in Pune, followed by another in Mumbai, with plans to set up additional locations across India for final-stage training. To support language learning, BorderPlus is developing an AI-powered conversational bot, based on OpenAI's technology, that enables interactive spoken language practice.