Pakistani Startup Lands a Major Investment at LEAP 2026

Edversity, a Pakistan-founded education and workforce development startup, announced a strategic investment from Rapidev Group on September 1, 2026, unveiled at LEAP 2026 in Riyadh. The deal brings Edversity into the Rapidev Group of Companies and will finance the scaling of its AI-powered learning infrastructure and international expansion, with Saudi Arabia earmarked as a regional base.

“We have spent the last few years proving that there is a significant gap between how people learn technology skills and what employers actually need,” said Saad Siddiqui, Founder and CEO of Edversity. “We are building Edversity around that missing link, connecting learning, practical experience, verified skills and employment. Rapidev gives us the technology, operational strength and international reach to pursue that vision at a much larger scale.”

The partnership pairs Edversity’s industry-led education model with Rapidev’s development and scaling capabilities. Founded in 2021, Edversity has trained more than 12,500 learners across programs in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, cloud computing, data and blockchain. The company reports placement outcomes above 70% in selected cohorts, delivering a mix of practical projects, mentorship and career development designed to align learning outcomes with employer requirements.

• Investment announced: September 1, 2026 at LEAP 2026, Riyadh
• Edversity founded: 2021
• Learners trained to date: more than 12,500
• Reported placement outcomes: above 70% across selected cohorts
• Rapidev Group founded: 2017; more than 200 engineers and developers; 50+ major projects; customers in 10+ countries

Rapidev Group, which was founded in 2017 and comprises over 200 engineers and developers, has completed more than 50 major projects and serves customers in more than ten countries. Wajid Gulistan, Founder and Group CEO of Rapidev, framed the investment as a response to a market need for talent that can translate knowledge into applied capability. “The technology industry needs people who can translate knowledge into real capability, which Edversity’s model directly addresses,” he said.

Edversity has already established a presence in Riyadh through The Garage, a local startup hub, positioning Saudi Arabia as the company’s regional base ahead of further international expansion. The company says the funding will be used to expand its AI-powered learning infrastructure, accelerate placements, and scale operations across the GCC and beyond.

Context and industry drivers

The deal comes against a backdrop of persistent skills gaps in technology sectors. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 cited that 63% of employers identify skills gaps as a major barrier to business transformation, an issue Edversity aims to address by linking verified practical skills to employment outcomes. By combining Rapidev’s engineering resources and international reach with Edversity’s curriculum and placement track record, both firms expect to move faster on employer-aligned training and verification at scale.

Outlook

With Rapidev’s backing and a foothold in Riyadh, Edversity plans to use Saudi Arabia as a launchpad into neighboring markets across the GCC before pursuing additional global markets. Siddiqui described the ambition as broader than typical online education: “We want to build infrastructure that helps people understand what they need to learn, develop those capabilities, prove what they can do and access opportunities based on their skills. We started in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia is becoming an important international base for us, and our long-term opportunity is global.” The partnership sets the startup on a path to scale its AI-enabled training and placement model across new regions where demand for job-ready tech talent is rising.