Why Buyer Intelligence is the Missing Link in EdTech: How CirkledIn is Redefining Student-to-College Matching

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Higher education is in the middle of a transformation. COVID-19 didn’t just push classes online — it exposed the inefficiencies in how students are evaluated, how colleges recruit, and how technology serves K–12.

Reetu Gupta, co-founder and CEO of CirkledIn, saw those inefficiencies long before the pandemic. Her SaaS platform acts like LinkedIn for Gen Z, giving students a secure, engaging place to showcase academics, extracurriculars, and community service — and giving colleges a data-rich, 360° view of applicants.

The results:

  • Students get a holistic portfolio they can share with schools, scholarships, and internships.

  • Colleges get better-fit applicants who are more likely to succeed and graduate.

  • Counselors and teachers get tools to personalize guidance with a complete picture of each student.

Lesson 1: Buyer Intelligence Works Both Ways

In most industries, buyer intelligence means understanding your customer’s behavior so you can sell better. In CirkledIn’s case, the “buyers” are:

  1. Colleges — buying access to the right applicants.

  2. Students — buying into the idea that a richer portfolio improves opportunities.

By serving both sides, CirkledIn becomes the bridge. Colleges can see over 100 data points per student, from intended major to extracurricular depth — letting them focus recruiting spend where it matters.

Agency takeaway: Whether you’re selling SaaS to enterprises or consumers, the real win is when your platform becomes the trusted data layer both sides depend on.

Lesson 2: Go-to-Market Strategy Can Make or Break Adoption

CirkledIn’s first two years brought only 3,000 users — a sign the school-first sales approach wasn’t gaining traction fast enough. The pivot:

  • Shift to a student-first strategy, reaching teens through high school counselors.

  • Make the platform free for students to build adoption.

  • Layer in a private network product for schools and nonprofits.

In its first year after the pivot, CirkledIn hit 100,000 users without a single ad spend.

Marketing insight: Sometimes the issue isn’t your product — it’s the entry point. Changing the primary buyer persona can completely shift adoption velocity.

Lesson 3: Gamification Drives Viral Growth

To increase usage and referrals, CirkledIn built in:

  • Points for inviting friends and teachers.

  • Teacher recommendations that require account creation (gaining educator adoption).

  • Regional targeting to encourage word-of-mouth among school networks.

Sales enablement insight: Small behavior incentives can turn your users into your most cost-effective growth channel.

Lesson 4: Retention Starts with Contextual Engagement

Instead of competing for mindshare with Instagram or TikTok, CirkledIn positions itself in a different mental space:

  • Used during “future planning” moments — college apps, internships, scholarships.

  • Integrated into classroom time with counselor-led sessions.

  • Built for ease: most actions take fewer than three clicks.

Result: Students spend 3× more time on CirkledIn than industry benchmarks for education platforms, with bounce rates half the norm.

Retention takeaway: Engagement isn’t just about making something “fun” — it’s about placing your product in the right context where it naturally fits the user’s workflow.

Lesson 5: Monetization Tied to Buyer Value

CirkledIn’s revenue model reflects the value delivered to each buyer:

  1. Colleges — subscription access to high-fit student data.

  2. Schools & Nonprofits — private network tools (free or discounted for Title I schools).

  3. Students — premium subscription for advanced features.

Positioning insight: When your monetization is directly linked to outcomes buyers care about, pricing becomes a growth lever — not a barrier.

The Buyer-Centric EdTech Playbook from CirkledIn

  1. Serve both sides of the marketplace so data flows in both directions.

  2. Rethink your entry point — sometimes the fastest path is through an adjacent buyer.

  3. Use gamification to enable organic growth without heavy ad spend.

  4. Anchor engagement in context rather than constant entertainment.

  5. Tie pricing to measurable buyer outcomes to justify long-term spend.

Why this matters for SaaS founders & tech companies: CirkledIn’s success isn’t just about building a portfolio tool — it’s about structuring the go-to-market and engagement strategy around real buyer behavior. For SaaS in any industry, the lesson is clear: when you combine a clear buyer fit with frictionless adoption and measurable outcomes, retention becomes your biggest growth driver.