When students planning to study abroad spend lakhs without understanding ROI, career outcomes, or visa reality, something is fundamentally broken. Aanya Pahwa decided to fix it.

The Problem: A Broken Ecosystem

Every year, thousands of Indian students make life-altering decisions about studying abroad. They invest lakhs of rupees, uproot their lives, and chase dreams shaped by Google searches, university rankings, relatives' advice, and WhatsApp forwards.

The result? Wrong country. Wrong course. Misaligned expectations. Career regret.

"Students planning to study abroad don't lack information, they lack clarity," says Aanya Pahwa, Founder of Mentto. "Decisions are driven by consultants and agents with commissions, not student outcomes. Students need access to people who've already lived that journey."

This realization led Aanya to build Mentto in 2024, an alumni-led mentorship platform that's rewriting the rules of study-abroad guidance.

What Makes Mentto Different

Mentto isn't a consultancy. It's not an agent. It's not generic counseling with scripted advice.

It's an alumni-powered ecosystem where students speak 1:1 with people currently studying or working at top global universities, getting honest insights that no sales rep can provide.

The Mentto Approach:

Outcome-First, Not Application-First
Mentto doesn't start with "Which university do you want?" Instead, they ask: What career do you want? What lifestyle can you sustain? What ROI actually makes sense for you? Universities come after clarity.

Zero Commission Bias
Mentto doesn't earn from universities. Their only incentive is the student's long-term success, which makes their advice honest, sometimes uncomfortable, but always real.

Beyond Admits, Into Real Life
Mentorship doesn't stop at applications. Students get insights on internships and jobs, cost of living and part-time work, visa and PR reality, post-study outcomes, and even mental health, culture shock, and life abroad.

Mission: From Guesswork to Clarity

Today's Mission:
To help students make informed, confident study-abroad decisions by giving them honest guidance from people who have already walked the path.

Mentto exists to replace guesswork, agent bias, and misinformation with clarity, ensuring no student spends years and lakhs chasing the wrong dream.

Long-Term Vision:
To become the most trusted decision-making platform for students moving across cities and countries, covering mentorship, careers, housing, visas, finances, and community. A world where every student has access to real mentors, real outcomes, and real clarity, regardless of background, geography, or network.

The Journey So Far

Since founding Mentto in 2024, Aanya and her team have achieved remarkable traction while staying bootstrapped:

• Built an alumni-led mentorship network of 100+ verified mentors across 50+ global universities
• Guided 100+ students in making informed decisions using an outcome-first framework
• Achieved strong organic growth through referrals and community trust, validating product-market fit
• Featured by Mid-Day as an "Emerging Brand to Watch - Q2 2025"

The Team Behind Mentto:

• Aanya Pahwa - Founder
• Saakshi Vasisht - (Ex) Co-Founder
• Chinhit Verma - Content Strategist
• Kashish Razdan - Brand Strategist
• Yashwin Gosh - Developer
• Siya Dey - Intern

The Philosophy: "We Will Figure It Out"

Aanya operates with two core beliefs that shape everything at Mentto:

"We will figure it out."

"Progress doesn't require having all the answers upfront, it requires the courage to start and the resilience to adapt. Every meaningful outcome is built through action, iteration, and learning along the way."

"Make mistakes, but don't repeat them."

"Mistakes are inevitable when you're building something meaningful. What matters is reflection, accountability, and growth. Each mistake is a data point, and repeating it is a choice."

Together, these principles create a culture of bias for action, honesty in decision-making, and constant learning without fear, but with responsibility.

Overcoming the Hard Challenge

The biggest challenge Aanya faced was unlearning the traditional, agent-led model of the study-abroad industry and choosing to build against it.

"Early on, I saw how deeply normalized commission-driven advice was. The 'safe' path would have been to follow the same model: push popular countries, chase admits, optimize for volume," Aanya reflects.

Instead, she chose the harder route, building Mentto as a zero-commission, alumni-led platform where honesty mattered more than easy revenue.

This meant:

• Saying no to short-term money
• Having difficult conversations with students
• Educating users on why their advice might differ from everyone else's

"That challenge shaped everything: Mentto's values, trust, and long-term credibility. It taught me that building something meaningful often means choosing what's right over what's easy, and trusting that clarity compounds."

Hiring for Ownership, Not Execution

At Mentto, they hire differently.

"We hire builders, not executors," Aanya explains. "We intentionally keep the team lean and high-ownership. Instead of hiring for rigid roles, we hire people who are comfortable with ambiguity, take initiative, and grow with the company."

The focus is on attitude, ownership, and learning ability first. Skills can be developed; intent cannot. They value freedom with responsibility and hire people who thrive without constant supervision or micromanagement.

Advice for Young Entrepreneurs

When asked what she'd tell aspiring founders, Aanya's advice is clear:

"Don't build for validation, build for outcomes."

"Early on, it's tempting to chase optics: logos, press, followers, or what 'sounds impressive.' But none of that matters if the product doesn't genuinely change outcomes for the people you're building for.

Talk to users obsessively. Solve one real problem deeply. Say no to easy shortcuts that compromise trust.

Momentum follows clarity, not the other way around."

What's Next for Mentto

As Mentto continues to grow organically, the focus remains on deepening student outcomes and expanding the alumni network globally. The vision is ambitious: to become the default first step before any major education or relocation decision.

For students tired of commission-driven advice and superficial guidance, Mentto offers something rare in the study-abroad industry: honesty, clarity, and real mentorship from people who've actually lived the journey.

Because when it comes to life-changing decisions, students deserve more than Google searches and agent pitches. They deserve the truth.

Connect with Mentto:
[email protected]
LinkedIn: Aanya Pahwa

Mentto is currently bootstrapped and building the future of study-abroad guidance, one honest conversation at a time.