Explore

What Explore does

Explore, a subsidiary of Manifest Global, operates a cloud-based SaaS platform that connects universities with international K12 students for undergraduate recruitment. The company was launched in 2025 as the consolidated commercial entity built on the combined reach of Cialfo, BridgeU, and Kaaiser — three sibling platforms within the Manifest portfolio. Explore reports access to 1,750+ international schools, 25 million+ annual student interactions, 80,000+ students per graduating cohort, and 1,000+ university partners across 100+ countries, claiming that one in two international undergraduate students bound for the US pass through its network. The legal entity is Explore Higher Ed Limited, registered in England with headquarters in Singapore and operational offices in London.

The platform integrates directly with Parchment, Common App, and Slate CRM (with 2-way Slate sync), and is structured as a core platform supplemented by modules including Direct Apply, Promote, Connect, Amplify, Brand Boost, Enrolment Attribution, Student Support Services, Uni Invite, and Explore Tours. The technical differentiation centers on interoperability with established admissions infrastructure and proprietary enrollment attribution that returns decision, deposit, and enrollment signals to university CRMs in real time.

Explore generates revenue through three streams: recurring platform subscriptions for the Explore Services suite (multi-year contracts with annual price escalation provisions); transaction fees for enrollment attribution tied to qualifying student enrollments; and transaction fees for student support services (counseling, visa assistance, document provision) billed upon successful acceptance. Go-to-market combines enterprise field sales with dedicated regional account managers (UK/ROW, US, North America), event-driven demand generation anchored by the annual Explore UK Forum, and direct-to-consumer engagement through the Cialfo and BridgeU platforms used by students and counselors. Pricing is custom and not publicly disclosed; contracts are non-cancellable and non-refundable, billed in GBP or USD with 30-day payment terms.

Name

Explore

Legal name

Explore Higher Ed Limited

Website

https://explore.study

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Explore is a cloud-based SaaS platform that connects universities with international K12 students for undergraduate recruitment. Launched in 2025 under Manifest Global, it consolidates the Cialfo, BridgeU, and Kaaiser networks to serve 1,000+ university partners across 100+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Recruitment Platform

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Virtual Recruitment Events, Fairs & Webinar Platforms (EDAIACAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Transfer, Credit Mobility & Articulation Planning Platforms (EDAFAMAO)

Keywords

• International student recruitment
• University enrollment platform
• K12 student network
• Enrollment attribution services
• Education marketing solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Enrolment Attribution Fees: Fees payable for enrollment attribution services, where universities pay based on qualifying student enrollments. The application report enables attribution of students who enroll with the university from target schools.
2. Student Support Services: Fees accruing upon successful acceptance and enrollment of prospective students into courses offered by the university customer. Support includes counseling, visa assistance, and document provision.
3. Platform Subscription/Services: Explore Services suite including promotional services, data-driven insights, account management, and marketing solutions for universities. Fees set out in Order Form with annual price increase provisions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Explore provides a cloud-based international student recruitment platform that connects universities with high-potential K12 students through a network powered by Cialfo, BridgeU, and Kaaiser. The company sells subscription access to its platform along with modular services including Direct Apply (unified application portal), Promote (market intelligence and account management), Connect (student engagement), Amplify (advertising and email marketing), Enrolment Attribution (ROI tracking), and Student Support Services (visa and counselling assistance).

Product overview

Explore is a platform-plus-modules architecture connecting universities with the world's brightest K12 students. The core Explore Platform serves as the main international student recruitment solution, supplemented by integrated sub-brands Cialfo Platform and BridgeU Platform. Key functional modules include Promote (expand globally with insights), Connect (reach 80,000+ students across 1,750+ schools), and Amplify (maximize visibility through 25M+ interactions). Additional products include Direct Apply (unified application portal), Uni Invite (direct university-to-student invitations), Enrolment Attribution (tracking), Student Support Services (visa/application counselling), and Brand Boost advertising. The platform also offers experiential recruitment through Explore Tours and hosts the annual Explore UK Forum event. One in two international undergraduate students going to the US come through the network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Explore Platform International student recruitment platform that connects universities with high-potential K12 students through data-driven solutions, a powerful K12 network, and smart technology for student search, application management, and enrollment tracking.
• Direct Apply

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% of US-bound international undergraduate students come through Explore network
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core, major and flagship.

• NISAU (National Indian Students and Alumni Union)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 24 June 2026NISAU x Explore partnership for House of Lords event on June 23, 2026 as part of the UK Forum 2026 program.
• CialfocoreTechnology or IntegrationCialfo is one of the powering platforms for Explore's international university and careers guidance platform for students and counselors. Part of the Manifest Global portfolio alongside BridgeU.
• BridgeUcoreTechnology or IntegrationBridgeU is one of the powering platforms for Explore's international university and careers guidance platform for students and counselors. LinkedIn presence maintained at 'BridgeU for Universities'.
• KaaisercoreTechnology or IntegrationKaaiser is one of the leading platforms powering Explore's network of international K12 students.
• ParchmentmajorTechnology or IntegrationParchment partnership enables data-driven results and transparent tracking for universities using the Explore platform. Part of enrollment attribution and application tracking services.
• Common AppmajorTechnology or IntegrationCommon App partnership enables data-driven results and transparent tracking for universities. Part of Explore's Direct Apply platform integration for unified application submissions.
• Slate (Technolutions)majorTechnology or Integration2-way Slate integration allowing universities to receive qualified applicants directly into Slate CRM and push back key updates including decisions, deposits, and enrolments for real-time ROI visibility.
• Manifest GlobalflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerExplore is a product of Manifest Global, sitting at the center of the group's university relationships built on the combined reach of Cialfo and BridgeU. Launched in 2025.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Studyportals: Studyportals is a digital marketplace that helps prospective students discover and compare international degree programs, with deep data on international student intent. It is highly comparable to Explore's Connect/Amplify modules and competes for university brand-awareness budgets.
• Keystone Education Group: Keystone is a student-marketing and recruitment analytics firm serving universities with data-driven insights, lead generation, and conversion optimization. It directly parallels Explore's Promote and Enrolment Attribution capabilities for international student recruitment.
• ApplyBoard: ApplyBoard is a leading international student recruitment platform connecting students, recruiters, and institutions globally. It competes head-to-head with Explore for university recruitment budgets and shares a similar two-sided marketplace model targeting international K12-to-university pipelines.

Emerging players

• BridgeU: BridgeU is another Manifest Global sister platform that matches international high school students with universities and careers. It shares infrastructure with Explore and serves a similar K12-to-university audience, making it a tightly coupled adjacent competitor.
• Cialfo: Cialfo is a sister platform within Manifest Global that directly serves K12 counselors and universities for international student guidance and applications. Its overlapping customer base and shared data infrastructure make it the closest functional analog within the same portfolio.
• Unibuddy: Unibuddy is a peer-to-peer student-ambassador platform used by universities to convert prospective international students. It overlaps with Explore's Connect module and competes for the same student-engagement budget universities allocate to international recruitment.

Broad incumbents

• Navitas: Navitas operates university pathway and international student recruitment programs globally. It overlaps with Explore's student-support and pathway-adjacent offerings, though its core business is owned pathway programs rather than pure marketplace recruitment.
• Shorelight: Shorelight partners with US universities to recruit, enroll, and support international students through programmatic, marketing, and student-success services. It competes with Explore's full-stack enrollment-attribution and student-support offerings from a US-anchored incumbent position.
• IDP Education: IDP Education is a global leader in international student placement, IELTS testing, and student services. It overlaps with Explore's enrollment-attribution and student-support services while operating at much greater scale and offering adjacent testing services universities value.
• QS Quacquarelli Symonds: QS is a major higher-education analytics, rankings, and student-recruitment platform. It overlaps with Explore's market-intelligence, recruitment-events (similar to the UK Forum), and university-marketing offerings, but operates as a broader incumbent with established global brand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/explore-study1

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Explore