For millions of students, getting into university is only half the battle; paying for it is the real challenge. Scholarships exist, but they are hard to find, confusing to apply for, and often limited to a select few.

SecureMyScholarship is changing that.

Founded by Craig Fernandes, the platform connects students with scholarships and tuition discounts from universities across the UAE, the U.S., the UK, and Ireland. In just three years, it has helped students secure over $10.5 million in scholarships, grown to 450 university partners, and scaled to over $1 million in annual revenue, all while remaining cash-flow positive and profitable.

“It started with something small, one university offering a tuition discount. We shared it with students, and suddenly, applications started rolling in. That’s when we realized this could be much bigger than we had imagined.”

That realization turned into a fast-growing, high-impact business that is making higher education more accessible for thousands of students worldwide.

The Pivot That Started It All

Craig had always dreamed of studying in the U.S., but his family couldn’t afford it.

“I worked hard, got into multiple universities, but none of that mattered because we didn’t have the money. Then, one university offered me a mix of scholarships and financial aid, and that changed my life.”

Years later, while running Lock & Stock, a student-focused mobile app, Craig and his team stumbled upon an opportunity that would redefine their business.

“A university reached out and asked how they could work with us. They needed students, and we had a platform full of them. They offered a 20,000 AED tuition discount for students who applied through us.”

They ran a small campaign, and the response was overwhelming.

“We saw how powerful the idea was: universities have financial aid to give, and students need it. But no one was bridging that gap.”

That’s when they decided to pivot Lock & Stock into SecureMyScholarship. Three years later, the company has:

  • 450 university partners across the UAE, UK, U.S., and Ireland
  • Over $1 million in annual revenue
  • Helped students secure $10.5 million in scholarships
  • Grown into a profitable, cash-flow-positive business

And they’re just getting started.

How SecureMyScholarship Scaled Without Burning Cash

Most startups rely on paid marketing to scale. SecureMyScholarship grew without it.

“We built a system where growth feeds itself. It’s a flywheel that just keeps turning.”

1. The Scholarship Flywheel

SecureMyScholarship created a self-sustaining cycle between universities and students:

  • Universities list scholarships on the platform.
  • Students apply for those opportunities.
  • As more students enroll, universities improve their offers to attract even more applicants.
  • Better scholarships drive more student demand, strengthening SecureMyScholarship’s position in negotiating bigger discounts.

“As we bring in more students, we get universities to offer better financial aid, which then attracts even more students. It’s a win-win.”

2. Community and Referrals

Beyond universities, word-of-mouth has been a major growth driver.

“Our audience is mostly 16-to-18-year-old students. They’re not easily influenced by ads. But when one student finds a scholarship through us, chances are they know others who need the same help.”

From the start, SecureMyScholarship focused on building a strong community and encouraging students to spread the word. This organic approach has kept acquisition costs low while continuously driving new sign-ups.

“Of course, we also do content marketing, social media, and paid ads. But these two strategies have been the biggest drivers of our growth.”

Winning University Partnerships Without Paid Ads

SecureMyScholarship doesn’t rely on mass outreach or advertising to secure university partnerships. Instead, they focus on targeted, direct engagement.

“No big campaigns. No paid ads. Just old-school business development.”

Instead of blasting emails, SecureMyScholarship finds universities that need more international students, identifies decision-makers, usually on LinkedIn, and reaches out directly.

“If five universities respond, we sign two. Then we use those wins to sign more.”

The pitch is simple:

  • Universities need students.
  • Students need financial aid.
  • SecureMyScholarship connects them at scale.

By making it a win-win, SecureMyScholarship has grown from just 7 university partners to 450 without an expensive sales team.

The Challenge That Nearly Broke SecureMyScholarship

Every startup faces a moment where things almost fall apart. For SecureMyScholarship, that moment came when they scaled too fast.

After proving their model in Dubai, Craig and his team expanded aggressively into new markets. One of their biggest moves was a partnership with Jio, India’s largest telecom company.

“Jio put us in front of 400 million users. We were getting 20,000 to 30,000 inquiries every week. But there was a problem: 98% to 99% of those students needed full scholarships, and universities weren’t offering that.”

The response was overwhelming, but it wasn’t the right kind of demand.

“It was a mess. We had this huge spike in applications, but we couldn’t actually help most of the students applying.”

Customer support was overloaded, projections were off, and the team had to make a tough decision.

“We had to be honest about what we could and couldn’t do. As much as we want to help everyone, universities rarely offer 100% scholarships. Instead, we had to focus on students who had at least some budget and needed help closing the gap.”

By refining their messaging and focusing on students they could actually help, SecureMyScholarship stabilized. But Craig admits, scaling too fast without the right filters nearly broke them.

Craig’s Advice for Founders

When asked what advice he gives to aspiring founders, Craig’s answer is always the same:

“There’s no substitute for cold, hard determination. If you believe in something and you believe in what you want to do, put your head down, have tunnel vision, and go do it.”

Building a startup isn’t easy. You will face setbacks. You will fail. Some ideas won’t work. Some strategies will flop.

“That’s okay. As long as you believe in what you’re doing and the mission you’re solving, just keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.”

For Craig, success isn’t about avoiding failure. It’s about pushing through it.

The Future of SecureMyScholarship

SecureMyScholarship has already helped students secure over $10.5 million in scholarships, but Craig sees this as just the beginning.

“We’re not just listing scholarships. We’re negotiating better ones. Every year, we make higher education more affordable for thousands of students.”

With expansion into more global markets, new technology to streamline applications, and a growing network of university partners, SecureMyScholarship is on track to double its impact in the next two years. According to Craig, their mission for the long term is to disburse $100 million in scholarships to working-class and middle-class students around the world.

For founders looking for a blueprint for scaling a profitable startup without burning cash, SecureMyScholarship’s journey is proof that a strong business model beats big marketing budgets every time.