Brands
SW Network collaborates with Pizza Hut for ‘Melts’ student ambassador program
Mumbai: As SW Network continues to onboard more global clients, landing the prestigious Pizza Hut mandate adds another impressive achievement to its portfolio. YouthBeat, the pioneering youth marketing wing of SW Network, has recently secured the youth marketing mandate of Pizza Hut, India’s most loved pizza brand. SW Network’s Delhi office will handle the account, which was secured through a rigorous multi-agency pitch.
Pizza Hut’s newly launched ‘Melts’ is stirring up excitement in the Indian market. As per the mandate, YouthBeat will be responsible for crafting engaging content for Pizza Hut Melts and maximizing its reach on campuses and beyond. They will also be spearheading an effective student ambassador program with 500 students across 8 cities to engage with Gen Z and young audiences, promoting the Melts range in the coolest, most innovative ways.
To channel its youth community’s competitive spirit, YouthBeat will introduce weekly tasks and challenges within the student ambassador program. Tasks such as increasing trials and expanding reach, with all the progress being tracked on a dedicated microsite will feature via a leaderboard. Top performers will be given the chance to win coveted rewards including MacBook, Air, iPhone, iPads, Jordans, and many other exciting prizes to ensure high engagement and enthusiasm among Gen Z.
Sociowash co-founder Raghav Bagai on winning the mandate, expressed “Partnering up a big player in the F&B space such as Pizza Hut is very thrilling for us. We, at YouthBeat, will be devising Pizza Hut’s very own student ambassador program called The Melts Squad, consisting of ambassadors across many Indian cities. We are already looking at more possible tools to optimize this ambassador program, leveraging our expertise in understanding the GenZ preferences and mindset, to enhance awareness and engagement around the new range. The Melts range comes with a tagline of “No interruptions. Only Satisfaction”- and we want to rightly put across how crispy, cheesy, and, loaded the range is, solidifying the sentiment that nothing in the world needs to pause while you binge on your own ’Melts’.”
Commenting on the collaboration with SW Network, Pizza Hut India CMO Aanandita Datta said, “Gen Z is an important demographic for us, and we are looking at many innovative ways to engage with them. Partnering with SW Network to launch the Melts Squad program is a significant step in that direction. Melts has already taken Gen Z by storm, and we are excited to take it up a notch with this partnership”
Brands
upGrad acquires Internshala in 90 per cent stock deal to own career funnel
Deal aims to scale Internshala’s revenue from Rs 45 crore to Rs 100 crore
MUMBAI: upGrad has acquired Internshala, the world’s largest internship and early-talent marketplace, in a bid to stitch education, skilling and employment into a single career pipeline.
The transaction, announced on 26 February, is structured as a 90 per cent stock-swap, with the financial terms undisclosed. The deal deepens upGrad’s push to control the full career lifecycle, from learning to hiring, at a time when India’s skilling economy is under pressure to deliver outcomes, not just credentials.
Founded in 2010, Internshala claims more than 34 million registered users and 450,000 employers, with roughly 3 million active applicants each year. Over 40 per cent of its users come from tier 2 and tier 3 cities, and most of the platform’s traffic is organic. The company currently reports an annual revenue base of Rs 45 crore.
Under upGrad’s ownership, Internshala is expected to scale aggressively. The company aims to grow the platform’s revenue to Rs 100 crore and beyond, backed by increased investment in product development, AI-led talent matching and enterprise hiring solutions.
Internshala will continue to operate as an independent brand, led by its founder and CEO Sarvesh Agrawal, while tapping into upGrad’s technology stack, distribution and learning ecosystem.
“Education and employment in India have operated in silos for too long,” said upGrad head of corporate strategy and growth Chirag Samdaria. He said the acquisition strengthens the earliest and most consequential stage of the career journey, where intent is high and outcomes can be shaped.
Agrawal described the deal as a natural convergence of learning and opportunity, adding that the partnership would allow Internshala to skill millions of candidates and supply pre-trained talent to employers at scale.
Investec acted as exclusive financial adviser to Internshala.
The acquisition marks a strategic milestone for upGrad as it seeks to position itself not merely as an education provider, but as an end-to-end workforce development platform aligned with India’s evolving labour market.
