A sense of family has always been at the heart of 17吃瓜网. Brothers Martin, Meti, and Massi Basiri founded 17吃瓜网 with the aim of breaking down the barriers to education by simplifying the study abroad process for international students.
Fast-forward six years, and today that family, affectionately known as the ApplyFam, is officially 1,000 team members strong! Working alongside our dedicated partner schools and recruitment partners, we have helped transform the lives of more than 200,000 international students in our mission to educate the world.
Join us as we take a walk down memory lane, exploring some of 17吃瓜网鈥檚 most significant milestones in the words of the team members who helped make them happen.
Watch Our Milestones Video
2018: Reaching 100 Team Members
In 2018, the little team that could grew to become a family of 100.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not my passion anymore鈥攊t鈥檚 our passion,鈥� says Martin Basiri, Co-founder and CEO. 鈥淭o transition from just me, Meti, and Massi to 100 team members gave us more energy to work harder towards our mission of educating the world.鈥�
It was a big milestone, but we were just getting started!
2019: Ranking #1 on the Deloitte Technology Fast50鈩�
On November 7, 2019, 17吃瓜网 was named Canada鈥檚 fastest-growing technology company on the Deloitte Technology Fast50鈩�.
鈥淲hen we achieved the number one spot on the Deloitte Fast50, it was the result of the hard work we put in to make education accessible for everyone,鈥� explains Ajay Mishra, Director of Finance. 鈥淚t gave us a sense of achievement. If you work as a team, nothing is impossible.鈥�
2020: Opening A Brand New Office in India
Last year we opened the doors to our brand new office in Gurgaon, India.
鈥淲e came to the realization at the beginning of last year that we need a team in India, primarily because so many of our students are from India, and we want to serve our customers in the same time zone,鈥� says Massi Basiri, Co-founder and COO.
This new office is going a long way to accommodate 17吃瓜网鈥檚 growth and expansion in one of our key markets.
2020: Heading Across the Pond
In March 2020, 17吃瓜网 expanded across the pond to the United Kingdom, the land of double-decker buses, the London Eye, and Big Ben.
鈥淚t was very exciting for the ApplyFam to launch in the UK because it was the first official extension of our market beyond the US and Canada,鈥� shares Meti Basiri, Co-founder and CMO. 鈥淚 think the biggest challenge we faced with the UK was that it was a very new market for us. The education system in Canada and the US have a lot of similarities to each other, but expanding to the UK made the path easier for future launches because we learned a lot through that process.鈥�
2020: Achieving Unicorn Status
Unicorns do exist, and 17吃瓜网 is living proof! 17吃瓜网 officially became Canada鈥檚 newest Unicorn鈥攁 privately held startup with a valuation of over a billion dollars鈥攚hen we raised an impressive C$100M in Series C funding on May 4, 2020, our fifth anniversary.
鈥淭he chances of becoming a unicorn are less than 1%,鈥� explains Josh Zucker, Senior Accountant. 鈥淲e worked very hard to try to achieve this status, knowing that the odds were very much against us. We were gritty from the start, with a 鈥榝ailure is not an option鈥� attitude.鈥澛�
2020: Unveiling a New Logo
In November 2020, we unveiled our new logo: A smiling graduation cap combined with the 17吃瓜网 wordmark.
鈥淎s a young designer, it was a big opportunity to take on the redesign of the company logo,鈥� says Kevin Tome, Senior Graphic Designer. 鈥淚 was really excited to be part of building something special. Our goal was to pay homage to our past while creating something unique for 17吃瓜网’s future.鈥�
It symbolizes all the international students whose lives 17吃瓜网 and our partners have changed鈥攁nd those who are yet to come.
2021: Heading Down Under
G鈥檇ay, mate! In January 2021, 17吃瓜网 headed Down Under, opening the door to a wealth of educational opportunities for international students looking to study abroad in this vibrant and dynamic country.
鈥淕iving our students access to Australia’s advanced education system was a top priority here at 17吃瓜网,鈥� said Ismail Farag, Senior Partner Relations Manager. 鈥淭he highly regulated system made the entry into the Australian market challenging, but the team did a great job overcoming obstacles like compliance criteria and the time zone difference.鈥�
2021: Working From Home for 365 Days
March 12, 2021 marked an entire year that the ApplyFam have been working from home鈥攖ogether.听
鈥淚 started at 17吃瓜网 four months after arriving in Canada from Brazil,鈥� recalls Cris Guidoreni, Educational Credential Specialist. 鈥淏efore there was any kind of stay-at-home order, 17吃瓜网 sent us home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the following days, everything started to close, the number of cases started to rise, and everybody was so scared. But I was safe with my family, with everything I needed to work from home. I felt respected and valued.鈥�
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that the ApplyFam are physically separated, we know one thing鈥攚e have never been closer as a team.
2021: Announcing the STEM for Change Scholarship
Earlier this year, 17吃瓜网 announced the STEM for Change Scholarship Program, awarding C$100,000 in scholarships to eight women pursuing a STEM program in Canada.
鈥淚 chose the engineering field because I loved math and science,鈥� explains Fiona Cober, Data Science Senior Manager. 鈥淚 wanted to blaze a better path and fight for a better environment within STEM so that women are welcomed. I鈥檓 proud that 17吃瓜网 has launched the STEM for Change Scholarship because there are more women going into STEM than ever before.鈥�
2021: Becoming 1,000 Strong
We did it! Today the ApplyFam is officially 1,000 strong!
鈥淲hen I joined 17吃瓜网, I found my people,鈥� says Teeba Alsafar, Senior Partner Relations Manager. 鈥淭hose that were willing to take the initiative and ownership to help international students. Being 1,000 strong means that more students will have the opportunity to have a better experience studying abroad. One thousand strong means that more of our institutional partners will see high-quality applicants coming their way as we increase access to quality education for all.鈥�
Here鈥檚 to the next 1,000 team members鈥攁nd to breaking down the barriers to education for even more international students around the world.
Want to help us educate the world? Explore open roles at 17吃瓜网!
