Getting into a top graduate school is hard enough. Paying for it when you're an international student — without a credit history in the country you're studying in — is a different kind of problem entirely. Prodigy Finance was built specifically for that gap. Founded in 2007 by a group of INSEAD alumni who experienced the problem firsthand, it offers loans to international postgraduate students at top universities, underwriting based on future earning potential rather than credit scores or collateral. It's a data-driven bet on human capital, and it's paid off — the company has funded over $1 billion in loans to students from more than 150 countries. The model is genuinely different: instead of relying on traditional banking infrastructure, Prodigy Finance pools capital from institutional and accredited investors who earn returns as students repay. It's part lending platform, part impact investment vehicle. In a market where most lenders won't touch cross-border student finance, Prodigy has built a defensible niche at the intersection of education, immigration, and credit.