WILMINGTON, DE — Havana has introduced an AI-driven student recruitment platform that aims to overhaul how colleges and universities attract and engage prospective students in an increasingly competitive market. The company says its system has already helped institutions connect with more than 100,000 prospects, boost conversion rates by 10 percent, and eliminate over 250 days of manual work for admissions teams.
The launch arrives as higher education faces shifting expectations from Millennial and Gen Z students who conduct nearly every part of their school search online. With research showing that 78 percent of students enroll with the first institution that responds, Havana’s pitch centers on speed, personalization, and continuous engagement.
The platform operates across phone, email, text, and WhatsApp, switching between channels based on student behavior. Havana reports that this multichannel approach generates response rates 70 to 100 percent higher than single-channel tools. It can also communicate in more than 50 languages, a feature aimed at expanding international enrollment pipelines.
The system is designed to respond instantly to inquiries, qualify leads based on admissions criteria, revive dormant prospects, and manage sudden surges tied to recruitment events — all while integrating with CRM platforms such as Salesforce.
Early adopters say the technology is influencing enrollment outcomes. Pia Horner, Associate Director and Head of Student Recruitment at the University of Europe for Applied Sciences, said the platform re-engaged students who had abandoned applications. “It ended up converting leads we had given up on,” she said. Bryan Palmer, Chief Commercial Officer EMENA at Global University Systems, noted that internal demand for the tool spread quickly, adding that “different teams were fighting to be the first to get it.”
Havana’s customer base spans traditional universities, large online institutions with six-figure enrollments, and major trade and healthcare colleges across the United States, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Clients include Kaplan, Global University Systems, Galileo Global, and The University of Law.
CEO Nathan Wangliao said the company’s focus is on helping institutions meet modern communication expectations while easing the pressure on overextended enrollment teams. “We’re helping institutions do more with their existing resources while providing a superior experience for prospective students,” he said.
Supported by investors with backgrounds at OpenAI, Meta’s Superintelligence Lab, and Cognition AI, Havana is positioning its platform as a next-generation tool for colleges seeking an edge in a sharply evolving recruitment landscape.
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