The Startup That Broke My IIT Dream, and Then Helped Me Build It Again
For two years of my life, the letters "IIT" were more than just an acronym; they were a mantra. Like millions of other students in India, I lived and breathed the dream of walking through the gates of an Indian Institute of Technology. My path, I decided, would be modern. I wouldn't go to the crowded coaching centers my parents' generation swore by. Instead, my ticket to success was going to be a slick ed-tech startup with a killer app and a promise of "cracking the code" to the JEE exam.
Their ads were everywhere, featuring smiling students who had apparently hacked their way to top ranks by studying on their tablets. It was intoxicating. I convinced my parents that this was the future of learning. No travel, personalized doubt-solving, and AI-driven test analysis. What could go wrong?
Everything, as it turned out. The pre-recorded lectures felt distant and one-sided. The "24/7 doubt-solving" was a chatbot for the first 30 minutes, and by the time a real person responded, I had already forgotten my question. I was buried in a mountain of mock tests, but the "AI analysis" just told me I was weak in a chapter, without a real mentor to guide me on how to improve. I was studying in isolation, mistaking the hours I spent on the app for actual progress.
The day the JEE results came out, my world shattered. My name wasn't on the list. I was devastated. A deep sense of bitterness grew inside me, and I aimed it all at one target. I felt cheated by their flashy promises. They had sold me a shortcut that led to a dead end.
After a few weeks of wallowing, I realized that anger wasn't going to get me a seat in any college. I had to understand what went wrong. In a moment of what I can only describe as audacious madness, I went to the careers page. I didn't apply for a teaching role, but for an internship in the content team. My cover letter was brutally honest: "Your platform was supposed to get me into IIT, but it failed. I want to come and see why, and maybe help fix it."
To my shock, they called me. Maybe they were intrigued by the audacity. I got the internship.
Walking into their office was surreal. I was now on the other side, working with the very people who created the videos and tests that had been my life for two years. And from the inside, I saw everything differently. I saw the brilliant educators who spent hours trying to simplify complex topics. I saw the tech team working tirelessly to improve the app. The platform wasn't a scam; it was a powerful tool. I had just used it all wrong.
Surrounded by the smartest people I had ever met, a new fire was lit in me. While organizing study materials for other students, I started studying them myself. When a top physics professor recorded a lecture, I stayed back to ask him the doubts I never could through the app. I used the system not as a passive student, but as an active participant. I was helping build the engine, and in the process, I learned how to drive it.
I worked at for a year. And while I did, I prepared for the JEE again, on my own terms.
This time, when the results came out, my story was different. My name was there. I had made it.
It’s a strange feeling. The startup that was once the symbol of my biggest failure became the very reason for my success. It taught me that there are no shortcuts. The best tools are useless if you don't know how to use them. I had to fail, get my hands dirty, and look behind the curtain to truly understand what it takes. I didn't get to IIT because of a cool app; I got there because I took ownership of my dream and found a way to learn, even if it meant joining the company I once blamed for everything.