The Gen Z Founders Who Dare to Disrupt a Billion-Dollar Industry: Two 21-Year-Olds Built an AI “Digital Interview Panel” to Train Aspirants for Free

Imagine sitting across from an interview board that grills you with the precision of an IIM-Ahmedabad professor, probes your logic like an ISB dean, and catches every stutter, all at 2 AM, and for absolutely zero cost.

While elite coaching centers were busy charging aspirants ₹5,000 for a single mock session, two 21-year-old friends from Delhi, Arnav and Vihaan, decided to break the paywall. They didn’t just build a chatbot; they built InterviewPrep, a sophisticated “Digital Panel” that is currently disrupting the multi-crore MBA coaching industry by making world-class preparation accessible to every student in Bharat.

In Their Own Words: From Early Access to Rebuilding

The journey wasn’t without its hurdles. After launching an early version, the duo realized that “smart” wasn’t enough, it had to feel real.

As posted on LinkedIn by Arnav and Vihaan:

“A few weeks ago, we opened early access for InterviewPrep… The takeaway was clear: The idea worked, but the interview experience needed to feel more human. Based on early access learning, we rebuilt the system.”

Today, their platform app.interviewprepmate.in is powered by a model fine-tuned on 200+ real MBA interview transcripts and backed by a database of 5,000+ actual interview questions. It doesn’t just ask questions; it listens, adapts, and exposes the “panel’s thinking” after every response.

The “Brain” of the Panel: How InterviewPrep Thinks

What makes Arnav and Vihaan’s tool different from a standard chatbot is its ability to “think” like a seasoned academician. Most generic AI tools offer encouragement; InterviewPrep offers a reality check.

The duo realized that real IIM panels don’t just ask questions, they look for the “thread of truth.” If you claim to be a “data-driven leader” in your intro but struggle to explain a basic statistical concept three questions later, a human panelist will pounce. InterviewPrep is designed to do exactly that.

1. The Adaptive “Pivot” Mechanic

Unlike static question banks, this AI performs Contextual Probing. It uses a sophisticated retrieval system of 5,000+ real questions to find the “next logical grill.”

• If you answer well: The AI increases the difficulty, moving from “What did you do?” to “Why was that the only choice?”
• If you stumble: It pivots, testing if your failure was a one-off or a lack of fundamental depth.

2. Catching Inconsistencies

The founders fine-tuned the model on over 200 real transcripts to recognize the difference between a polished answer and a practiced one. The tool specifically flags:

• The “Memorization” Trap: If your speaking pace is too perfect or lacks natural pauses, the AI identifies it as “rehearsed content” and throws a curveball to break your rhythm.
• Narrative Gaps: It compares your answers across the session. If your “Greatest Weakness” story contradicts the “Leadership Success” story you told ten minutes ago, the tool highlights this as a “Red Flag.”

3. Post-Game Analysis: The “Panel’s Thinking”

The most innovative feature of the InterviewPrep platform is the transparency it provides after the session. In a real interview, you walk out wondering what they thought. Here, you get a “Behind the Scenes” look:

• The “Why”: It explains why a specific follow-up was asked.
• The “Probe”: It identifies exactly which sentence in your response triggered the interviewer’s suspicion.
• The “Internal Score”: It provides a breakdown of what worked and what raised concerns, helping you fix the “logic leaks” before the actual D-day.

“The tool listens to your answers, adapts the flow, and tries to catch inconsistencies, just like an actual panel,” Arnav explains. It’s this ruthless objectivity that prepares students for the high-pressure “Hot Seat.”

The “Free for Bharat” Mission: Why Arnav and Vihaan Refuse to Monetize

In an industry where “mock interview packages” are sold with the same aggression as luxury real estate, the decision to keep InterviewPrep free is a radical act. For Arnav and Vihaan, this isn’t just about building an app; it’s about their own lived experience as MBA aspirants.

They know that for a student in a Tier-2 city like Pune or a small town in Uttar Pradesh, ₹5,000 isn’t just a fee, it’s a week’s worth of family groceries or a month’s rent. By keeping the platform accessible, they are effectively “open-sourcing” the elite interview secrets of India’s top B-schools.

“We’re keeping it completely free because as MBA aspirants ourselves, we know how overwhelming the PI process can be,” the duo shared.

Building a Community, Not Just a Customer Base

The mission goes beyond the code. Arnav and Vihaan are actively inviting other builders and aspirants to join their journey. Instead of hiring expensive corporate developers, they are leaning into the community that uses the tool.

What’s on the Horizon?

• The Move to PWA: To solve the problem of patchy internet and low-end smartphones, they are converting InterviewPrep into a Progressive Web App (PWA). This will allow students to practice even with minimal data, making the tool truly “Bharat-ready.”
• Crowdsourced Wisdom: They’ve opened their DMs to anyone who wants to contribute or build with them, creating a decentralized hub for MBA prep innovation.
• Continuous Learning: Every piece of feedback from the 60+ early access users is being used to refine the AI’s “human” feel, ensuring that the version you use today is smarter than the one from yesterday.

Frequently Asked Questions about InterviewPrep AI

Q1: Is InterviewPrep AI really free to use? A: Yes. Founders Arnav and Vihaan have committed to keeping the platform free for MBA aspirants. They believe that high-quality interview preparation should not be a “paid privilege” accessible only to those who can afford expensive coaching.

Q2: How is this different from using ChatGPT for mock interviews? A: While ChatGPT is a generalist, InterviewPrep is specialized. It is fine-tuned on 200+ real MBA transcripts and uses a retrieval system of 5,000+ actual interview questions. It doesn’t just chat; it simulates the specific “grilling” style of IIM and B-school panels, including adaptive follow-ups and inconsistency detection.

Q3: Can I practice for specific B-schools like IIM Ahmedabad or ISB? A: Absolutely. The tool’s database is built using questions and patterns specifically observed in elite Indian B-school interviews. You can practice “Full Mock” sessions that mimic the intensity of these specific admission boards.

Q4: Do I need to download any software to use it? A: No. It is a web-based platform accessible via interviewprepmate.in. The founders are also working on a PWA (Progressive Web App) version to make it even more accessible for students with limited data or mobile-only setups.

Q5: Is my interview data and recording private? A: Yes. The founders have emphasized a “Privacy-First” approach. Your practice sessions are designed to be a safe space for you to fail, learn, and improve without the fear of your data being shared or stored insecurely.

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Conclusion: The Democratization of the Indian Dream

The story of Arnav and Vihaan is more than just a tech startup success; it is a signal that the “gatekeeping” era of Indian education is coming to an end. For decades, the path to an IIM or a top B-school was paved with expensive coaching fees that often sidelined brilliant students from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. By building InterviewPrep, these two 21-year-olds have handed every aspirant, regardless of their bank balance, the keys to the interview room.

As you stand on the threshold of your MBA journey, you no longer have to wonder what happens behind those closed doors. You can face the “Digital Panel” today, fix your stutters tonight, and walk into your real interview tomorrow with the confidence of someone who has already been there a hundred times.

The future of Bharat’s leadership isn’t just being decided in the classrooms of Ahmedabad or Bangalore, it’s being built in the coding rigs of young disruptors like Arnav and Vihaan.