The High Schoolers Killing the $24B Test Prep Industry

I was one week away from my SAT and drowning in AP prep when I found a tool that felt too good to be true: "infinite practice questions" for free. When I looked into who made it, I was shocked to find it wasn't a billion-dollar company (it was a group of high schoolers!)

In this episode of Rheality Check, I talk to Aaryan Parikh, the co-founder of Stellar Learning. We dive into how he and his team are using AI to disrupt the $24B test-prep industry, democratizing education, and what it’s actually like to manage 150+ volunteers while still in high school.

Check out Stellar Learning: https://www.stellarlearning.org/

Timestamps

00:00 – intro

00:33 – first project: middle school!

01:31 – why make your product free?

03:00 – advice for young entrepreneur

03:41 – biggest challenges

04:21 – scaling to 150+ volunteers

05:27 – 15,000 users in just 6 months

06:07 – using AI to generate questions

07:18 – launching IB and GCSE content + more?

08:30 – recruiting a global volunteer team

09:27 – marketing

10:40 – final thoughts + conclusion

ABOUT RHEALITY CHECK: Hi! I'm Rhea Susarla, a high school student and host of Rheality Check—a video podcast that tackles the ever-expanding world of innovative technologies, discussing their groundbreaking potential and ethical dilemmas.

CONNECT WITH ME:
🌐 Website: https://rhealitycheck.squarespace.com/
📸 Instagram: @rhealitycheckpod
🔗 LinkedIn:   / rhea-susarla  

#TechEthics #Education #AI #Entrepreneurship #StellarLearning #APprep #SAT #GenZFounders #RhealityCheck