PrepInsta’s new approach to campus placements

In an exclusive interview with Dataquest, PrepInsta co-founder Manish Agarwal has shared how the platform has evolved from a ₹ 99 bootstrap to an AI powered full-stack career readiness ecosystem. As noted, subpar education or a piece of paper does not absolve students from the challenge of sourcing fragmented resources to prepare for their placement process. Ultimately, the goal of prepinsta was to simplify the placement procedure for engineering students across universities and colleges; across India including those from tier-2 and tier-3 colleges whom have an equal opportunity to get into quality slots in companies like Microsoft, Amazon, TCS, Goldman Sach, the list is endless.

By stitching into the fabric of personalized learning, engaging courses mapped to industry parameters and placement automation, the platform is ushering in an era for how students in India will continue to transit from campus to careers.

You started PrepInsta with just ₹99 and a mission to simplify placements—what problem were you solving back then, and how has that mission evolved?

In 2016, the core issue we tackled was the fragmented nature of placement preparation where talented engineering students had to navigate multiple platforms, unreliable content, and inconsistent guidance, often resulting in missed opportunities despite potential. With just ₹99 as a bootstrap investment to acquire the domain from GoDaddy and a clear understanding of this gap from our own experiences at VIT, we built PrepInsta as a unified platform offering structured, outcome-driven learning.

What began as a solution to simplify access to job prep has now scaled into a full-stack career readiness ecosystem with over 200 courses, impacting 1.4 million students and streamlining placements across 100+ institutions through our SaaS platform Optimus.

The mission has evolved from offering just placement prep to redefining employability itself, combining adaptive learning, AI-based tools, and real-world industry alignment to create a future-ready talent pipeline accessible across India, including Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities where career support is most needed.

PrepInsta has helped students land jobs with top firms like Microsoft, Amazon, and TCS. What’s your formula for consistently achieving high placement success rates?

The formula for consistently driving high placement success lies in our deep integration of skill-building, real-world application, and data-backed personalization. PrepInsta doesn’t just offer content; it creates an ecosystem where students, colleges, and recruiters are seamlessly connected. Through PrepInsta Prime, students gain access to over 200 industry-aligned courses covering everything from coding to Generative AI and aptitude, complemented by company-specific mock tests and interview simulations. Our AI-powered platform adapts to each learner’s pace and gaps, ensuring personalized preparation paths.

Optimus, our proprietary placement automation software, enables over 100 institutions to track and enhance student readiness while syncing with recruiter expectations. With over 90k paid subscribers of PrepInsta Prime till now, our results speak through the success stories of learners landing roles in top firms like Microsoft, Amazon, TCS, Wipro, HCL, PayPal, Goldman Sachs, and others. In the process, we are also helping these companies tap the right talent efficiently, reducing hiring friction and aligning candidates with real-world job roles.

You’ve focused heavily on students from tier-2 and tier-3 colleges. What unique challenges do they face, and how does your platform bridge those gaps?

Students from tier-2 and tier-3 colleges often face challenges related to limited exposure, outdated curriculum, inadequate placement support, and lack of access to quality upskilling resources. While the ambition and potential are immense, the absence of structured guidance and industry-aligned training puts them at a disadvantage compared to peers in top-tier institutions.

PrepInsta addresses this gap through a mobile-first, affordable, and adaptive platform that delivers high-impact learning regardless of geography. 

Our PrepInsta Prime subscription offers over 200 industry-relevant courses under one umbrella, including modules in Generative AI, Cybersecurity, and Cloud Computing, and Machine learning all designed to be accessible even in low-bandwidth environments. Our Saas tool Optimus empowers partner institutions to streamline placement processes, while our AI-driven personalisation ensures that each learner gets support tailored to their pace and proficiency.

With over 600k followers across our Instagram handles and more than 500k subscribers on YouTube, we have built a trusted community that inspires, informs, and empowers students from every corner of the country.

With AI, cybersecurity, and data science gaining traction, how are you reimagining your course offerings to keep learners industry-ready?

We continuously evolve our course offerings to stay ahead of emerging technologies and ensure learners are equipped for the demands of a rapidly shifting job market. Our PrepInsta Prime subscription now includes advanced modules in AI, Generative AI, Cybersecurity, Data Science, and Cloud Computing, designed not just to teach concepts but to provide hands-on, project-based learning that mirrors real-world applications.

These modules are updated regularly based on recruiter feedback, performance analytics, and industry insights gathered through our 100+ institutional partnerships. NASSCOM certification for key courses like Data Science and Analytics further validates our curriculum’s alignment with national skill benchmarks. We also use AI within our platform to adapt content dynamically to each learner’s progress and preferences, ensuring personalization at scale.

The goal is to move beyond theoretical instruction and create a future-ready talent pool that can confidently meet the expectations of companies operating at the forefront of innovation and technology.

How does PrepInsta use data or personalization to guide students toward the right learning and placement paths?

Every student’s learning curve is unique, and at PrepInsta, we’ve built a deeply personalized platform that adapts to each individual’s pace, strengths, and challenges. Our data-driven engine tracks a wide range of metrics such as course engagement, quiz accuracy, topic-wise proficiency, and behavioral patterns like speed and consistency.

These insights power real-time content recommendations, adaptive mock tests, and personalized learning paths that guide students toward their ideal placement goals. Our AI tools further refine this journey with role-specific resume suggestions and contextual doubt-solving, ensuring learners stay focused and industry-ready. Institutions using our SaaS platform Optimus benefit from advanced analytics that align academics with placement needs, making the entire ecosystem smarter and more efficient.

This precision-led guidance not only boosts student confidence but also enhances their employability quotient, allowing them to transition from campus to top-tier careers with a competitive edge.

You transitioned from business development to Chief Marketing Officer and now a Senior Director. What leadership lessons have shaped your growth?

The shift from business development to marketing and then into a senior leadership role has been a gradual process of learning to think more holistically and act more deliberately. In the early stages, the focus was on execution and relationship-building, understanding what our learners and partners truly needed. As I moved into marketing, the challenge became telling our story in a way that stayed honest to our purpose while also driving meaningful engagement.

Now, the work involves connecting the dots across teams, encouraging thoughtful decision-making, and helping the organisation stay grounded while growing. What has stayed constant is the importance of listening well, staying open to feedback, and allowing space for people around me to bring their strengths forward. Leadership, for me, has quietly become more about enabling momentum than directing it, and that shift in approach has shaped both how I contribute and how I continue to learn.

What advice would you give to a student who’s technically sound but still struggling to crack top company interviews?

Being technically sound is a great foundation, but interviews often test more than just core skills. Many students overlook the importance of structured communication, problem-solving approach, and the ability to think aloud during technical rounds. Even these days, recruiters are looking for students to go the extra mile with their AI skills.

Companies like Microsoft or Goldman Sachs are not just evaluating what you know but how you apply it under pressure and how well you collaborate or adapt. Practising mock interviews, understanding the interviewer's perspective, and working on behavioural rounds are just as important as mastering data structures or algorithms.

Building confidence through consistent practice, refining soft skills, and learning to articulate your thought process clearly can make a significant difference. Tools like PrepInsta Prime are designed to bridge exactly this gap with guided learning paths, interview prep modules, and real-time feedback, ensuring technically sound students get the extra push they need to perform at their best during big interviews.