Our Story
We started as college consultants. Now we're building tools that give every student access to the same guidance that gets people into top schools.
Leadership
Built by students who understand the process firsthand.
Rishabh Tole
Co-Founder & CTO
Engineering the AI systems that power next-generation college guidance.
Pratyush Chakraborty
Co-Founder & CEO
Driving strategy and partnerships to scale personalized education.
The Origin
We started Pingin at Penn, where we ran a college consulting business on the side. We worked with 100+ students on their essays and applications, including students who got into Ivies and other T10s. That gave us a front-row seat to what actually moves the needle in admissions and what the existing tools were missing.
The Problem
Timing matters. When you're stuck on an essay at midnight before a deadline, you can't wait three days for feedback. And most AI tools give you polished, generic advice that sounds fine but doesn't actually help you stand out.
Our Approach
Our AI is trained on 100s of real essays, activities, and profiles that worked, written by actual students and accepted by Ivies and other T10s. That's why it can recognize strong storytelling, authentic voice, and the profile-level patterns that make an applicant memorable.
Research Finder
We also built Research Finder to help students land research positions. It pulls faculty data from hundreds of schools, helps you find professors doing work you're actually interested in, and even drafts outreach emails for you.
What We Built
A platform that gives you real guidance, fast feedback, and research opportunities without the $499.99/hour price tag. AI when you need quick iterations. Human mentors when you need real judgment.