What happens when five college students decide to skip placements and build something they wish they had? You get MyCaptain, an edtech platform that started as a WhatsApp experiment and scaled to reach over 1.5 million learners across the country.
At a recent NSRCEL session, we hosted Mohammad Zeeshan, co-founder and CEO of MyCaptain, for a conversation with student founders who are just getting started. What followed was a mix of practical insight, humble storytelling, and brutally honest takes on what it means to start up while still in college. If you’ve ever thought, “I have an idea, but where do I even begin?” – this is for you.
It all started with a conversation. During his second year of college, Zeeshan and a few friends sat around cramming for an exam none of them particularly cared about. One wanted to be an astronomer. Another dreamed of filmmaking. A third was exploring economics. But like many students, they were all studying for the same engineering paper – just because it was expected. That one conversation sparked something.
They didn’t immediately think, let’s build a startup. What they did think was: Why don’t we create something that helps students explore careers they’re actually curious about? So they started a print magazine.
And it flopped.
But it also forced them to listen, learn, and rework their idea. That print magazine eventually became a small online mentorship community. That community turned into structured sessions. The sessions grew into a platform. And that platform became MyCaptain.
Why college is a great time to start up: Zeeshan is clear about this – college gives you more freedom than you realise. You have time, flexibility, and (most importantly) people. Friends become teammates. Classmates become beta users. Professors and seniors become sounding boards.
“You don’t have to wait until you’ve graduated to start something real,” he said. “Your future co-founder is probably in your college group chat. You just haven’t pitched them yet.”
And even if your first idea doesn’t take off, college gives you room to try again.
Because when you don’t have fixed costs, investor expectations, or performance reviews to worry about, you’re free to focus on the most important thing: figuring out whether the problem you care about is worth solving.
Don’t wait for perfect. Start small, then listen
The early version of MyCaptain didn’t have a dashboard or app. It ran on WhatsApp.
Learners were onboarded manually. Mentors were sourced from Zeeshan’s network. Content was built week by week. What kept them going was feedback – real, frequent, often critical, always useful. Every version they built led to clearer insights. And every mistake helped shape the next move.
“You don’t need a five-year plan. You need your next five users,” he said. “And you need to talk to them like they’re your co-founders.”
What matters more than money
There’s a common myth among student founders that you need capital to start building. Zeeshan disagrees. Before raising any funding, MyCaptain had already crossed ₹5 lakh in monthly revenue. They focused on creating value, getting people to come back, and letting that traction speak for itself.
“I’ve seen startups shut down after raising crores,” he said. “And I’ve seen scrappy teams scale real businesses without any funding.”
What matters more than money is momentum. If you’re seeing consistent growth, even if small – you’re doing something right.
And if not? You’re in the best phase of your life to go back, tweak, and try again.
The role of structure and support
For over a year before they were formally incubated, Zeeshan and his team made monthly trips from Chennai to NSRCEL in Bangalore. Just to sit across the table from a mentor, talk about progress, and hear what wasn’t working. Those conversations gave their journey shape. They didn’t get all the answers, but they left with better questions. That rhythm, of reflecting, testing, reviewing – became a habit.
In hindsight, that’s what most student-led ventures need. It’s not about skipping steps. It’s about having a system that keeps you grounded as you figure things out. Whether that support comes from your college’s entrepreneurship cell, an incubator, alumni network, or even a WhatsApp group of founders – structure helps you stay the course.
Building your first team isn’t about resumes
At some point, Zeeshan had to make a big decision: ask the team to skip placements and go all in. He didn’t promise them a salary. He promised them a shot. And five of them said yes. That early team built the foundation – running operations, building content, doing sales calls, answering support queries, often in the same day.
“No one had years of experience. But they were willing to learn, and they believed in the mission. That’s what mattered,” Zeeshan said.
So if you’re looking to build a team in college, don’t look for titles. Look for people who are curious, dependable, and ready to show up when things get hard.
So… what do you even build?
Zeeshan shared a simple framework for student founders unsure of where to begin. Start by listing five industries or spaces you care about. Think through the people involved; students, small businesses, teachers, delivery workers, whoever it is.
Then, talk to them. Ask what frustrates them. What slows them down. What makes them go looking for a better way. Talk to 100 people, and patterns will emerge. That’s how you find the one problem you won’t mind obsessing over for the next few years.
Because building a startup isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about staying committed to a problem, even after the buzz fades.
A few parting thoughts for student founders
One of the biggest myths around startups is that you need to have everything figured out. The truth? You won’t. And you don’t need to.
If you have:
- A real problem you care about
- A few users who are willing to try your solution
- A team that’s scrappy and focused
- Then you already have more than most.
Zeeshan closed the session with something simple, but important: “There’s no one path. You don’t need to do what everyone else is doing. You just need to do the work, stay curious, and keep moving.”
And if you’re doing that from your hostel room? You’re exactly where you need to be.
