An IIM Rohtak alumnus brings his corporate experience and a personal search for purpose to CAT and IPMAT preparation.
For a student preparing for CAT or IPMAT, the immediate goal is often clear: perform well in the examination and secure admission to a management institute.
Palash Gupta wants to ask what happens next.
The founder of IIMwalaBanda believes preparation can do more than help a student work towards a score. It can also become an opportunity to develop analytical thinking, discipline, communication and the ability to make decisions under pressure.
That belief connects his own experiences: an engineering background, an MBA from IIM Rohtak, more than eight years of professional experience and a decision to build an education venture independently. Yet the moment that helped him commit to entrepreneurship came far from a classroom or a corporate office.
It came during a trek, at around 15,000 feet.
A Moment of Clarity Above the Familiar
For several years, Palash had thought about starting something of his own. The security of a regular salary and the uncertainty of entrepreneurship kept the idea from becoming a decision.
After leaving his job, he went on a week-long trek. Somewhere along that journey, he recalls recognising that the professional experience he had accumulated was only part of what he wanted from work. He was looking for the fulfilment of building something himself and contributing to other people's lives.
When he returned, he decided to start IIMwalaBanda.
The trek did not remove the uncertainty of building a business. It helped him understand why he was willing to take it on. That distinction continues to shape the way he describes both entrepreneurship and education: achievement matters, but so do purpose, personal growth and the choices made along the way.
From IIM Rohtak to Strategy, Growth and Education
Palash studied at IIM Rohtak from 2017 to 2019, completing an MBA in Marketing and Strategy after his engineering education.
His professional journey spans EdTech, management consulting and growth-stage consumer businesses, with experience across organisations including RedSeer Consulting, IndianOil, ERA Foundation, PrepLadder and HitBullseye. His work has brought together product management, growth strategy, marketing and business execution.
These experiences exposed him to different customers, business models and stages of organisational growth. They also taught him to connect understanding a problem with the work required to solve it: identifying an opportunity, shaping an offering, reaching customers and improving the experience they receive.
Education became especially significant. Working in the sector showed him how technology, content and mentorship could influence people's aspirations. Having experienced management education and the professional world that followed, he began thinking about the relationship between the two.
IIMwalaBanda grew from that connection.
The Gap Between More Material and Better Preparation
Palash's starting point is a concern about how students experience entrance preparation.
In his view, the focus can become concentrated on syllabus completion, shortcuts, mock scores and percentile predictions. Meanwhile, students may still struggle to identify weaknesses, choose what to practise, remain consistent or understand the stages that follow an examination.
The challenge is not always finding another resource. It is knowing how to use the resources already available.
Through IIMwalaBanda, he wants to bring conceptual clarity, structured practice, examination strategy and mentorship into a more connected learning experience. The intention is to help aspirants understand where they stand and what they need to improve, rather than leaving them to navigate an expanding collection of material on their own.
How IIMwalaBanda Approaches CAT and IPMAT Preparation
IIMwalaBanda is an education and mentorship venture focused on CAT and IPMAT aspirants working towards management admissions.
Palash describes its approach in four parts. The first is conceptual learning, with foundations in Quantitative Aptitude, Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, and Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. Understanding the reasoning behind a method is central to the approach.
The second is structured practice. Topic-wise assignments, previous-year questions, advanced problem sets and mock examinations are intended to help students develop accuracy, speed and the ability to apply concepts under time pressure.
The third is live learning and One on One mentorship. Masterclasses give learners an opportunity to clarify doubts and explore ways of approaching questions. One on One Mentorship adds direction, preparation planning and accountability.
The fourth is support beyond the examination. Palash wants students to be better prepared for subsequent selection stages, including personal interviews and other applicable assessments.
Taken together, these elements reflect his belief that preparation should help a student become a more independent learner. A score remains an important objective. The habits developed while working towards it can have value well beyond the test.
Learning to Own the Entire Business
Moving from established organisations to an independent venture has brought its own education.
In a corporate role, responsibilities are often shared across teams. At IIMwalaBanda, Palash has had to bring together academic content, teaching, the digital platform, marketing, student acquisition and customer engagement.
Building trust has been another challenge. Students and parents have established coaching brands to choose from, and a newer venture must give them a reason to pay attention. Palash believes that reason has to emerge through teaching quality, useful material and the guidance learners actually experience.
His approach has been to build incrementally and stay close to students. Direct conversations help him understand their needs, while his professional experience helps him organise the work of responding to them.
There is also the balance between content quality and commercial sustainability. Thoughtful educational material takes time to create; a business needs visibility, engagement and revenue to continue. Palash describes that balance as an ongoing part of the journey.
The achievement he values at this stage is taking responsibility for a venture that brings his experience and educational philosophy together.
Looking Beyond Admission
Over the next five years, Palash hopes to develop IIMwalaBanda into a trusted platform for aspiring managers, supporting them from entrance preparation through admission and towards professional life.
His plans include strengthening CAT and IPMAT offerings, improving learning resources, expanding mentorship and building a community of serious aspirants. He also envisions a wider learning ecosystem combining live instruction, self-paced resources, assessments and personalised feedback.
Beyond academic preparation, he sees opportunities to help students develop communication, critical thinking, professional conduct and decision-making. These are ambitions for the venture's next stages, guided by a broader view of what management education can mean.
Palash believes an IIM degree can create opportunities while remaining only one part of a fulfilling life. He wants students to pursue their goals with that perspective: the institution they enter matters, and so does the person they become.
Knowing Why the Journey Began
His advice to aspiring entrepreneurs begins with the problem, rather than the excitement of launching a business. Understand who needs the solution, start with a focused offering, listen to customers and improve through experience.
He also emphasises the willingness to learn again. Professional experience can provide a foundation, but building independently brings unfamiliar responsibilities and questions that do not always have ready answers.
“I don't know exactly where this journey will lead, but I know why I started,” he says.
For Palash, IIMwalaBanda is an opportunity to turn that sense of purpose into work: helping students prepare for an important examination while encouraging the confidence, self-awareness and judgement they will need in the years beyond it.
Connect with IIMwalaBanda
Website: iimwalabanda.com
LinkedIn: Palash Gupta
Instagram: @iimwalabanda
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