Our story
From a revision tool to Apprentice Wizard
Three years. One founder. A maths paper generator that became a career platform used by students across the UK.
2023
Year it started
11
Major milestones
150+
Students on platform
15,000+
Live roles aggregated
Three chapters
How the product evolved
2023 to 2024
Revision tool
A maths paper generator that grew into a full revision platform with exam builders, timers, and dyslexia support. Real users, real bugs, real lessons.
2025
Career platform
A single pivot changed everything. Degree apprenticeship support was added in January 2025. By July the backend was live, AI was integrated, and ReviseWizard was unrecognisable from where it started.
2026
Apprentice Wizard
A complete rebuild in Next.js and Supabase. CV builder, Wizard AI, Document Hub, passkey login, referral programme. 150 students. A new name. The same mission.
Full timeline
Every major milestone
A maths paper generator, built in A levels
During my first year of A levels I got frustrated trying to find maths questions by topic. So I built a tool to pull them together into a single printable paper. I pitched it to the CEO of IN4 Group. He liked it. But looking back, I had made a fundamental mistake. I was not thinking about a real user problem beyond my own desk.
PureMath goes live
The first line of code. A Java Spring Boot backend, React frontend, and a PostgreSQL database. Login, sign up, email verification, JWT authentication. Proper engineering from day one. The product was a revision tool: generate exam papers by topic, download as PDF, track progress.
Exam paper builder, revision timer, dyslexia mode
Added an exam paper builder that let students mix questions from multiple topics. A revision timer followed in November 2024. Dyslexia mode came shortly after. The platform was becoming a genuine study companion, but still only for revision.
Degree apprenticeship support introduced
This was the turning point. I was applying to degree apprenticeships myself, balancing A levels, coursework, and trying to track deadlines across ten different employer portals. I had Discord bots scraping listings, spreadsheets, and alerts set up everywhere. It was chaos. No central place existed for this. So I started building one.
Backend hosted, AI microservice launched
The backend was deployed and publicly accessible for the first time. An AI microservice was added, the first version of what would become Wizard AI. The apprenticeship listing page got a major overhaul. ReviseWizard was no longer a revision tool. It was becoming a career platform.
Higherin integration, OCR pipeline, standalone scrapers
Integrated with Higherin to pull in real apprenticeship listings at scale. Built a standalone OCR pipeline to extract structured data from listings that were not machine readable. The data layer was starting to look like something serious.
Next.js and Supabase. The modern platform.
Rebuilt the entire platform from scratch. Out went the Java Spring Boot monolith. In came Next.js App Router, Supabase for auth and database, Tailwind for the UI. The opportunities page got a full redesign with a Leaflet map, sector filters, and a mobile first layout. This was the foundation everything since has been built on.
Wizard AI, CV builder, Stripe billing
Launched the CV builder with a full screen editor, live preview, PDF export, and an ATS scanner. Added Stripe billing for the first paid tier. Wizard AI went live with an interview coach, CV tailoring, ATS portal analysis, and a framework mapping tool. The platform was no longer just a listings aggregator.
Tracker, guides, search v2, company intelligence
The most productive month in the platform's history. Rejection debrief workflows, assessment centre prep cards, per role checklists, deadline calendar, UCAS tariff calculator, eight assessment guide pages, company intelligence panels with competency bands and interview timelines, search algorithm v2 with typo fallback and role alias expansion, STAR answer bank, and Credly badge import. Scrapers moved to Oracle Cloud.
Document Hub, passkey, referral programme
Per opportunity Document Hub for cover letters, personal statements, and file attachments. Passkey sign in. A referral programme with Stripe revenue share rewards. PostHog analytics wired in end to end. The landing page was redesigned from scratch. 150 students using the platform.
ReviseWizard becomes Apprentice Wizard
The name that started it all no longer fit what we had built. Revision was never the point. The search was. The applications were. The offers were. Apprentice Wizard is the same platform, the same mission, a better name. Helping every UK student go from first search to first offer.
The mission
“The name changed. The mission never did. Helping every UK student go from first search to first offer.”
Acknowledgements
People who helped along the way
Building in public means you learn from everyone around you. Special thanks to Ismail Ryabchuk for ongoing advice on marketing and content strategy — a genuine sounding board throughout the journey.
Ready to find your role?
Free tools, live roles, and support when you need it.