Arry Pandher was the fourth employee at AdmissionPrep when he started there at just 18. He discovered the company through his mom, who watched the co-founder, Madison Guy, give a presentation at his high school. “My mom called, and I was literally writing my university and scholarship application,” he says. He rushed to school, met Guy, and tried the company’s academic advisory service. Impressed with his application essays on entrepreneurship, the co-founders offered Pandher a job. And he got into his dream program, UBC Sauder School of Business, with a prestigious scholarship.
AdmissionPrep helps students find and achieve their post-secondary pathways. The program includes one-on-one advising, career guidance, interview preparation, essay revisions, timeline reminders and more. Since Pandher started his marketing role and led the company’s growth, the humble team of four has expanded to more than 40 employees and contractors during peak season.
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That growth is thanks in part to the open-access content library that Pandher added to the AdmissionPrep service. “What would I have wanted to see when I was younger?” he had thought.“What could have really helped me?” The free library contains blog posts and videos, offering step-by-step admissions guidance for Canadian post-secondary schools. Today, it reaches around 12 million families annually. “It never actually ends up being about the outcome,” he says. “It ends up being about the journey and the skills that [students] pick up along the way.”
Pandher launched the admissions library in 2024. He’s also helped grow the company’s online following,which increased monthly leads from 750 to 4,500 and resulted in a fivefold increase in monthly customers. Aside from continuing to grow the service’s online resources, Pandher is looking to expand the advising team. Up next: tackling U.S. colleges andeventually expanding to the U.K.
Who is your role model and why?
“My mom. As I’ve gotten older, my respect for my parents has grown immensely. My mom had it a lot harder than I did, and she’s still standing. So, I smile and suck it up, and realize: if she can be happy through it, then why can’t I? And that is a skill.
What’s your favourite app?
“Probably Notion, because I write a lot.”
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
“No risk is ever quite as great as you believe it to be. That was very valuable to me at a young age.”
See the full list of our 2026 30 Under 30 winners here.
