A Dubai-based student transformed his own exam struggles into a free AI-powered revision platform for learners.
Dubai: While many teenagers spend their after-school hours balancing homework, sports and social media, 16-year-old Karl Hechema used his evenings to build an education platform that is now supporting thousands of students worldwide.
The Dubai-based Egyptian student at Lycée Français International AFLEC in Oud Metha created “PrepaDNB”, a free artificial intelligence-powered study platform designed to help students prepare for the French Brevet examination, the national diploma taken at the end of middle school.
“The growth happened naturally — first one user, then ten, then a hundred,” Hechema said. “Today, we have more than 5,000 users across over 40 countries. It wasn’t just a personal achievement; it felt like a milestone for the entire community.”
A problem students kept facing
The idea for the platform came from Hechema’s own experience while preparing for the Brevet exam last year.
“I took the Brevet myself last year and graduated with highest honours,” Hechema recalled. “During that time, many of my classmates kept telling me they did not know how to revise properly. They struggled to find reliable study resources, and most of the content appearing on their feeds simply was not designed for the French curriculum.”
As more students began reaching out for support, Hechema soon found himself hosting Zoom revision sessions almost every afternoon.
“By the end of the year, the question was no longer just about helping my friends,” Hechema said. “It became about how to scale that support — how to help students even when I’m not physically there. That’s how PrépaDNB was born, and we launched it in October 2025.”
The platform was created by a student for fellow students, bringing together revision notes, solved exam papers, quizzes, flashcards and podcasts in one accessible space. More recently, Hechema also integrated an AI-powered feature that creates personalised quizzes based on each student’s individual learning needs.
“The formats are intentional,” he said. “They’re the same ones I used when I sat the exam myself. I simply brought everything together in one accessible, free platform because the goal is to help students, not monetise them.”
How AI changed everything
While Hechema had previously enjoyed building small websites for friends and family, creating a full-scale platform once felt beyond his reach. That changed with the emergence of AI-assisted coding tools.
“The idea of using AI tools to translate clear requirements into working code opened the door for me,” he explained. “I researched the workflow, taught myself how to use it, and started building the platform step by step, page by page.”
The teenager later expanded the project into mobile applications for both iOS and Android using the same approach. However, building the platform was only half the challenge.
“The real learning curve came after launch, when users actually started using the platform,” he said. “Troubleshooting issues, fixing technical errors in production, or understanding why something worked on one device but not another — that’s where the real learning happens. You realise a platform isn’t static; it’s a living system that needs constant updates.”
Influenced by life in the UAE
Having grown up in the UAE, Hechema believes the country’s culture of ambition and innovation has played a significant role in shaping his journey.
“Growing up in the UAE shaped how I think about almost everything,” Hechema said. “It’s the lived experience of growing up here — a country that genuinely values its youth, prioritises learning, and when it does something, does it on a big scale. In the UAE, you dream big, and the country meets you halfway.”
He also credited the UAE’s strong focus on technology and artificial intelligence for fostering a mindset where innovation feels natural and accessible from a young age.
“You naturally begin to think bigger,” he said. “For me, the UAE created the environment to build something, to grow, to dream, and to contribute not just locally, but globally.”
Hechema has also emphasised that the UAE stands out for the way it invests in young people.
“Young people in the UAE are given something valuable — a foundation,” he said. “From a young age, ideas are encouraged, ambition is encouraged, and you’re given the tools to actually build what you imagine. That combination is not common elsewhere.”
School remains a priority
Despite running a growing platform with international users, Hechema stressed that his academics remain his top priority.
“School and entrepreneurship are not competing priorities,” he said. “Time management is everything. Academics, sports, extracurricular activities and personal projects all have to coexist. They all matter.”
Looking ahead, his ambition is to expand the platform to more schools and empower a larger number of students. For him, the journey reflects what young people can achieve when given the right environment.
“The UAE gave me the conditions to start something in my bedroom that now reaches students around the world,” he said. “That isn’t an accident of where I happened to grow up — it’s because of where I grew up.”
