How One Job Seeker’s Win Turned Congxing Cai’s Startup Into a Mission

Congxing Cai’s journey from spark to solution began with a problem he couldn’t ignore: brilliant candidates losing opportunities due to interview anxiety. That frustration lit the path to founding Synco AI—an interview copilot that transforms how people prepare, practice, and perform. In this edition of the Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Spotlight, Congxing shares how a user’s success became his turning point, how strategic pivots reshaped their mission, and why raw user feedback is his ultimate compass. His story is a testament to solving real problems with precision, empathy, and the power of AI.

Hi, Congxing Cai! Thanks for joining us today. Tell us about your business. Who do you serve, how do you serve them, and what's the impact that your business and work makes?

Synco AI is an interview copilot that helps job seekers prepare, practice, and perform with confidence in high-stakes interviews. We serve students, career switchers, and job seekers who are navigating a rapidly changing job market. Synco combines mock interview simulations, real-time feedback, and live AI assistance during interviews to help users express their skills clearly and avoid blanking under pressure. Our goal is to democratize preparation, build confidence, and give every candidate a fairer shot at the opportunity they deserve.

Tell us about the moment you finally felt like you went from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur.

It was when we saw our first real user succeed — a candidate who used Synco in a real interview and told us they wouldn’t have made it without the AI’s reminders and story coaching. That moment validated not just the tech, but the purpose. It shifted our mindset from “we’re building a product” to “we’re solving a human problem that matters.”

Describe the moment or period in your life/career that motivated you to make the entrepreneurial leap.

The tipping point was witnessing how many highly capable people still struggled in interviews, not because they lacked skills, but because they lacked clarity or confidence. It was frustrating to see great talent lost in the noise. I realized I couldn’t shake the idea that we could use AI not to replace effort, but to amplify it — and that realization became the first step toward Synco.

Describe a tool, service, or software that has been a game-changer for your business. How does it contribute to your success?

Cursor has been a surprising game-changer—not just for coding, but for writing, thinking, and planning. I started using it as a code-first IDE, but over time it’s become my main space for writing everything from product reflections to roadmap drafts. Unlike bouncing between ChatGPT and Google Docs, Cursor keeps me in one context-rich environment where writing and coding fluidly connect. The file structure itself shapes how I think, and the AI’s suggestions improve as it learns from both my code and documentation. Tools like diff view, inline editing, and commit history—traditionally reserved for developers—have unexpectedly made my writing more clear, iterative, and powerful. It’s changed how I work by making technical and non-technical thinking feel like two sides of the same process.

We know that success is very often a non-linear path. Tell us about a failure, pivot point, or lesson that changed your course or direction and helped to get you where you are today.

Our early product focused heavily on AI avatars and creative storytelling. While it gained some traction, it wasn’t solving a pressing need. The pivot came when we zoomed in on the anxiety and under-preparation candidates face in real interviews. Once we shifted from expression to performance support — from “cool” to “critical” — our usage and feedback improved dramatically. That pivot taught us to listen harder to pain, not just interest.

What unconventional strategy did you employ that significantly impacted your business?

We started offering mock interviews for free — real ones, not scripted flows. It wasn’t scalable at first, but it gave us an honest, emotional view into how users behaved, where they froze, and what kind of support actually mattered. That raw feedback loop shaped nearly every product decision we’ve made since.

What’s something you wish you knew sooner that you’d give as advice for aspiring or newer entrepreneurs?

Don’t confuse enthusiasm with urgency. Just because someone loves your idea doesn’t mean they’ll use it, pay for it, or tell others. Real traction shows up in commitment, not compliments. Ship fast, test honestly, and look for behavior — not just belief.

Want to dive deeper into Congxing Cai's work? Check out the links below!

• Visit Synco's website: getsynco.ai