21-Year-Old Laxman's Two Startups Teach Cyber Security And Helps Protect People Online

With our whole country getting more tech-savvy and connecting to the world using the internet, cyberattacks by hackers are also on a constant rise. This has created an increased need for skilled professionals in the fields of cybersecurity, and white hackers.

Not only India but the world at large lacks the skilled manpower needed to deal with cybersecurity threats. However, one young man is trying to change the status quo.

Meet Chaitanya Laxman, a student at Lovely Professional University who has started Edtech Startup ExploitX, to train cybersecurity skills to anyone interested and AdaSEC -- a company that safeguards brands against cyber attacks. We interacted with Laxman to know more about why he started these ventures and what is he trying to achieve in the long run.

The 21-year old student entrepreneur

Chaitanya Laxman is a 21-year old from Jaipur, Rajasthan, who is studying B Tech at LPU is currently running two startups -- ExploitX and AdaSEC. We wanted to learn more about the two startups and what led to him starting these ventures, to which Chaitanya responded, ¡°Edtech companies are changing the face of the education system in India. There have been many companies incepted in the last five years, however, their primary focus is on upskilling individuals and professionals with primitive skills such as software development, Full-stack development or Android/IOS development. They are not focusing on the skills that can fill the gap in the current job market.¡±

¡°There are other areas in Information Technology like CyberSecurity, AI and, Blockchain, which require a skilled workforce. With ExploitX, we attempt to create the talent pool and fill those skill gaps.

He further added, ¡°I have been working in the CyberSecurity domain for the last few years. I have developed many handy penetration testing scripts however technologies like Machine Learning and AI have totally changed my perspective about cybersecurity. We can use them to build incredible tools and push cybersecurity forward. While working on malware, I developed an algorithm that turned into a business idea, which formed AdaSEC.¡±

Tackling Current Situation of IT Professionals in India

Chaitanya Laxman's ExploitX and AdaSEC have not only identified a talent problem in the country but is actively trying to fix the hole. He said, ¡°India is overcrowded with engineering & technology institutions. There are more than 6,214 institutions in the country where more than 2.9 million students enroll each year. Over 1.7 million engineers pass out from these colleges and only 7% of them are employable as others lack the required skillsets.¡±

¡°If we look at IBM India¡¯s industry report, a whopping 3 million CyberSecurity professionals are required in the country but the supply is not even 100,000 at present. Also, Tencent report suggests that there are only about 300,000 AI professionals worldwide, but millions of roles available in the job market.¡±

Solving the ¡®Indian¡¯ problem

When asked how he went about fabricating an Indian-centric approach, Chaitanya Laxman said, ¡°There are a lot of problems to be solved in India and therein lies the opportunity for the entrepreneurs to get creative. These problems can translate to a trillion-dollar worth of money and can be further used for developing the country. I¡¯m optimistic about it. But we have to keep in mind that mediocre ideas or services will not help India to develop.¡±

If he had to do something differently¡­

While he started at a young age, Chaitanya has managed to create two successful ventures. However, when we asked him what he would do differently if he was given a chance to do it all over again, he said, ¡° I would keep my emotions aside while hiring new people. From my experience so far, I realised that while starting up a new business, one needs to plan cohesively before hiring. It is important that the person you hire is willing to work towards your company¡¯s goals and objectives. Because ultimately, they will be the ones who will build up your team. And, if it¡¯s a misfit, it will certainly cost a lot of money and time for the company.¡±