Shikhar Beriwal — Founder
I started Cyber Unbound in college with a simple belief: no skilled cybersecurity engineer should ever be overlooked just because they lack a certification. What began as a student initiative is now an AI-powered cybersecurity talent acquisition platform, helping companies discover and hire vetted security engineers faster and more reliably. We are building a hiring system where trust comes from hands-on skill validation, not expensive certificates, using free, real-world challenges that reflect actual security work. Cyber Unbound today • 2,000+ vetted cybersecurity engineers on the platform • Early published patent pending on our AI-driven vetting infrastructure • Trusted by leading organizations including HDFC Bank, BugBase, FourCore, Zeron, SecureLayer7, SecurityLit, SafeAeon, TechniSanct, and more • Advisory Board: Dr. Shailendra Fuloria, Global CISO at Nagarro • SISF grant recipient via VJTI TBI • Profitable and revenue-generating, now scaling rapidly to help companies hire vetted security talent in under a week • Incubated at DSCI NCOE and pre-incubated at ISB iVentures Ecosystem and community building • Hosted CTF workshops at 10+ leading institutions including IIT Bombay, IIT BHU, IIT Madras, and others • Hosted 10+ podcasts capturing journeys and insights of founders, CISOs, experts, builders, and young achievers, available on YouTube at Cyber Unbound Vision To build a future where cybersecurity hiring is skill first, bias free, and globally accessible. Recognitions and awards . Innovation Sandbox Winner at Identity Shield 2026 • Student Entrepreneur of the Year 2025 at Entrepreneur Media India • Winner at TiE U GPC Chandigarh Chapter 2024 • Rising Startups of Bharat Award 2023 • Winner at ISB TEP 2023 • Winner at Masters Union Startup Weekend 2023 • Runner up at Hack Plaksha 2024 • Winner at Plaksha M and A 2025 Earlier work Before Cyber Unbound, I interned at DRDO TBRL, working under the Director of Cybersecurity on an ML and DL based intelligent agent for real-time breach detection, as the youngest member of the team. My first venture began in high school with Knowledge Unbound, a non-profit supporting online education during the pandemic. We scaled it to: • 100+ volunteers from 60+ countries • 110+ global partnerships • Thousands of students taught worldwide From building educational communities in high school to scaling a cybersecurity company in college, my journey has always been about one thing: making opportunity and access truly merit-based. Feel free to connect with me at shikhar@cyberunbound.com
Stackforce AI infers this person is a Cybersecurity and Education entrepreneur with a focus on AI-driven solutions.
Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Experience: 2 yrs 11 mos
Skills
- Cybersecurity
- Entrepreneurship
- Machine Learning
- Product Management
- Leadership
- Project Management
- Networking
- Business Analysis
- Research
- Problem Solving
- Business Administration
- Teamwork
Career Highlights
- Founder of an AI-driven cybersecurity talent platform.
- Award-winning entrepreneur with multiple recognitions.
- Experience in building educational and cybersecurity initiatives.
Work Experience
DSP Mutual Fund
Strategic Alliances Intern (1 mo)
Data Security Council of India
Startup Incubation | Cybersecurity National-CoE (1 yr)
DRDO, Ministry of Defence, Govt. of India
CyberSecurity & ML R&D (3 mos)
I-Venture @ ISB
Startup Pre-Incubation | Technology Entrepreneurship Program (3 mos)
United Nations Academic Impact
Campus Director - United Nations Millennium Fellowship (3 mos)
Cyber Unbound
Founder & CEO (2 yrs 10 mos)
Google Developer Students Club Founding Lead (5 mos)
GSF Accelerator
GSF Accelerator Startup Incubation (3 mos)
Indifi
Market User Researcher (2 mos)
Centre for Thinking, Language and Communication
LinkedIn Head & Manager (3 mos)
Strategic Partnerships & Networking Cordinator at Technology Communication Network (5 mos)
Researcher at STEM X EdTech project (2 mos)
NM Squad
Researcher & Tech Consultant (3 mos)
Cyber Defense Club | Plaksha University
Co-Founder & President (1 yr)
Tourable
Business Operations & Product Management. (10 mos)
Young Investors Society
Investor (1 yr 7 mos)
Student Advisory Board Member (1 yr 7 mos)
RoundPier
Student Advisory Board Member (1 yr 7 mos)
Knowledge Unbound
Founder | CEO (3 yrs 6 mos)
Diplomathon Global
Vice-Chairperson | Executive Board (9 mos)
Education
B.Tech at Plaksha University
Executive Education at Indian School of Business
A-Levels & IGCSE Cambridge at Nahar International School
