Step into the future of AI-powered cybersecurity hiring with Cyber Unbound, a trailblazing platform sparking the “cybersecurity talent revolution” in 2025. Born from a bold vision to dismantle credential barriers and empower skilled engineers, Cyber Unbound transforms how companies discover real talent through patent-pending CTF challenges, rapid vetting, and transparent AI matchmaking. When traditional hiring can’t keep pace with digital threats, Cyber Unbound makes skills, not certifications, the new currency for building elite cyber teams.
Established in 2023, the company was born out of Shikhar’s understanding of a dysfunctional hiring ecosystem, where good engineers didn’t even get recognized for the role just because they didn’t have an expensive certification (like OSCP or CISSP) or an influential reference. Cyber Unbound resources engineers by vetting engineers through no-cost, patent-pending, real-world CTFs and matching hiring managers with the right talent via AI. So, talented engineers find jobs in days, not months.
Shikhar Beriwal is a student founder at age 21, and in his final year, currently finishing the BTech program in Data Science, Economics & Business, at Plaksha University. Shikhar’s passion for Cybersecurity started early, and he had a short internship at DRDO-TBRL, which exposed him to projects of national significance.
A speaker mentorship session with Dr. Ritesh Malik later, Shikhar felt he could pursue entrepreneurship. He then went on to speak with over 100 CISOs and security engineers, with those discussions revealing a massive gap: Companies with hiring cycles of months with no guarantee of on-the-job performance, while talented candidates were blocked out of consideration with no overly expensive certifications. That was the impetus for Cyber Unbound – a platform built by Cybersecurity students, for the industry.
Which Problems Does Cyber Unbound Solve? How is it Different?
Cybersecurity hiring is non-functional. Recruiters are inundated with resumes, distracted by inflated credentials, and must rely on expensive certifications (like OSCP, CISSP and OSCE3) with only 1% of security engineers being OSCP-certified. Online, offline recruitment firms have manual processes, opaque evaluations and slow hires, while online hiring platforms are not designed for vetting full-time hires.
Cyber Unbound disrupts the model. Engineers demonstrate their skills in hands-on, patent-pending capture the flag (CTF) challenges while companies receive a transparent vetting report and real-time view of candidates’ preference. The net effect is a hiring cycle that is shortened from six months to under a week.
What Inspired Shikhar to Start This Venture?
“I watched my exceptionally skilled friends being rejected outright because they lacked a $1500+ certification like OSCP or CISSP or didn’t have the right referral.
That was frustrating. I asked myself: What if we create an ecosystem where skills speak louder than paper credentials?
That question became Cyber Unbound.”
How Did Shikhar Validate the Idea Before Launching?
Prior to building, Shikhar and his team spoke with over 100 cybersecurity professionals and engineers. Feedback was unanimous: hiring had become overly reliant on resumes and credentials and companies wanted a way to assess real skills so desperately.
This validation provided the assurance needed to launch Cyber Unbound as a skill-first, AI-powered hiring platform.
Mission and Vision of Cyber Unbound: AI-powered Cybersecurity Talent Platform
Mission: Open pathways to cybersecurity careers by eliminating financial and credential barriers.
Vision: As the global default for cybersecurity hiring, combine AI and proof-of-work vetting to expedite hiring while ensuring it is equitable and inclusive.
Turning Point that Motivated Shikhar towards Entrepreneurship
“The summer I spent at Dr. Ritesh Malik’s farmhouse changed everything. Seeing firsthand what it takes to build something from scratch gave me the confidence that I, too, could create an impact. That’s when I decided to take the leap into entrepreneurship.”
The First Year of Startup, Biggest Challenges, and How It Overcame?
The first year was relentless: no funding, no established team, and constant skepticism: why would a company trust a 20-year-old student?
To prove credibility, Cyber Unbound conducted ethical hacking workshops at 10+ colleges, including IIT Bombay, IIT Madras and IIT BHU, assessing over 2000 engineers directly. These workshops demonstrated the rigor of their vetting approach.
Cold outreach to cybersecurity leaders followed. Slowly, credibility was built, and companies like HDFC Bank began to take notice.
Key Supporters?
Cyber Unbound’s journey was enabled by its team of 10 members, committed interns recruited through its platform, and advisors like Dr. Shailendra Fuloria (Global CISO, Nagarro). Support from academic institutions, ISB and DSCI, who made an active commitment to incubate the startup, was also a catalyst for building trust and accommodating good scale for operations.
Bootstrapped? No External Funding? How did Cyber Unbound Manage to Scale?
“We built lean,” says Shikhar.
The product was built in-house, and with very little tooling. Cyber Unbound was able to grow due to reinvesting early revenues into infrastructure and workshops and not needing any external financing. Customer feedback helped define the roadmap – adding in-depth skill reports for candidates, and helping companies hire faster.
Business Model, Revenue Generation, and Acquiring Customers
Cyber Unbound is a B2B company; customers complete order forms and agree to pay on a per-hire fee schedule for vetted engineers.
Cyber Unbound has built its customers list in six months by acquiring large enterprises and startups as clients. Their sales approach is direct outreach, LinkedIn, and closing deals at conferences, hackathons, and workshops.
Biggest Success Story
The watershed moment came recently when HDFC Bank took a bet on Cyber Unbound to find engineers for important red teaming and AI security roles.
Other companies like BugBase, Zeron, FourCore and many others have followed HDFC Bank’s lead and partnered with Cyber Unbound, establishing Cyber Unbound as a tier one player in the cybersecurity talent space.
Ever Wanted to Give Up?
“Many times, especially during failed deals or funding crunches. But what kept me going was the conviction that the problem was real, and the solution we were building was unique.”
Common Myths About Running a Startup
Myth 1: You need funding to start.
Reality: Cyber Unbound was bootstrapped from day one and still scaled.
Myth 2: You need a decade of experience before starting.
Reality: Shikhar started at 19, while still in college.
Founder’s Advice
Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Ship fast, get feedback, iterate.
Mentorship and networking are game changers. Advisors, professors, and industry leaders give credibility you can’t build alone.
The key skills every founder must hold on to: clarity of thought, grit, and the ability to sell. And above all, patience. Success takes time.
Do Not Do This!
- Never build alone. Your team is everything.
- Delegate early. Find people who share your mission.
- Don’t hoard decisions.
Final Word from the Founder
If we could build this with no funding, no network, and no pedigree, so can you. All you need is a problem worth solving and the courage to start.
