I’m Shivam Dev. From Curious Childhood to FinTech Innovator: My Journey Through Tech

As a kid, I was fascinated by mobile apps, always wondering how they were made. My curiosity intensified when my dad brought home a computer in the 5th grade. Though I didn't fully grasp its capabilities then, I was drawn to tech, often tinkering with HTML pages just for fun.

When I enrolled in computer science engineering, I had high hopes for a practical and up-to-date education. Unfortunately, I found the curriculum outdated. Determined to stay relevant, I self-taught programming languages, starting with C and then Swift. The iPhone was the big thing back then, so I saved money to buy a second-hand iPhone 5C and delved into mobile app development. I discovered React Native, a new framework with high demand, skimmed through its documentation, and landed an internship. This experience, which lasted until my graduation, allowed me to work on some really cool projects.

After graduation, I joined Striga, a start-up in its MVP stage. Working alongside smart individuals, we continuously iterated on our ideas. This led to the development of Lastbit Lite and Cards app, earning us a spot in Y Combinator's W21 batch. Recognizing a gap in the market for user-friendly crypto fintech solutions, we pivoted to a B2B model. The entire team relocated to Tallinn, Estonia, giving me the chance to work in my first foreign country and travel around Europe.

I eventually made the difficult decision to return to India, looking forward to new challenges and possibly launching my own venture.