Shriman
Maheshwari

I didn't want a GPU for gaming. I took a $350 loan from my father, sourced the hardware myself, and built a crypto mining operation from scratch after studying how blockchain and proof-of-work actually work — forums, whitepapers, the works. ROI in 1.5 months. I didn't cash out. I scaled to 10x. When mining saturated, I read the Chia whitepaper independently and pivoted to proof-of-space before most people knew it existed. The same loop every time: find the signal, build the mechanism, put skin in the game.

Moved into live equity and crypto trading. Built analytical strategies, ran real capital. At 16, I embedded myself in Shriman Electricals — our family's B2B electrical distribution business. I didn't observe; I built the first analytical framework it ever had, identified an underperforming segment bleeding the margins, and made a recommendation to senior leadership. They acted on it. That's when I understood what real business intelligence is worth.

Cleared JEE Mains (96th percentile, zero coaching) and BITSAT. Secured a dual-degree track — B.E. CS at BITS Pilani and B.Sc. CS & AI at CentraleSupélec Paris, the #1 school for CS in France and #1 for graduate employability. I wanted to be the dumbest person in the room. I found the rooms. Now I'm applying the same systems-thinking loop I've run since 13 — signal, mechanism, build, skin in the game — to software and startups.