From Lucideus to Safe Security: A Journey Fuelled by Passion, Mentorship & Innovation

Entrepreneurship often follows a unique path, and for tech entrepreneur SAKET MODI, it began with a passion for computer science and an innate drive from his Marwadi heritage. His early fascination with technology led him to ethical hacking workshops across India, which soon grew into Lucideus, a thriving cybersecurity company. Over time, the company evolved into Safe Security, a Silicon Valley startup focusing on scalable cybersecurity solutions, where he wears the hat of co-founder and CEO. In this BW Dialogue with Annurag Batra, Chairman & Editor-in-Chief of BW Businessworld, Modi discusses mentorship, strategic pivots and how passion, agility and thoughtful mentorship can drive business success globally

- Annurag Batra

How did your entrepreneurial journey begin?

I hold two degrees: one in computer science and another as a Marwadi from Calcutta. The first degree is pretty self-explanatory, but being a Marwadi, entrepreneurship came naturally to me. In my third year of undergrad, I considered starting a business.

While parents in India are typically risk averse and would like their children to have a safe, secure job, my father supported the idea for my business from the get-go. And my journey of entrepreneurship began – with a passion for computer science. It was never about building a company or changing the world– that came about as a byproduct of this passion.

You make it sound easy, but you started coding and solving problems at a very young age. Tell us more about those early days.

I like depth; diving deep into topics I love. Understanding the first principles of technology and hacking started early. I was fascinated with the underlying structures of computers, networks and operating systems. During college, I started teaching workshops on ethical hacking. For a fee of Rs 1,000, I would conduct two-day practical workshops in universities across India where students could learn live hacking techniques. Due to the high demand for these workshops, starting a company became the natural next step.

Your company was originally called Lucideus. How did it evolve into Safe Security, a Silicon Valley startup?