They say that engineers love to solve problems. And if there were ever a phrase that summed up the entrepreneurial journey of engineer Hari Ravichandran, that would be it. He’s been solving problems for people since the mid-1990s when he traded a chance at a graduate-level electrical engineering degree from Stamford for the challenges offered by the booming Silicon Valley tech scene of that era. From humble beginnings advertising his web design services in PC Magazine and Wired to being the founder and CEO of two tech unicorns—it’s been quite a ride. Here’s everything you need to know about how Ravichandran ended up starting and building Aura, an intelligent digital safety solution for families, and why his route to success should be music to the ears of aspiring engineers.
Riding the Internet Wave
Hari Ravichandran’s entrepreneurial journey began with a simple idea. That the internet would become the greatest tool businesses have ever known. However, he realized that, much like with previous technological revolutions, there would be those who ended up getting left behind. In this case, it was small businesses. They lacked the resources to capitalize on the early growth of the Internet. So, Ravichandran set out to change that.
To do it, he founded a web hosting business that focused on giving small businesses a one-stop solution to get online and start selling. It’s an idea that seems obvious today but was revolutionary at the time. The result was the birth of BizLand. And it was an idea that immediately gained traction within the small business sector.
Within a few years, BizLand grew into a web platform that offered a web hosting service, a shopping cart system, and an eCommerce plugin. It was a combination that attracted almost a million active customers, along with $20 million in venture capital by 2001. And then, the dot-com bubble burst.
Hard Choices and Rebirth
In 2021, many of the US’s high-flying tech companies faced a reckoning. Stock valuations had risen to absurd levels, and too many companies simply weren’t delivering on their lofty promises. That led to a mass investor pullout that triggered a major market correction. It also deprived tech businesses of the funding they needed to keep operating.
For BizLand, it was almost a death blow. That was because the BizLand platform was ad-supported—and tech advertisers simply had no more money to spend. So, Ravichandran did the only thing he could. He made the hard choice to pivot BizLand into a subscription-based service. It was a decision that cost the company nearly 98% of its customers. But it, along with drastic staff cuts and a realignment of operations, allowed BizLand to break even by 2002.
From there, the company renamed itself Endurance International Group (EIG)—in recognition of its own death-defying feat—and started gathering steam once more. Before long, a series of shrewd competitor acquisitions saw EIG grow into one of the largest web hosting companies on Earth. It also drew the attention of Goldman Sachs and Warburg Pincus, who bought the firm for $975 million in 2011.
A New Problem Emerges
After applying for a mortgage and seeing it denied by the bank, Ravichandran found that he had fallen victim to identity theft. But rather than simply cursing his luck and working on recovering his credit, Ravichandran decided to use his considerable expertise to find a way to help others avoid a similar fate. The result was Aura.
Aura offers individuals a powerful set of cybersecurity tools they can use to stay safe online. It leverages AI to spot signs of trouble online to alert users before an identity thief or hacker can do any damage. Aura’s subscription service includes antivirus software, access to a VPN, an encrypted data vault, a password manager, an ad and tracker blocker, an email alias, and spam call-blocking functionality.
Plus, Aura comes with $1 million in identity theft insurance, white-glove recovery service, and online data and personal information monitoring. In other words, it offers everything a person could need to avoid ending up in the unenviable position that Ravichandran faced himself. To him, it was yet another problem that needed solving, and he did just that.
A Man on a Mission
Given his track record, it’s clear that Hari Ravichandran is as driven an engineer as you’ll find. And it’s also clear that he prefers aiming his efforts at solving meaningful problems for the little guy. From helping small businesses take advantage of the massive economic opportunity the Internet has to offer to shielding individuals from its biggest threats, he’s a problem solver at heart. And his success thus far means we likely haven’t heard the last of him, either. So, if you’ve got a problem, and you need a passionate engineer-entrepreneur to help, you might want to try dropping Hari Ravichandran a line.
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.