We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Krish Sav a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Krish , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Seeing the recent news about cyberattacks and phishing attacks prompted me to create Techinance. Although I initially envisioned it to be solely cybersecurity-based, I found that there are people wanting to know more about neuroscience and finance as well, which is why we can now proudly say that we are offering courses for those subjects as well. I’ve always had a keen interest in technology and health sciences, but when I discovered that students – the future of our world who will be going out into the real world – know little about how to stay safe online, I wanted to do something. Within the next few years, the cost of cybercrime is expected to skyrocket. As more and more students in our world use the internet and utilize social media platforms, it’s important that they stay informed about how to best stay safe online to ensure they are protected from cyberattacks and can also prevent their own family members from falling into the same traps.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Krish Sav, and I’m the 17-year-old founder of Techinance, an educational nonprofit platform dedicated to empowering students with essential cybersecurity knowledge.

My journey into cybersecurity began in fifth grade when I first learned about the importance of staying safe online. That early exposure sparked a fascination with technology and digital security that has only grown stronger over the years.

However, my “aha moment” to create Techinance came much more recently when I had eye-opening conversations with my high school peers. When I asked them what phishing meant, I was shocked to discover they couldn’t identify what constituted a phishing attempt and what didn’t. These were intelligent students who would soon be entering the real world, yet they lacked the critical thinking skills needed to protect themselves online. That realization hit me hard – if my peers were this unprepared, how many other students were equally vulnerable?

Techinance addresses this problem by offering completely free, asynchronous online courses primarily targeting middle and high school students, though we’ve also attracted a significant number of college students who are eager to learn more about about cybersecurity. What sets us apart is our collaborative approach to course creation. We’ve been able to get professional advice from students attending institutions like NYU and UC Berkeley, as well as professors from the University of Alabama, Huntsville, to develop comprehensive a cybersecurity curriculum that is academically enriching and easily digestible to young learners.

While we initially focused solely on cybersecurity, we’ve expanded to include neuroscience and finance courses as well, recognizing that students have diverse interests and that knowledge in these areas can complement cybersecurity awareness. Our courses tackle real-world problems by teaching students how to identify and avoid cyberattacks, protect their personal information, and safeguard their families from falling victim to online scams.

What I’m most proud of is the incredible growth and impact we’ve achieved in such a short time. Within just three weeks of launching our courses, we reached over 200 students across more than 20 states and 20 countries, spanning six continents. We’ve also successfully integrated our courses into schools internationally, including institutions in Egypt and Pakistan. These numbers represent more than just statistics to me – they represent hundreds of young people who are now better equipped to navigate the digital world safely.

What truly drives me beyond any business metrics is the deeply personal mission to help people and empower our future. With cybercrime costs expected to skyrocket in the coming years and more students than ever using the internet and social media platforms, the need for cybersecurity education has never been more urgent. I’ve witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of online scams through testimonials from people close to me who have fallen victim to these attacks. These experiences have made it clear that we cannot afford to let this happen to future generations.

At Techinance, we believe in creating change one student at a time, one course at a time. Our approach isn’t just about teaching technical skills – it’s about fostering critical thinking and awareness that will serve students throughout their lives. We’re building a generation that won’t just be users of technology, but informed, cautious, and empowered digital citizens.

For potential students and those who would like to support our mission, I want you to know that Techinance represents more than just another educational platform. We’re a movement driven by the belief that every student deserves to feel confident and secure in the digital world. Our courses are designed by students, for students, ensuring that the content is relevant, engaging, and practical. Most importantly, everything we offer is completely free because we believe that cybersecurity education should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their economic background.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

“Unfortunately, I cannot be a part of this initiative.”

These were the exact words that every professor and college student I reached out to replied with when I was first creating Techinance. I heard these words so frequently that they even appeared in my dreams. However, I didn’t stop trying. No matter how many emails I had to send or how many meetings ended earlier than expected due to rejections, I didn’t give up.

I’ve learned from a young age not to take a simple “no” for an answer. With each refusal, I sought to understand the reason why they weren’t on board. Through this approach, I was able to identify weaknesses in my model that have now been addressed. While some professors cited that they didn’t have time, others questioned the validity of our courses and asked how we would support communities that may not have equitable access to computers. Through valuable feedback like this (alongside the inevitable “no”), after 20 interviews I was finally able to find an advisor who has supported Techinance to this day. From overseeing the development of our courses to providing ongoing insight, despite having an extremely packed schedule, I found someone who was willing to be dedicated to the project and was as enthusiastic about it as I am.

Even though I received 20 rejections, those responses helped strengthen our organization. They pushed me to think even deeper about what I wanted to accomplish, and I’m grateful to those who challenged me to think more critically through the reflection prompted by their initial responses.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Lead others the way you’d like to be led.

Oftentimes working in other organizations I’ve found that due to the fast paced nature of life, we forget to check up on others and ask how they are really doing. This is one thing that I’ve employed that has helped to maintain a high morale. Instead of trying to push our team to the brink by overloading them with work, I try to ask them first of how much they can complete in a given week, and provide them 1-2 less tasks than that amount. Then, after they complete the tasks, they feel even more motivated to do more work, which allows them to stay focused as well as be even more efficient. Additionally, we value honesty. If a material isn’t accurate or couldn’t be complete on time, we are open to constructed criticism and we also support each other through valuable feedback and peer reviews. Not only this, but we also have ice-breakers and have created a family – not just a team. This has led to our team being extremely happy and collaborating effectively with each other, because instead of having a “boss and employee” hierarchy, we’ve strived to provide a “peer to pear” model, where we can be comfortable sharing our stories with one another and be transparent. In doing so, we’ve maintained a high morale and have been able to successfully expand across many countries in a short time span.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://techinance.wordpress.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/techinance/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thetechinance/
• Other: https://forms.gle/FPyxbA2HdqTwDSqc8 – Fill out this form to join our course!