From Ongole to Unikodex: Padmanabhuni Venkata Saiteja’s Journey of Building TechnoShorts

Today, we’re excited to share the inspiring journey of Padmanabhuni Venkata Saiteja, the founder and CEO of Unikodex, in his own words.

Early Days in Ongole: Humble Beginnings I was born and raised in Ongole, a small town in the Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh. Like many young people in small towns, I grew up with big dreams but limited exposure to the wider world. I completed my intermediate education in Ongole, where the education system focused more on traditional learning methods than the fast-evolving world of technology. Despite that, I was drawn to computers and technology from an early age, although I had no clear direction about where that passion would lead me. When it came time to take the next step, I decided to move to Hyderabad to pursue my B.Tech at Mallareddy Institute of Technology and Sciences. Hyderabad was a world of difference—fast-paced, competitive, and overwhelming. The shift from a small town to a big city was challenging in itself, but my real struggles began when I stepped into the world of higher education.

The Struggles of My First Year: A World I Couldn’t Grasp In my first semester of B.Tech, I found myself lost. The technical concepts felt foreign to me, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to grasp the curriculum. I felt disconnected from the academic environment, and it seemed like everyone around me was doing better, moving ahead while I lagged. Feeling disheartened, I knew I had to take charge of my learning if I was to survive in this competitive space. I stumbled upon the world of ethical hacking through YouTube videos and Telegram groups. This was the moment I felt a spark. Cybersecurity, with its complex yet fascinating nature, intrigued me. It wasn’t something taught in my regular classes, but I was determined to learn it on my own. I enrolled in an ethical hacking course from a startup, diving deeper into this new world.

The First Setback: Ethical Hacking Gone Wrong During the course, I decided to put my newly acquired skills to the test. I conducted a vulnerability assessment on the startup’s website and confidently posted my findings in the group chat. I thought I was doing something impressive, but my actions had consequences I wasn’t prepared for. The company reached out to me, asking who had permitted me to test their website. I was stunned. What I thought was a harmless and proactive move turned out to be a legal and ethical minefield. The phone call was a wake-up call for me I realized how risky it was to test websites without permission, even if my intentions were good. It was a humbling moment, and it forced me to reassess my approach. I stepped away from ethical hacking, but my passion for technology didn’t diminish. Instead, I decided to channel that energy into something different. If I couldn’t test others’ websites, I would build my own.

Transition to Development: The Birth of a New Passion I started developing websites to test my skills in a safer environment, and this soon led me to the world of mobile app development. Creating something from scratch, and seeing it come to life on a screen, felt empowering. My first app was a college app, and it took me an entire semester to complete it. I had no previous experience, and every step was a learning curve. From late-night coding sessions to troubleshooting errors that seemed unsolvable, I spent countless hours making it work. When my app reached its first milestone of 100 installs, I was overjoyed. It felt like validation—that all the struggle, all the sleepless nights had been worth it. I posted a picture celebrating this small success, and it marked a turning point. It was at that moment that I realized I had the potential to do more, to build something bigger.

The First Startup: Facing Abandonment and Isolation Motivated by my app’s success, I decided to take the leap and start my first startup. I roped in two friends who shared my vision, and we began planning. However, building a startup from scratch is far from easy. Midway through the process, both of my friends backed out. They left, citing the difficulty and uncertainty of the venture, leaving me alone to carry on. It was a devastating blow. I felt abandoned, isolated, and unsure of whether I could carry on alone. But giving up wasn’t an option. I continued working on the project, even though I had no one by my side.

The Call That Changed Everything: A Risk Taken and Won Amid this uncertainty, I received a call that would change the course of my journey. It was from the CEO of the startup where I had taken my ethical hacking course—the same one whose website I had tested without permission. He asked me if I knew how to develop apps, specifically in Flutter. At that point, I had experience with Android development but had never touched Flutter. Despite that, I told him that i would learn Flutter and build the app for him in a month. If I couldn’t, I promised I’d never contact him again. It was a bold statement, and I had no idea whether I could pull it off. But I threw myself into learning Flutter, working day and night. One month later, I delivered the app. That project became the cornerstone of my journey as an app developer. The CEO trusted me, and that trust opened doors for me to start building apps for other startups. At 18, I was not only developing apps but also earning enough to pay for my college fees and living expenses.

TechnoShorts: The Dream That Refused to Die In my third year, I returned to an idea that had been simmering in my mind for a long time—an app called TechnoShorts. I envisioned it as a platform that would unify tech professionals, offering a space for networking, code collaboration, community engagement, and more. With this vision, I founded Unikodex, the parent company of TechnoShorts, and started seeking funding to turn this idea into a reality. But the road to funding was tough. Despite multiple attempts, I faced rejection after rejection. Investors were not convinced, and it felt like no one was willing to take a chance on me. Two more friends who had initially joined the project left midway, just like the first time. I was once again left to continue the journey alone.

The Struggles of a Lone Founder: Standing Against the Odds The loneliness of building something from scratch without support is a challenge many founders know too well. I faced it head-on, even when it seemed like the odds were stacked against me. I kept refining the product, improving the idea, and reaching out to investors, despite the rejections and setbacks. No one saw the countless nights spent coding, the endless meetings that led nowhere, or the weight of carrying a vision on my shoulders with no guarantee of success. Despite these challenges, I never gave up. TechnoShorts is more than just an app it’s a manifestation of my dream to build something meaningful for the tech community. Today, I continue to work on it, seeking the right investors and resources to make this vision a reality.

Conclusion: A Dream Worth Fighting For My journey has been anything but smooth. From struggling in my first semester of college, learning new skills in the face of failure, losing friends who couldn’t see the vision, to earning a living through app development all of it has shaped who I am today. I am determined to make TechnoShorts a success and to prove that with resilience and passion, even the biggest dreams can come true. This is my story, and I’m not done yet.

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Disclaimer:
This story has been written by Padmanabhuni Venkata Saiteja, the founder and CEO of Unikodex, and is shared here with his permission.