This Masai Graduate is Mining Success in the Crypto World at CoinSwitch

"Chiranjeev is able to pick the most important tasks, collaborate with stakeholders, and get them done in nearly impossible-looking timelines that we entrust upon him."

Masai grad Chiranjeev's impact at CoinSwitch

Masai School is synonymous with developing the best talents in the tech sector. This blog talks about the journey of one such graduate.

"Chiranjeev is able to pick the most important tasks, collaborate with stakeholders, and get them done in nearly impossible-looking timelines that we entrust upon him."

Web 3.0 has become a popular buzzword. Blockchain is carving out a formidable presence in the Indian market. More specifically, the cryptocurrency market is predicted to grow to USD 222.70 million in 2023. The user penetration is also expected to grow from 14.5% to 22.4% between FY 2023-27.[1]

India’s fast-growing market for cryptocurrency is truly unbelievable. With a young population, great internet penetration and a rise in use by small and medium-sized businesses, India is set to become a significant player in the global cryptocurrency market. The Indian government’s relaxed stance on crypto regulations has also made the market thrive and invited many new users.

According to a report published in the 2021 Global Crypto Adoption Index by Chainalysis, India ranks 2nd in the cryptocurrency market globally, one spot behind the United States. It has also observed a significant surge in consumer demand over the last year.

As India continues to develop its banking systems, crypto will eventually provide an alternative means of payment and investment. Its fast-growing adoption across the country clearly signals its potential for the future.

This expansion is likely to be fueled by the increased acceptance of cryptocurrencies by organisations and individuals, as well as the continuous development of DeFi and other blockchain-based platforms.

The potential for cryptocurrencies to serve as a hedge against inflation and political instability is another important reason for its renewed acceptance. However, like with any evolving market, it is also highly likely to experience volatility and undergo regulations and refinements.

Amidst this financial revolution, CoinSwitch, founded by the trio of Ashish Singhal, Govind Soni, and Vimal Sagar has emerged as a major player with over 19 million registered users to date.[2]

Being India's largest cryptocurrency trading platform in terms of valuation is no small feat. The success of CoinSwitch can be attributed to the simplicity of the platform and the lucid user experience it has to offer. Rated as one of India's top five finance apps, CoinSwitch made trading and investing in crypto easy.

The vision of all the 3 founders was quite clear from the start. The only goal they shared while still in the gestation phase was to simplify crypto and increase its accessibility to the masses. This eventually resulted in creating the platform that now caters to over 15 million users.

To quote Singhal, “We want to remove all the complexities in crypto trading, educate the consumers and give them a simplified experience of one-click buy and sell in crypto”.

As they aim to make crypto trading more accessible in India, the need for talented tech professionals becomes imperative to fuel innovation and sustain growth.

In the face of India's tech talent gap, CoinSwitch found a reliable solution in Masai School and brought on board several of its graduates. One of these talented individuals is Chiranjeev.

Chiranjeev at Masai

Hailing from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, Chiranjeev's path to becoming a software developer was unconventional. After his 12th grade, he took a year off and during that period he developed a keen interest in tech. Although he started learning programming languages on his own, he needed a systematic approach to building a robust tech career.

Upon learning about Masai from his brother, who was pursuing the same program at that time, Chiranjeev was drawn to the institute's skill-focussed approach and the promise of pay-after-placement.

Despite being from a  non-technical background, the intensive training from scratch and consistent support from the instructors equipped him with the necessary skills and prepared him for a rewarding career in the tech industry.

Chiranjeev at CoinSwitch

Chiranjeev didn’t take much time in adapting to the work culture and the change in the tech stack at CoinSwitch.

In his words, “I didn’t find the switch difficult as Masai strengthened my core fundamentals and also equipped me with people skills and adaptability. I got a good idea of performance metrics, testing, processes, and feedback cycles that helped me get familiar before starting out”

Educational backgrounds of Masai grads at Coinswitch

Chiranjeev started with a project involving Gatsby, a React-based open-source framework for documentation. Recognizing his skills and potential, the team assigned him to a new project - CoinSwitch Pro, an advanced crypto trading platform that offers its customers advanced analysis tools, real-time prices, multiple exchanges, arbitrage, and liquidity.

Chiranjeev, working with the other Masai graduates at CoinSwitch, had the freedom to choose frameworks and build the platform from scratch, marking it a 0 to 1 journey for the team.

Quote by Chiranjeev

Over the last two years, he has significantly contributed to CoinSwitch Pro’s development and scaling. The team built the minimum viable product(MVP) to validate the product idea in just a week, then scaled it to a small set of users, and eventually made the product available to the public.  

Despite the crypto market being in its infancy in India, Chiranjeev and his team managed to capture 9% of the market with the first-of-its-kind advanced arbitrage platform- CoinSwitch Pro, an impressive feat that has received accolades from the team and management including a ‘Rising Star’ award to him and the ‘Best Team’ award for the CoinSwicth Pro team.    

Chiranjeev got the 'Rising Star Award' at CoinSwitch 

Talking about Chiranjeev's work ethic, Ashish(Senior Product Manager, CoinSwitch) says, "He has very high levels of ownership and has good communication skills. He has proved to be one of the most dependable and passionate engineers at CoinSwitch."

Ashish's testimonial on Chiranjeev's performance

Final Thoughts

Chiranjeev's story underlines the value of skill-based hiring and its role in scaling an organisation. His journey is a testament to Masai’s emphasis on practical knowledge, communication skills, and teamwork, along with technical prowess.

Despite experiencing a boom in the technology industry and the cryptocurrency market, the number of skilled employees India generates, especially in the IT sector, paints a contradictory picture. A report by EY and iMocha found that the talent shortage in the tech industry negatively impacts innovation in India. The report also observed that a whopping 62% of organisations in India cannot innovate as efficiently as they would because of the dearth of tech talent.

India's tech talent gap presents an opportunity for businesses to invest in skill-based hiring over degree-based hiring. Masai, with its commitment to skill-focused education, is perfectly positioned to bridge this gap.

If you're aiming to fuel your organisation's growth with skilled developers ready to contribute from day one, consider hiring a Masai graduate today.

FAQs

What is the demand-supply gap of tech talent?

According to a Telecom Sector Skill Council (TSSC) report, the supply-demand gap in India’s tech talent as of 2022 is 21.1%.

What is the IT industry overview in India 2023?

National Association of Software and Service Companies or NASSCOM, a key entity in the IT sector in India, released a statement in early March 2023 that said that the Indian technology sector will grow at a rate of 8.4% in the financial year of 2023, thus reaching $245 billion in market size.

Click here to know more about CoinSwitch

Click here to connect with Chiranjeev


Sources:

[1]- https://www.statista.com/outlook/dmo/fintech/digital-assets/cryptocurrencies/india

[2]- https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2023/05/29/indian-crypto-exchanges-are-in-survival-mode-trying-to-extend-their-runways/

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