Cyberattacks in India are rising at a pace businesses can no longer afford to ignore. According to IBM Security’s 2025 report, the average cost of a data breach in India has surged to ₹22 crore, marking a 23% year-over-year increase.
Cisco’s 2024 Cybersecurity Readiness Index paints an equally alarming picture, with 88% of India’s small and medium businesses (SMBs) facing cyberattacks in the past year, many without the expertise or infrastructure to defend themselves.
This widening vulnerability gap between large enterprises and smaller businesses is exactly what Risknox.ai, a Kerala-based cybersecurity and insurtech startup, aims to close.
“A single attack can wipe out years of effort in an instant,” says Kerala-based Vivek Chandran, Founder & CEO of Risknox.ai in the Brand Celebs interview.
From Cybersecurity Expert to Mission-Driven Entrepreneur
Vivek Chandran is not new to the world of digital security. A cybersecurity expert turned entrepreneur, he has spent more than 11 years safeguarding sensitive systems across broadcasting, telecommunications, and healthcare.
His career spans key roles at leading organizations. He served as a Cybersecurity Specialist at Tata Elxsi, contributing to major security engineering projects. He then moved to Deloitte, where he worked as a Manager in Risk Advisory (Emerging Technologies), leading cybersecurity initiatives and advising enterprise clients.
Prior to that, he worked as a Cybersecurity Consultant at Klystron Technologies, supporting businesses with tailored security solutions, and began his consulting career at Dishari Consultants, handling VAPT and compliance assignments.
These experiences allowed him to lead major VAPT projects, advise enterprises on regulatory readiness, and coordinate large-scale cybersecurity programs.
But Vivek’s turning point came when he realized a critical gap:
Cyber resilience and risk quantification, the backbone of digital preparedness, were largely missing from most companies’ digital transformation journeys.
“I understood that businesses, especially MSMEs, lacked tools to quantify risk effectively. Without measurable risk, cyber insurance remains either inaccessible or ineffective,” Kerala-based entrepreneur says in the Brand Celebs interview.
This insight became the seed for what would eventually grow into Risknox.ai. Today, his vision is clear: to make cybersecurity measurable, manageable, and insurable for the digital age.
Fixing the Broken Link Between Cybersecurity and Cyber Insurance
Founded in May 2024 by Vivek Chandran and Gokul R (Co-founder & CMO), Risknox.ai is building an AI-powered ecosystem that helps organizations understand, quantify, and insure their cyber risks.
Despite rising cyber awareness, Vivek observed a systemic issue in the industry: insurers were relying on outdated processes.
“Most insurers still use Excel sheets, static questionnaires, and manual audits to assess cyber risk. There’s no real-time visibility or continuous monitoring,” the founder of Risknox.ai explains in the Brand Celebs interview.
Risknox.ai bridges this gap by linking cybersecurity posture directly with insurance readiness using AI.
A Platform That Quantifies, Monitors, and Insures
Risknox.ai’s cyber risk-insurance ecosystem comprises three flagship products:
- Fortress – An AI-driven cyber risk quantification engine that evaluates vulnerabilities and predicts potential financial impact.
- Compass – A platform for insurance providers to profile risks accurately and build better cyber insurance plans using real-time intelligence.
- Pulse – A continuous monitoring tool that detects threats and misconfigurations within company networks.
“This approach brings insurers and businesses onto a single real-time risk visibility platform, reducing fraud, improving underwriting accuracy, and ensuring affordable cybersecurity readiness for organizations of all sizes,” says Vivek in the Brand Celebs interview.
Making Cybersecurity Affordable for MSMEs
For decades, cybersecurity has been viewed as a luxury reserved for large corporations. Vivek wants to change that.
“Cybersecurity shouldn’t be a privilege. It should be a baseline for every company,” says the Kerala-based founder & CEO of Risknox.ai in the Brand Celebs interview.
Risknox.ai uses a tiered pricing model tailored for MSMEs, one of the most underserved segments in cybersecurity. Pulse follows an agent-based pricing model, while Fortress and Compass use subscription-based models customized for early adopters.
The startup already has 3–4 active clients in the GCC, multiple pilot projects in India, and two insurance partners in Delhi and Bangalore. Through strategic rollouts and partnerships, they are rapidly expanding into the GCC market.
In just 18 months, the 11-member team, including cybersecurity researchers, AI specialists, and developers, has launched three fully functional products and established a strong presence in a global market traditionally dominated by large players.
The Personal Journey Behind Risknox.ai
Vivek grew up in Kasaragod, Kerala, in a household that valued hard work and education. After earning a B.Tech in Computer Science, he completed his M.Tech in Cyber Forensics and Information Security from CDAC Trivandrum, one of India’s premier institutions under the Ministry of Electronics & IT.
He also holds professional credentials including CISM, CIPM, CEH, and ECSA, making him one of the few founders in India with deep technical and governance expertise.
Outside work, Vivek mentors cybersecurity bootcamps and speaks regularly at national conferences on cyber insurance and AI security. He enjoys fitness, weightlifting, trekking, reading, and meditation.
“These habits keep me focused and grounded as an entrepreneur, which is actually a very demanding job,” says the Kerala-based founder & CEO of Risknox.ai in the Brand Celebs interview.
Milestones and Recognition
Despite being a young startup, Risknox.ai and its founder have already earned significant recognition. Vivek was honored as the Best InsurTech Player (Special Jury) at the India InsurTech Summit and won the Best Innovative Cybersecurity Solution award at GISEC Global 2025, one of the world’s largest cybersecurity events.
He is also a sought-after speaker at national conferences on cyber insurance, AI security, and emerging digital risks.
On a personal level, Vivek remains committed to nurturing future cybersecurity talent through mentorship and training.
A Vision for a Safer Digital Future
As Risknox.ai grows in India and the Middle East, the startup is preparing to expand into North America, Europe, and Africa over the next five years. The team is also developing:
- Accord: An AI-risk governance module to manage emerging risks from AI and quantum technologies.
- An AI-powered fraud detection engine for the cyber insurance ecosystem.
“New technologies bring new vulnerabilities,” Vivek notes. “We want to build products that understand and manage those risks, making them insurable.”
Risknox.ai plans to scale its SaaS products, onboard enterprise and MSME clients across industries, and deepen partnerships with insurers globally.
“Our long-term vision is to make cybersecurity accessible to every business, from large enterprises to local shops and small startups that form the backbone of the Indian economy,” says Vivek Chandran, the Kerala-based founder & CEO of Risknox.ai in the end of the Brand Celebs interview.
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