Arul Dhanasekar

Hi, I'm Arul, and I'm 21 years old. After high school in 2021, things didn't go exactly as planned due to family responsibilities, so I started working at my father's internet café—something I had already been doing since 8th grade.

After a couple of years (2021–2024), I turned back to what I had always wanted. I thought about going to college, but the classroom setup didn't suit me. I preferred learning at my own pace.

I've been interested in backend systems since 10th grade and already had some knowledge of web development, so I decided to focus on backend systems. I learned through free, open learning resources and YouTube.

I continued working part-time at my internet café and studied in the meantime. Then I continued building projects. For the UI, I use Claude to build the frontend.

In late 2025, I decided I want to start my own company, so I'm building toward that. Before going all in, I think it makes sense to work at a startup first. Right now, I'm planning to join a startup while also watching YC Startup School videos on YouTube and researching real pain points to solve.