“I was born and raised in the heart of Hyderabad’s Old City, a place rich with culture, community, and stories. My childhood was simple, yet full of meaning. I studied in a non-branded school, close to home, because my father believed education wasn’t about the name, but about the learning.
Growing up in Old City meant more than just going to school. It meant playing cricket on the streets till dusk, celebrating festivals with neighbours like family, and understanding the value of community before I even knew the word for it. My home was defined by the familiar sound of my father’s Chetak scooter. The moment I heard it, I’d drop everything and run home, knowing he was back. That sound, to me, was stability, safety, and love. My father was and still is a towering figure in my life. A man of discipline and intelligence, he believed in hard work and perseverance. And like any middle-class kid who was good at math, my path was set: study engineering, crack IIT, and secure a stable future. I scored 100% in Math in my 10th-grade exams and was selected for Narayana’s IIT batch. But life had other plans. That was the year the exam pattern changed, and I didn’t qualify in Chemistry. My college suggested I repeat the year. But my father simply said, “You are a brand. You don’t need to repeat.” That one sentence changed my life. If I was a brand, I had to be the best at whatever I chose to do.
Engineering was the next chapter, but my heart was always restless. I was never drawn to textbooks, I was drawn to challenges, to conversations, to ideas. While my classmates focused on exams, I started participating in paper presentation competitions, winning at NITs, and realising something important: students from smaller colleges were just as capable as those from prestigious institutions. The only difference is access to opportunities. So, with a few friends, I started STED (Society to Encourage Engineers’ Development), an initiative to provide students with a platform to improve communication skills and leadership abilities. It was my first taste of what a community could do when given the right tools. Then came 2010. The recession hit hard. Startups weren’t even a concept in India yet back in those days. And NGOs? They didn’t make money. I had no choice but join in Infosys. For four years, I sat behind a desk, writing code, knowing this wasn’t my passion. Then I discovered Toastmasters. Every meeting, every speech, every leadership lesson reignited something in me. I realised my passion wasn’t IT—it was people, communication, and problem-solving. At the same time, Flipkart had just become India’s first unicorn. That moment made me question everything. Why did some students succeed while equally talented ones were left behind? The answer was simple: access. The right students weren’t getting the right platforms and the right guidance. And that’s when the idea for Stumagz was born in 2015. Stumagz started as a student magazine but grew into something much bigger.
By 2018, we were featured in Forbes 30 Under 30. It was proof that social communities could be built in India. More importantly, it was proof that students, when given the right opportunities, could achieve incredible things. But I knew this was just the beginning. Stumagz evolved into Student Tribe—a vision to create India’s largest student ecosystem, where every student, regardless of background, had access to knowledge, networks, and opportunities.
I realized that every student needs three things to succeed. Intellectual Capital –Knowledge, mentorship, and the right guidance. Social Capital – A strong network because you are the average of the five people you surround yourself with. Financial Capital – Opportunities to earn, fund education, and gain financial independence. I firmly believe that the future of education isn’t about degrees, it’s about skills and realworld opportunities. The world is shifting towards freelancing, gig work, and self-driven careers. But imagine if students had the right guidance from the start. What if an engineering student who secretly loved journalism had access to media mentors? What if a commerce student passionate about filmmaking could connect with industry professionals? That’s what the Student Tribe is doing, bridging the gap between what students have and what they need to succeed.
Through this journey, I’ve realised there is no such thing as work-life balance. There’s only prioritisation. And for me, the priority has always been impact. If a student from a small college finds a path they never knew existed, if we can give someone their first job, their first opportunity, that is real success.In the coming years, Student Tribe aims to be in multiple states, reaching 10-15 lakh students across multiple states in India. And through it all, my father’s words stay with me. “You are a brand.” Not because of an IIT tag. Not because of a degree. But because I chose to believe in it. And that’s the same belief I want to instill in every student we reach.”
- Sri Charan Lakkaraju, Founder & CEO, Student Tribe