“No matter if you fail, fail again, fail better, try again.”
That is the mantra this 20-year-old engineering student, Raghu Sattu, lives by. An ethical hacker and founder of his own IT solutions firm, Raghu is a first-generation learner who skipped formal education tracks to dive straight into the world of code. His story is about building solutions driven by sheer will, passion, and absolutely zero procrastination.
Introduction (Personal / Team story)
Tell us something about your story. What's something fascinating about you?
Hello, everyone! I am Raghu, and I am currently juggling things as a final-year Computer Science and Engineering student here in Hyderabad. It’s a big deal for my family, you know, because I am the first person to get a graduation degree—a first-generation learner.
But being a student is just one hat I wear. I am also a full-stack developer and an ethical hacker. On the business side, I am the founder of Amigos IT Solutions, and I even work as a project trainer at engineering colleges. Yeah, sometimes students don't even know I’m still a final-year student myself!.
My journey didn't start with textbooks, yaar. I got hooked on technology by watching movies. I was fascinated by films like Key and Abiimudu, and the American drama series Mr Robot. I saw the hero hacking banks and getting things done, and I decided I wanted to manifest those characters in my real world. That’s why, after 10th grade, I directly took a diploma in Computer Science because that was the quickest way to get my hands on laptops and coding. I am honestly very crazy about hacking things.
And here is the fascinating thing about me: If I want to do something, I will do it. Definitely. No procrastination! My mindset is simple: if a task needs to be completed, I’ll sit right away and complete it. I don't care if it's 4 AM or 6 AM; the work has to be done.
Problem Overview
What is the problem you are trying to solve, or what innovation are you working on?
I’ve been thinking for a long time that even though technology is evolving, one crucial thing is missing: human connection.
We have so many social media platforms - Facebook, Instagram - that are meant to connect us, but ironically, we feel less connected. And worse, these platforms are full of fake profiles, which makes finding someone real really complex. We’ve all seen the mess on Omegle, with all that harassing kind of stuff.
I realised that if someone just wanted to share their feelings or talk to a stranger, the whole process was exhausting: sign-up, login, profile creation, verification. By the time you're done, your mood is completely gone. I thought, "Why can't this be instantaneous and hassle-free?"
Motivation
What motivated you to work on this problem or innovation? Why are you so concerned about it? Share your story.
My motivation is deep down inside me. When I decide to build something, I will build it.
But practically, my goal was to eliminate all those barriers. I wanted a platform where anyone who has WhatsApp - which is everyone in India - could instantly connect with a human.
However, the major hurdle was money. To build a platform like this, I needed a separate server and separate databases, which are paid resources. I didn’t have the investment.
That’s when Puch AI came along. I saw that Puch AI was an LLM already directly integrated into WhatsApp. I finally found my base to build my idea! I decided to create a small prototype inside Puch AI to test my vision.
Solution Overview - The AI Use Case
Puch AI itself is a brilliant platform. It’s an AI agent inside WhatsApp that helps you with everything—from ordering food (like Swiggy or Zomato) to image generation and even fun quizzes. The best part? You don't need another app.
My innovation was connecting people instantly through this platform. All you needed to do in my prototype was type a command like #meet, and you would instantly connect with a random stranger willing to chat. I wanted a space where people could share their feelings without the headache of creating a profile.
The whole thing was a rush, yaar! It was a hackathon, and the submissions were already underway. I saw the deadline in the evening, opened my laptop, and coded the entire prototype, deployed it, and got it connected with Puch AI in just two hours. I used the boilerplate code provided by them to build my solution.
Technical Details - How AI is Actually Utilised
The use of AI here was non-negotiable. It simply can’t be done without it. AI makes things very smart; it can do this job 95% better than without AI.
I built the core logic using Python. Here is the simple flow of how it worked:
User Input: When someone types #meet in WhatsApp, the message goes directly to Puch AI.Triggering the Server: Puch AI then triggers my custom MCP server, which I built using Python.The Matching Queue: Inside my Python code, I created a queue that keeps track of people waiting to connect, and they are matched instantly based on that queue.AI Moderation: This is where the crucial AI usage comes in. I used moderation models combined with regular expressions.
The AI’s main role was safety and privacy:
- It scanned messages for abuse or sensitive content.
- I specifically used regular expressions to block the sharing of WhatsApp contact numbers within the chat. I wanted complete privacy; nobody should know who you are, ensuring maximum user comfort.
Technical Breakdown
Under the hood, it’s an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that connects with Puch AI, which then links to WhatsApp.
- FastMCP Framework – Handles MCP protocol for integration
- RandomConnectEngine – Matches users and forwards messages in real time
- Command Recognition – Reads commands like #meet, #bye, #again
- Privacy Layer – Masks numbers using Regex and AI filters
- Async Processing – Built with Python 3.11+, Asyncio for instant message relay
- Data Validation – Pydantic ensures safe and correct data flow
- In-Memory Matching – Keeps it fast (can scale to Redis/Postgres later)
See, I can prepare a full documentation for the technical flow, but just understand that I was working with Python, servers, queues, and critical AI moderation models to ensure this instant connection was also safe.
Challenges & Failures
The main challenge was always time. I built the core of the project in just two hours!
But my biggest failure? The constant crashing. The project was always crashing because I hosted it on free servers. When the number of users rapidly increased, the servers couldn't handle the load. I even tried using one of my client’s private VPS servers, but even that crashed. Maybe there was a small issue in the code, but I just didn’t have the time to go back and debug everything.
Here is a big takeaway from all this crashing and struggling: I built this AI using AI. Seriously! You don’t need deep coding knowledge anymore. If you have an idea, you can build everything using AI. The key is to be very good at the fundamentals and basics—know how things are supposed to work—and the AI handles the rest.
AI Readiness Skills
I believe being ready for AI is about more than just coding; it's about essential human skills.
How good are your collaboration skills? Honestly, when I start a project, I prefer to work alone. The first thought in my mind is always: "You can do anything single alone". I run Amigos IT Solutions as a one-man show - I’m the founder, developer, and account manager. However, Amigos is a freelancing agency, so when I get too many projects, I collaborate by posting the requirements in a WhatsApp channel, and interested developers DM me.
How good are your Critical Thinking & Creativity? My critical thinking led me to the simplest solution: remove complexity. Every connecting app needs login, registration, and profile creation. I removed all of them! That was the creative leap - making instant connection possible while using AI for safety, not for barriers.
How good are your Online Learning skills? I am not a fan of bookish learning, especially today when technology updates daily. I won't suggest anyone read books. Online learning is everything. I focus completely on online resources. I rely so much on learning quickly that I don't even study for semester exams until four hours before the test. I use ChatGPT with the syllabus, and that is more than enough to maintain a good CGPA without any backlogs.
How good are your Online Reputation skills? I make sure to post about all my great projects and achievements online, especially on platforms like LinkedIn. This is exactly why you found me, right?. My online reputation brought this opportunity.
Impact so far & vision for the future
The immediate impact was winning the hackathon! I secured the second position. For now, I received $15,000 in OpenAI credits. That’s really cool!
But my real vision is bigger than just a hackathon win. I want to build solutions that have a real impact, maybe aligning with Sustainable Development Goals. I’m personally so frustrated with texting.
If I get an opportunity to work with Puch AI in the future, my goal is to implement two key features:
- Skip the Text: Directly add an option to make a voice or video call with your match.
- Safety First: If AI detects anything abusive during a chat (voice or text), it should automatically disconnect or remove the person completely from Puch AI.
Moving forward, I’m working on a big project focusing on content quality. There is so much data being generated now, the quality is missing. I am working on a thing where when you search, you only get the quality information, not just quantified content.
Your advice to fellow innovators
What I’ve learned early on is that in this modern era, your network is your net worth. So, build your network as much as you can.
If you have an idea, don't wait for permission. Just build.
Also, remember the dialogue I always listen to: "No matter if you fail, fail again, fail better, try again." This is how innovation works.
Mentor, Support & Inspiration
I don't have a single mentor that guided me through this.
For inspiration, I don’t look at others. I myself am my own inspiration. I know what I want to do, and I will keep pushing myself to get it done.
