The Origin Story
The story of Shaurya Bahl — born December 6, 2010 in Oman. From planes at age 6, to coding at 9, to startups at 13, to running multiple ventures at 15.
The Early Years in Oman
I was born and raised in Oman — peaceful, slow, the kind of place where you have time to actually be a kid. Went to ISGI (Indian School Al Ghubra), had an amazing group of friends, and honestly didn't think much about the future. I was just a normal kid who loved maths, loved games, and was obsessed with planes.
Age 6: The Pilot Dream Begins
When I was 6, I knew I wanted to be a pilot. I already had a pilot in my family and loved the idea of traveling places as a job. I spent my childhood watching planes and playing flight simulators obsessively.
"I liked the way that I could travel places as a job."
This dream has never left. Everything I build today is ultimately in service of funding my path to the Emirates Flight Training Academy.
Age 9: The Coding Question
Here's where it gets interesting. I was an avid gamer — like, genuinely addicted to games. Then COVID hit in 2020 and suddenly I was stuck at home with even more screen time. But instead of just playing more, something clicked. I started wondering:
"How are these games built?"
I asked my parents. They said coding. So they enrolled me in classes at MindChamp, where I started building games on Scratch — block coding, drag and drop, like Lego for the screen. That curiosity — born out of boredom and gaming and a global pandemic — led to literally everything that came after. I moved from Scratch to Python. Real code. Real syntax. Real errors. For three years, I learned Python. Three years of classes, practice, confusion, debugging.
Age 12: The Confidence Spike and Reality Check
After three years of Python, I felt confident — "like the next Elon Musk." But then I realized there were way more languages to learn: Java, TypeScript, and all the frameworks that make real-world apps.
I spent time on crash courses on YouTube, coding 2-3 hours every day after school for 30 days straight. No skipping. Just building. I built random things: agency websites (crovio.vercel.app), markdown tools (markdownshaurya.vercel.app), photo booths (coolphotobooth.vercel.app) — "random shit" in my own words, but each project taught me something new.
Age 13: Buildspace and the Move
Two huge things happened around the same time. I moved to Dubai from Oman — new school (Jebel Ali School), new city, new everything. And I heard about Buildspace and applied. I built an app for tipping workers in Dubai. Made everything: Figma designs, full app UI, the complete product.
Reality hit: collecting and distributing money in the UAE requires significant licensing. But the failure taught me end-to-end product design, video creation, real-world business constraints, and resilience.
Age 15: The Multi-Venture Builder
Now at 15, I run multiple ventures simultaneously:
- Simplifly — eSIM platform evolving into B2B
- LockIn — iOS app blocking doomscrolling with push-ups and NFC
- Raly — Remittance intelligence for GCC corridors
- AI + Frnds — Community events teaching people to build with AI
I take only the subjects I need for my pilot dream — math and physics — and pour the rest of my energy into building.
The Through Line
Every chapter has the same pattern: encounter a problem, ask how it works, learn by building, ship something real, hit a wall, learn from it, keep going.
"I guess all you need to do is build, grow, and earn. Start young. Always have a goal in life and whatever you do in future and now, enjoy it and the money will come."