It’s time for another Indian builder story 🇮🇳 Meet @0xpanicError, whose path into blockchain started somewhere unexpected: Materials Engineering at @iitroorkee. After finding @BlocSocIITR, his university’s blockchain club, he went from learning smart contracts and attending hackathons to internships, fellowships, and eventually full-time roles at Othentic and ether.fi. Today, he’s working on a belief that keeps him in the space: the best parts of finance shouldn’t be reserved for the wealthy or buried behind bureaucracy. Read his story ↓ “My path into crypto was a bit unexpected. I was studying Materials Engineering, but I wanted to work on something more exciting and new. In my second year I came across my university’s blockchain club, BlocSoc IITR. My seniors there helped me find my footing in the space. I learned smart contract development, went to hackathons and conferences, and picked up internships and fellowships over the next couple of years. At the start of my final year I landed my first full-time role at Othentic, where I worked on restaking for about a year and a half before joining ether.fi. What keeps me in this space is a simple belief: the best parts of finance shouldn’t be locked behind privilege and bureaucracy. That’s exactly what I get to work on now. With ether.fi Cash, a regular user can borrow against their assets and spend on everyday things like coffee or groceries, the same kind of credit line that used to be reserved for the wealthy. To me, that’s what crypto is really for: finance that genuinely improves people’s lives. The hardest part isn’t building the features. It’s earning enough trust for someone to put real money in. And what I’ve learned is that in DeFi, security is the product. You can build the most elegant experience in the world, but if funds aren’t safe, none of it matters.”