Arvind Nithrakashyap ’97 MS has used the knowledge he gained in software engineering, database management, and machine learning during his master’s program at UMass Amherst to establish and shape a globally trusted data security company.

Fifteen or 20 years ago, when businesses thought about the biggest risks to their data, they would cite human error, hardware failures, or floods and fires. Today, their biggest fear is cyberattacks. Many IT and security leaders aren’t confident they’d be able to maintain business operations while they recover.

That’s where Rubrik comes in. Co-founded by Arvind Nithrakashyap ’97 MS, the company’s Zero Trust Data Security platform integrates backup, ransomware recovery, and cloud-native security solutions to keep data secure, monitor data risks, and quickly recover data in the event of a leak or an attack. The company went public in April 2024 and currently has a $15 billion market cap, serving more than 7,000 customers, including Allstate Insurance, Home Depot, Gannett Media, and Pepsico.

“There’s a lot of fear around unknowingly leaking sensitive information or company secrets,” Nithrakashyap says. “At the end of the day, the data is your most critical asset and if your data is compromised your entire business is at risk.”

Rubrik’s development began in 2014, when Nithrakashyap and his co-founders began working on their core platform. They knew it would be an iterative process, but they saw an opportunity and jumped on it.

“To be honest, you know when you start on this journey, you don't know what it's going to entail. It’s a rollercoaster,” he says. “You go through each stage of growth, and each one poses new challenges. Then suddenly you hit these plateaus and think how do we break through this and get to the next level?”

Nithrakashyap says that his graduate school experience at UMass helped him navigate the challenges inherent in entrepreneurship.

“Graduate school is kind of like a first job because you're interacting with new colleagues. You're working in a collaborative environment. I think I learned a lot about how to collaborate with people and how to work with different stakeholders.”

He also praises the flexible nature of the Manning School of Information and Computer Sciences graduate programs, where he was able to work alongside Professors Emeritus Lori Clarke and Leon Osterweil and Professor Krithi Ramamritham, who were key guides and mentors.

“It really gave me the chance to explore. I got a little bit of exposure to all the artificial intelligence stuff that was happening, which looking back, I think UMass was way ahead of its time in terms of that kind of stuff,” he says. “The way I looked at it was as exposure to the art of being a researcher.”  

Now serving as Rubrik’s chief technology officer (CTO), Nithrakashyap manages more than 1,000 people. He’s proud of the teams he has helped build and the lessons they’ve all learned along the way.

“When we went public on the New York Stock Exchange, we invited the first 100 employees to join us,” he says. “When we rang the bell, there were 35 people who came. These are people who have grown with the company and become leaders in their own right.”

As Rubrik has grown to include 22 global offices, Nithrakashyap says he doesn’t do as much technical hands-on work as he’s done in the past. But he’s still testing out ideas with his team to make sure they are continuing to serve customers’ needs.

“It's never a static journey,” he says. “As our customers evolve, we are evolving along with them. Four years ago, nobody could have predicted where we are now with AI. This poses a new set of challenges, and again we are working with our customers to provide solutions for that as they move forward.”

As someone who didn’t originally consider entrepreneurship to be a path that would suit him, Nithrakashyap says he has found this journey to be highly rewarding.

“I don't think there's a magic formula for entrepreneurship. It’s not easy, and there are tons of sacrifices you’ll have to make. But when you build something that truly gives value and you build a team that works well together, it's very satisfying.”

Arvind Nithrakashyap ’97 MS

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