In a rapidly evolving cybersecurity landscape, an estimated two-thirds of adults in the United States use the same password across multiple accounts. And while facial recognition and data encryption can help keep personal information secure, at least 30 percent of internet users have experienced a data breach due to insufficient passwords. It’s why Bhaskar Deo, CEO and co-founder of TrillBit, wants to change how users approach cyber security online and through our devices.
“The technology can convert any speaker into a data transmitter and any device with a microphone as a data receiver,” explains Deo. His Boston-based cybersecurity developer launched its first iteration of password-free security in 2019, along with its latest product offering, Soundauth, which aims to simplify phishing-resistant login for any website, app, or device.
From IIT Graduate to Cybersecurity Entrepreneur
But Deo’s entrepreneurial journey to TrillBit started with academic excellence. Growing up in India, he attended the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur before pursuing research at MIT. During his time on campus, Deo first met his TrillBit co-founders, Mrigesh Parashar and Shashikant Burnwal.
Parashar, who has served as TrillBit’s CPO since 2019, is an IIT graduate and geophysicist-turned-entrepreneur. He oversees TrillBit’s product improvement and expansion. Burnwal stepped into his current role as COO in 2019 with more than 12 years of experience in product management, development, and business operations.
After graduation, Deo’s own career path took him from overseeing computer imaging and tech solutions within the energy sector to leading teams across the Middle East and Egypt. Eventually, Deo relocated to Boston, Mass., where he would launch TrillBit several years later.
The company’s leadership team also boasts Dr. Rober Poor, an MIT-educated innovation leader with more than a decade of experience in the tech sector. Currently, Poor serves as the company’s president. In addition to the company’s Boston headquarters, TrillBit’s dedicated development team works out of its Bengaluru office in Southern India.
Transforming an Established $15B Security Sector
Trillbit’s flagship SoundAuth product makes it easy for companies to implement a phishing-resistant login solution using passkeys. Passkeys are a new standard for passwordless login into any webpage or app using public-key cryptography. The Passkey standard is developed by FIDO and supported by Apple, Google, and Microsoft. Soundauth is a low-code solution that helps companies implement passkeys quickly and efficiently. It gives a complete user management and authentication solution for teams of any size.
“About 90 percent of the password technologies being used today are still susceptible to phishing,” Deo points out. “We wanted to offer a password-less solution that doesn’t cost anything extra for companies to implement and is much more secure than anything else that exists in the $15 billion passwordless market.”
Bring a Password-Free Future to Fruition
Early adopters turned paying customers helped Deo and his team validate the potential for TrillBit’s password-less security. The company raised $2.1 million in its seed round and is currently working towards patents for its technology.
“Technology should be so seamless that it should be invisible, merging with the user experience,” says Deo. “That’s the core value we think technology should be built on. And that’s the standard we strive towards with TrillBit and SoundAuth.”
In a password-free future, the company is set to enhance the user experience while deploying a highly effective security solution. Explore TrillBit’s password-free, data-over-sound security solution at www.soundauth.com.
