By COO & Co-Founder, Unfounded • December 2025 • 7 min read
How academic frameworks in international security, intelligence doctrine, and deterrence strategy directly translate into early-stage startup execution, competitive defensibility, and rapid vibe coding.
During my studies in Defence and Strategic Studies at SRMIST, one principle stood out repeatedly: smaller actors never defeat established powers by matching their conventional armor. They win through asymmetric speed, decentralized operational autonomy, and unconventional maneuvering. In startup terms, this is why a 2-person studio using vibe coding tools can out-iterate an enterprise engineering department with 50 managers.
John Boyd's OODA Loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) is the ultimate operating framework for venture building. At Unfounded, we run rapid cycles: observe user friction in the market, orient using historical patterns and system mechanics, decide on a minimal prototype, and act by deploying working code within 48 hours.
Pairing defence strategy with an MA in Hindi Literature taught me that systems are governed by the stories people believe. Whether convincing an investor at a pitchfest, onboarding the first 100 gig workers, or aligning a co-founding team, strategic narrative is the catalyst that transforms raw code into a living institution.