Lakshmi Das, founder of Prophaze, joins Vandana Verma to explain how an unmet container-security need became a product company and how she combines customer growth, team leadership, and family responsibilities as an entrepreneur.
Lakshmi began her career at Infosys in 2010, working in banking and later across other domains. Her exposure to banks, hospital information systems, and international compliance requirements gave her a clear view of security’s importance in regulated environments.
The origin of Prophaze was a practical customer problem. A German client needed to protect a containerized platform, but the available web application firewall products did not adequately address the requirement. While searching for a solution, Lakshmi and her co-founder, Vishal, recognized a wider market gap and decided to build for it. At the time of the interview, Prophaze had been operating for more than three years and had received recognition from Cybersecurity Ventures and the Data Security Council of India.
Entrepreneurship does not fit cleanly into office hours. Lakshmi describes the company as continually present in her thoughts, even when she tries to define a working window. As a mother, she organizes morning routines and school preparation before beginning meetings and aims to finish around 6 p.m. so she can spend time with her family. Walking or yoga helps her create some personal space before the workday.
Planning is collaborative. The team reviews priorities, discusses what is and is not working, and decides how to move forward. Lakshmi views Prophaze as a family in which progress depends on shared input rather than orders flowing from one person.
A new security vendor must compete for attention against international companies that customers have known for many years. Prophaze initially struggled to earn mindshare and trust, including in India. The company responded by working with partners and distributors that already had strong relationships with CISOs and CIOs.
Industry recognition subsequently gave previous prospects a reason to return to the conversation. The journey still included financial pressure and periods of bootstrapping, followed by stronger periods as customers arrived. A supportive team helped the business remain steady through both conditions.
Lakshmi considers people management central to entrepreneurship. Leaders she observed at Infosys influenced her preference for humility and approachability. Her own experience of becoming a mother also shaped a commitment to making the workplace more supportive of women during maternity leave and their return to work.
Employees are encouraged to raise personal or professional concerns and to act with ownership. Lakshmi tells team members to bring ideas, innovations, and commitment as though they were leading the company themselves. That trust reduces internal friction and enables people to grow with the product.
During the earliest product stages, Lakshmi and Vishal were deeply involved in development, review, and testing. The company initially worked with interns and brought them into full-time roles after receiving its first funding. As those colleagues gained expertise and ownership, the founders could delegate more of the product work.
That change shifted Lakshmi’s attention toward international alliances, investors, partners, and distributors. Delegation did not mean losing interest in the product; it reflected a new stage where the business needed the founders to create relationships and opportunities.
Lakshmi’s principal advice is to treat entrepreneurship as a full commitment when pursuing a meaningful vision. She warns that the beginning may contain repeated rejection and discouraging periods. Rather than treating those experiences as proof that the vision is impossible, founders can use the feedback to improve.
She also recommends concentrating on doing the work well without expecting an immediate return. Progress may arrive later than planned, making persistence and belief important companions to practical execution.
