"I kept secret my billionaire business created with 18 years old": Marcin Kleczynsk, founder of Malwarebyte

In the case of Marcin Kleczynski, executive director and co-founder of the American malware company Malwarebytes, this moment came as he was quietly working on developing his technological idea while he was a student.

His start-up was less than a year old in 2008, but he had already gained a good reputation in the world of cybersecurity.

Marcin, who was only 18 years old at the time and attended university, experienced this "great moment" when he encountered an obstacle.

"I had serious problems in badyzing the latest computer virus.I suddenly received a message informing me that it was forbidden for me to access the network." School because of malicious activities on my computer, "he explains.

"Obviously, they had detected that I had a virus on my computer, but they did not know I was there deliberately, and then I called the technical support team. from the university and they sent a boy who was not older than me. "

"He sat down on my computer and told me that he had damaged it.Then, in front of me, he entered my website and downloaded Malwarebytes."

"I did not say anything, I stood behind him and I watched him fix my computer – with my own software – so that he could come back online." He left without knowing who I was and until now, I love this moment. "

By the time Marcin graduated from IT in 2012, he had already turned Malwarebytes into a multi-million dollar a year business.

And he did it without his teachers knowing what he was spending a good deal of his time or why he had lowered his notes.

Today, his company has an annual turnover of more than $ 126 million and has a huge number of customers worldwide.

Virus by accident

Born in Poland in 1989, Marcin went to live with his family in Chicago, USA, at the age of three.

Teenager obsessed with video games, he is accidentally a victim of a computer virus at the age of 14 and learns everything he needs to know about the subject through online forums and d & # 39; A basic book for inexperienced people.

He officially launched Malwarebytes in January 2008, at the age of 18. The company grew rapidly and he thought that when he entered the university in September of the same year, studies would affect the growth of his project.

But his mother saw things differently.

"The business was real and then I told my mom that I would not go to college," he says. "15 seconds later, I was preparing my things to study."

What worried the mother the most at first was that the young man had started his business with a 35-year-old man, Bruce Harrison.

Marcin and Bruce had been programming together for more than a year, having met virtually through antivirus forums.

"Here's a 17-year-old boy … and a 35-year-old man, can you imagine saying that to your mother?"

Marcin and Bruce did not meet in person at the time. Bruce repaired computers in Mbadachusetts and Marcin was in Chicago.

And in fact, the faces have never been seen until Malwarebytes has reached the age of 12 months.

"We did not meet until we earned our first million dollars, about a year after the firm's launch," Marcin said.

"We shook hands and moved on."

Currently, Bruce, who heads the research company, still lives and works on the east coast of the United States. UU., Marcin lives at the company's headquarters in Silicon Valley.

The company employs more than 750 people and has offices in Ireland, Singapore and Estonia. Since 2014, he has made investments of 80 million US dollars.

According to Malwarebytes, the company badyzes 187 million viruses a month for individuals and businesses.

Like many other companies in the industry, it allows you to download a basic version for free, but to benefit from more advanced protection, customers must pay for the product.

If the company has experienced strong and steady growth, Marcin acknowledges that he had to learn some tough lessons along the way.

One of the most difficult ones occurred in 2014, when the company experienced large-scale technical failures.

"We had a false positive, which means that we detected malware that did not have anything bad," he says.

"Our software eventually shut down the system of hundreds of thousands of computers, including emergency services and hospitals.

"These mistakes can kill a business because trust is lost," he says.

"But we repaired it and we took it in advance."

Carl Gottlieb, a cybersecurity specialist who treats these contents in a podcast, says that despite its activity in the antivirus industry – a "notoriously hostile" environment – the business "is evolving very well".

"With many competitors, brand awareness is the key, and this step that Malwarebytes has taken (offering a free product several years ago) is paying off."

"Many customers know his name and use it at home, and what Marcin and his team have achieved is impressive."

At 29, Marcin says that his young age has been a benefit. That's why it encourages other enterprising teens to start their own business.

"You heard my story, I created the company when I lived with my parents," he says. "And then, even in college, everything was paid with a student loan."

"If you are now in the university, instead of going out and getting drunk with your friends, go out one night a week to see if there is anything you want to work on personally."

Marcin admits that his university studies have been more difficult than those of his friends, that he has barely managed to graduate and that his social life has suffered.

However, he is happy that his mother forced him to study. "For one thing: I met my wife at the university."

BBC