About The Developer
Meet Shashwat Gupta - The mind behind Talken
Shashwat Gupta
Founder & Lead Developer, Flex Studios
📍 Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India
Building Against The Odds
Evolving the development setup to deliver a polished, privacy-first experience with Talken.
Current Development Rig
Recently upgraded specifically to accelerate ongoing development of Talken.
This setup enables faster builds, smoother tooling, and shorter iteration loops—directly translating to a better Talken experience.
Previous Development Setup
Every line of the earliest Talken prototypes was written on modest hardware that demanded discipline and ingenuity.
The Reality: Android Studio wouldn’t even start. Phone connectivity for testing was impractical. Every IDE took nearly a minute to load. Yet this constraint-driven environment became the foundation for creating 18 applications and counting.
The Coding Journey
From hating programming to building revolutionary software — a transformation story.
The Turning Point
Until my 9th grade half-yearly exams, I genuinely despised coding. It seemed pointless, complex, and utterly boring. But on November 8th, 2023, a simple idea changed everything — what if I could create a character that moves across a terminal screen based on user input?
First Breakthrough
Using nothing but BlueJ — a beginner IDE that struggles with codebases over 1000 lines — I created my first program. A simple character spawner that placed alphanumeric characters at specific positions. Then I evolved it into an 8‑line player character, added animations by clearing the terminal every 500ms, and made it walk across the screen. All within a month.
First GUI Applications
The terminal wasn’t enough anymore. I created my first GUI application — a Click Per Second tester. Then came my first game: Rex Run, inspired by Chrome’s dinosaur game and Geometry Dash. The addiction to creating had begun.
The Creative Explosion
What followed was an unstoppable creative streak. I built 16 more applications: Ping Pong Game, Flying Dual (local multiplayer), Flappy Bird, Memo (Simon replica), Tic Tac Toe, SG Paint (MS Paint replica), Notes (a more capable notepad), four widgets (Weather, Clock, Mixed, Transparent Clock), a JRE Installer, a floating keyboard, and a color picker.
The Talken Vision
The idea for Talken was born — a privacy‑first chat application that would redefine how we think about digital communication. I spent months exploring the right technologies.
Technology Discovery
After months of research and learning, I identified the stack to bring Talken to life. The vision was clear, the tools were ready.
Academic Excellence & Resume
Achieved 95% in my board exams and resumed serious work on Talken with renewed focus, clarity, and momentum.
First Test Version
The first testable build of Talken was ready — laying the foundation for a privacy‑first messaging experience.
Decentralized Storage Systems Completed
Shipped the decentralized storage layer that powers user‑owned data. Introduced content‑addressed media, integrity checks, and resilient, resumable uploads to personal cloud storage.
Decentralized Server Systems Built
Implemented lightweight, stateless coordination services and relay nodes for presence, signaling, and push delivery — horizontally scalable and region‑aware by design.
Decentralized Databases Built
Delivered a distributed metadata index with conflict‑free replication to keep conversations discoverable and in sync, while preserving user ownership and enabling offline‑first behavior.
Talken MVP Launched Launched
Public release of Talken MVP. Users can now download and experience privacy-first chat with decentralized architecture. The complete desktop application is available with all core features: 1:1 messaging, Google Drive-backed storage, end-to-end encryption, and secure authentication.
Project Showcase
A visual journey through 18 applications built with passion and determination.
Talken
Privacy-first chat application with Google Drive integration
Communication
SG Paint
Full-featured painting application, replica of MS Paint
Creative Tool
Rex Run
Endless runner inspired by Chrome Dino and Geometry Dash
Game
Notes
Advanced text editor, superior to Windows Notepad
Productivity
Weather Widget
Real-time weather information in a clean interface
Widget
Flying Dual
Local multiplayer flying game for two players
GameCertifications & Recognition
Formal recognition of skills and achievements from leading institutions.
Infosys
HackerRank
SoloLearn
Coursera
Achievements & Milestones
Skills & Technologies
Programming Languages
Frameworks & Tools
Specializations
Development Philosophy
Privacy First
Every application I build prioritizes user privacy and data sovereignty. Your data should belong to you, not to corporations.
Lightweight & Efficient
I believe in creating software that's fast, efficient, and doesn't bloat your system with unnecessary features.
Purpose-Driven
Every feature serves a purpose. I focus on solving real problems rather than adding complexity for its own sake.
Independent Innovation
Working solo allows me to maintain complete creative control and ensure every detail meets my standards.
Let's Connect
I'm always interested in discussing technology, privacy, and innovative software solutions. Feel free to reach out!