Ujjwal Adhikari has embraced change and seized opportunities on his way to helping develop Kirkwall, a company that is working to shape the future of IoT and cybersecurity.
Born in Nepal, Adhikari and his family immigrated to the United States when he was eight years old. His memories of Nepal are fragmented, but he recalls his childhood there—walking to school and exploring his surroundings.
Moving to the U.S. was surreal for him. In Nepal, wearing USA-branded clothing was common, yet he had no real understanding of what the country was. Arriving in the States with no knowledge of the language, the transition was intimidating. “As a kid, you’re more scared than excited,” he said. However, within a year, he had adapted and was on the same level as his peers.
His parents’ decision to move was driven by opportunities. In Nepal, career options were limited to teaching, farming, or going abroad for work. The U.S. offered a future with far greater possibilities.
Childhood and Education
Adhikari has fond memories of growing up in the U.S., spending time with friends, listening to Linkin Park, and playing outdoors. One of his biggest interests was biking, particularly dirt biking, and he often rode at a nearby track, even after numerous falls.
At Fargo North High School, he found himself drawn to coding and game development. Though he excelled in sciences, it was a block-coding course—where he attempted to recreate the infamous app Flappy Bird—that sparked his deep interest in technology.
However, Adhikari realized that traditional schooling wasn’t the best fit, and he left high school in 10th grade to earn his GED. He then took a two-year gap to explore his interests, diving into finance and even a brief stint in professional gaming. The experience of leading Overwatch teams in tournaments taught him valuable lessons about teamwork and leadership.
Eventually, he enrolled at NDSU as a microbiology major, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced all classes online. Dissatisfied with virtual learning, he took another break, which ultimately led him to Emerging Digital Academy. On the last possible day to apply, he signed up, was accepted the next day, and after five months of intensive study—spending 60 to 70 hours a week coding—he graduated.
Entering the Workforce and Founding Kirkwall
Adhikari began his career working with two startups and later joined Perficient for nearly a year before transitioning into a machine learning internship. He then became a program coordinator at Grand Farm. It was during this time that he attended Entrepreneurship at the Capitol, where he met Will Cromarty, who shared his software concept. Recognizing the potential to apply his cybersecurity skills in a meaningful way, Adhikari jumped at the opportunity, and together they founded Kirkwall.
