Somhita
Finance Associate
MBA in finance & marketing with 8+ years of work experience. Worked in the past with Igate, Capgemini and PwC as a Finance associate. At Upekkha, she assists the team with the successful Angel and Series Seed funding.
Philosophy

Live every moment with love, grace and gratitude

Favorite Books

The Gospel of Shri Ramakrishna

My Inspiration

My parents

Favorite Quote

A winner is a dreamer who never gives up. - Nelson Mandela

Somhita
Gayathri
Business Head - UP Funds
Gayathri heads UP Funds - Upekkha's early stage fund. She has worked with hundreds of startups through her stints as ED of TiE Bangalore, Ecosystem Head at Microsoft Ventures and Director- Venture Fastrack at Wadhwani Foundation
Philosophy

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (The entire world is a family)

Favorite Books

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, The Godfather by Mario Puzo, Shogun by James Clavell, When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

My Inspiration

Nature

Favorite Quote

Good things take time

Gayathri
Neha
Marketing Coordinator and Partnerships
A mother of two, I am a free-spirited, a free-minded and a friendly person who loves to travel, cook and read. I am a strong advocator and believer of minimalism and go by the principle of, 'need over want'.
Philosophy

Less is more when it comes to owning things

Favorite Books

Becoming, Old man and the Sea, The Diary of Young Girl

My Inspiration

Ratan Tata

Favorite Quote

Live the life you've dreamed.

Neha
Arjun
Cohort Coordinator
An MBA graduate with an ambition of doing something big and impactful.
Philosophy

Results happen over time, work hard, stay consistent and be patient.

Favorite Books

Rich dad poor dad, The subtle art of not giving a fuck

My Inspiration

Ratan Tata

Favorite Quote

Self-belief and hard work will always earn you success.

Arjun
Priya
Cohort Coordinator
I am a creative, positive thinker, and enthusiastic individual who loves to live life to the fullest.
Philosophy

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.

Favorite Books

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People- Stephen R. Covey, Corporate Chanakya - Radhakrishnan Pillai, Never Eat Alone -Keith Ferrazzi

My Inspiration

My Father

Favorite Quote

‘When ideas or opportunities come to you, take it very seriously.’ : Radhakrishnan Pillai

Priya
Minakhee
Senior Content Editor & Producer
Minakhee drives content around value SaaS and enhances founders’ brand reach & visibility. Previously she has worked as an Editor with USA & Middle East-based organizations in the B2B as well as B2C space.
Philosophy

Live & let live

Favorite Books

The Palace of Illusions, Many Lives Many Masters, Interpreter of Maladies, Time to Kill, Kite Runner, Shantaram, Shiva Trilogy, Alchemist

My Inspiration

The idea that when everyone strives to be a better version of their former self, the world becomes a better place.

Favorite Quote

“Whatever the mind of human can conceive and believe, it can achieve” – Napoleon Hill

Minakhee
Bhavya
Associate - Startups
I work with startup founders and help them prepare to get funded
Philosophy

Hakuna Matata, Where there is a will, there is a way.

Favorite Books

Paths of Glory, The Alchemist, Harry Potter Series

My Inspiration

J. K. Rowling, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul kalam

Favorite Quote

I think, therefore I am.

Bhavya
Shusupti (Megha)
Community Co-ordinator
Post Graduate from IEM specializing in Financial Management, previously worked with Axis bank and ICRA Analytics Ltd.
Philosophy

Life tip, Stop expecting.

Favorite Books

Master of the Game and Rage of Angels by Sidney Sheldon, Can you keep a secret by Sophie Kinsella,Life's amazing secrets by Gaur Gopal Das

My Inspiration

Accept no one's definition of your life, define yourself

Favorite Quote

When pain,misery or anger happens,it is time to look within you , not around you - Sadhguru

Shusupti (Megha)
Shilpa
Human Resources Business Partner
I am an MBA in Human Resources Management from AIMA,who has worked in the capacity of HR in big brands as well as startups.In my free time I read, write poetry, and human psychology is my area of interest.I aspire to understand people better by empathy and compassion.
Philosophy

Wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.

Favorite Books

Not without my daughter, Mafia queens of Mumbai, Eat Pray Love

My Inspiration

Anyone who's trying hard to bring a positive change in the society.

Favorite Quote

What you seek is seeking you ~ Rumi

Shilpa
Jithin S
Admissions Ops Associate
A literature graduate, majored in HR who likes to see life as adventure.
Philosophy

Excellence is a habit, not an act. Repeat it.

Favorite Books

White Tiger, Glass Palace, Kite Runner

My Inspiration

Terrence McKenna

Favorite Quote

"Hope is a good thing, may be the best of things. And no good thing ever dies" - Shawshank Redemption

Jithin S
Aakash
SaaS Analyst
Aakash helps the Strategic Partnerships team at Upekkha in his role as a SaaS Analyst.
Philosophy

It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.

Favorite Books

1Q84 , Zero to One, Sapiens, When Breath becomes Air, Man's Searching for meaning.

My Inspiration

If you begin to understand what you are without trying to change it, then what you are undergoes a transformation.

Favorite Quote

You are what your deep, driving desire is. As your desire is, so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed. As your deed is, so is your destiny. [ Brihadaranyaka IV.4.5 ]

Aakash
Thiyagarajan M (Rajan)
Managing Partner
Rajan is the SaaS brand smith at Upekkha. He was the Product Leader at Intuit and board member at Startup Bridge India foundation. He is on a quest to make learning ELI11 (Explain Like I’m 11).
Philosophy

Everyone is playing a different game, don’t copy or criticize without knowing what it is. Find and play your own game.

Favorite Books

SUCCESS Equation (Michael Maboussain), Narrative & Numbers (Aswath Damodaran), Man’s search for Meaning (Viktor Frankl).

My Inspiration

Bill Campbell

Favorite Quote

“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” - Viktor Frankl

Thiyagarajan M (Rajan)
Prasanna
Managing Partner
Prasanna is the SaaS Flywheel doctor & BS detector, finding early symptoms of SaaS issues & helping founders find root causes without chasing vanity BS metrics. He was the CTO at the accelerator of Microsoft Ventures, helping 120+ startups with product & growth.
Philosophy

‘Spannungsbogen’ - "The self-imposed delay between desire for a thing and the act of reaching out to grasp that thing." Planning for a 10 year goal works best for me.

Favorite Books

Dune, HPMOR, The Goal

My Inspiration

Founders inspire me. They imagine a future that is yet to be, and impatiently will it into existence moving the rest of the world forward by brute force.

Favorite Quote

“Show me the money” from the movie Jerry Maguire.

Prasanna
Abhay
DevOps Associate
Abhay is a tech enthusiast curious about robots and blockchain. He was an intern at MakerGram (2019 - 2020).
Philosophy

Think before you speak, words are sharp.

Favorite Books

Randamoozham' by M. T. Vasudevan Nair

My Inspiration

Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Favorite Quote

I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand - Confucius

Abhay
Yoosuf
Manager, Marketing
Yoosuf is the Marketing Manager at Upekkha. He is an engineer turned marketer and a storyteller.
Philosophy

Never look down at anyone. Else, do not expect to be looked up.

Favorite Books

The Language of God by Dr. Francis Collins, Guns, Germs & Steel by Jared Diamond

My Inspiration

Charlie Chaplin

Favorite Quote

Not all that can be counted counts. Not all that counts can be counted. - William Bruce Cameron

Yoosuf
Varsha
Program Associate, Basecamp
Varsha works closely with Upekkha Basecamp founders to enhance their outcomes by running the cadence sessions & owning the mechanics of the Basecamp Program.
Philosophy

Stay strong, stand up and have a voice.

Favorite Books

The Alchemist

My Inspiration

I get inspired by the people around me who do an innovative piece of work.

Favorite Quote

The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination - Tommy Lasorda

Varsha
Ananya
Manager, Partnerships & Community Experience
Ananya plays a key role in Upekkha’s tribe experience helping SaaS founders build valuable partnerships. Graduated from Babsons college specializing in Entrepreneurship & Marketing, she managed investor relations at LetsVenture.
Philosophy

Change is the only constant

Favorite Books

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, The Prince by Nicolo Machiavelli

My Inspiration

Oprah Winfrey

Favorite Quote

It is better to travel well than to arrive

Ananya
Fahad
Program Leader, Basecamp
Fahad is the program leader for the Basecamp acceleration program. Ex-Uber, and Ex-Infosys, he is an Engineer-turned operation management pro.
Philosophy

Attain financial freedom, do what you love, make minor improvements periodically & treat others the way you would want to be treated.

Favorite Books

Thinking fast and slow, Saving capitalism from capitalists, Sapiens, Randamoozham

My Inspiration

Abraham Lincoln, Bertrand Russel, Bill Gates, Raghuram Rajan

Favorite Quote

“I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong.” - Bertrand Russell

Fahad
Rohith
Head, Data & Signals
Ro is the Data Custodian of all streams within Upekkha & across all portfolio startups. His team sifts through raw data signals through automation and careful naked eye inspection to provide business progress feedback to everyone. Cofounded Wow Labz, an outsourced product development company that was recognized as one of the top 10 mobile app development companies in India.
Philosophy

What goes around comes around!

Favorite Books

The 7 habits of Highly Effective People. Running Lean. Ghachar Ghochar.

My Inspiration

A child’s ability to run, fall, cry, get up, dust off, laugh and run again. Almost instantly.

Favorite Quote

All constraints are internal

Rohith
Gokul
Head, Founder Experience
Gokul is the tribe Guardian and takes care of the Founder Experience at Upekkha; he brings together the tribe to learn, engage & partner with the best. Previously he was the Director - Special Projects, Zone Startup India Accelerator, PNgrowth - iSPIRT, Director Strategic Partnerships at StartupVillage.
Philosophy

Make peace with past, live in the present and look forward to a new day

Favorite Books

Abundance, The Year Without Pants, My life in Red and White :Arsene Wenger, The Mamba Mentality: How I Play by Kobe Bryant

My Inspiration

The idea of a socially democratic world.

Favorite Quote

“None of us is as smart as all of us” - Ken Blanchard

Gokul
Tanuka
Content and Program Design
Tanuka spearheads the content and program design for Upekkha startups. She was the Director of Software Development at Cisco, and Founder of Staff You Trust.
Philosophy

Kaizen, continuous improvement in a methodical way

Favorite Books

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren, Open by Andre Agassi, Cosmos by Carl Sagan, Factfulness by Hans Rosling, The King's General by Daphne du Maurier, Daughters of the Sun by Ira Mukhoty

My Inspiration

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Favorite Quote

Whoever had created humanity had left in a major design flaw. It was its tendency to bend at the knees - Terry Pratchett

Tanuka
Shekar
Managing Partner
Shekar is a Upekkha monk guiding startups on their financial discipline, Compliance & Cash Flow woes. He has played the startup and large company game and has helped teams scale in the global arena. Milestones include his journey from the inception of Xylan to its IPO in the USA and its acquisition by Alcatel for $3 Billion, Co-founded Allegro Networks in the valley and sold India Operations to Juniper Networks, started and grew NetApp India Operations to 300+ people, and NetApp OEM business in the Asia Pacific from $0 to $30M. He has picked startup winners (Control4 that went on to IPO) in his stint as an EIR with Thomas Weisel Venture Partners.
Philosophy

Relationships are our most valuable asset be it family, friends, colleagues or customers. Helping without expectations and having a sense of gratitude, helps build positive relationships, and acts as a catalyst for our success & happiness.

Favorite Books

Think and Grow Rich, Code of the Extraordinary Mind, Sapiens, The Innovator's Dilemma, Crossing the Chasm, Zero to One, Good to Great

My Inspiration

Human potential, Grandeur of nature

Favorite Quote

“Change your thoughts and you change your world” - Norman Peale

Shekar

A Team dedicated towards
meaningful founder outcome

We created Upekkha so that founders like you are not robbed of meaningful outcomes.
By default, founders are shoved down the unicorn path.
Over 98% of them get butchered at the Unicorn altar.
It hurts!
Founder First
Founder Optionality
Founder Agency
Founder Outcome

Our Team

Prasanna
Managing Partner
Prasanna
Shekar
Managing Partner
Shekar
Thiyagarajan M (Rajan)
Managing Partner
Thiyagarajan M (Rajan)
Tanuka
Content and Program Design
Tanuka
Gayathri
Business Head - UP Funds
Gayathri
Gokul
Head, Founder Experience
Gokul
Rohith
Head, Data & Signals
Rohith
Fahad
Program Leader, Basecamp
Fahad
Ananya
Manager, Partnerships & Community Experience
Ananya
Varsha
Program Associate, Basecamp
Varsha
Yoosuf
Manager, Marketing
Yoosuf
Abhay
DevOps Associate
Abhay
Aakash
SaaS Analyst
Aakash
Jithin S
Admissions Ops Associate
Jithin S
Shilpa
Human Resources Business Partner
Shilpa
Shusupti (Megha)
Community Co-ordinator
Shusupti (Megha)
Bhavya
Associate - Startups
Bhavya
Minakhee
Senior Content Editor & Producer
Minakhee
Priya
Cohort Coordinator
Priya
Somhita
Finance Associate
Somhita
Arjun
Cohort Coordinator
Arjun
Neha
Marketing Coordinator and Partnerships
Neha