Upsquare

What Upsquare is:
AI-first venture builder that co-builds, acquires, and scales tech businesses across SaaS, VoIP, and digital-transformation markets.

What I lead:
- Strategy, capital allocation, and venture road-mapping
- A 200-person execution engine covering product, AI engineering, design, and GTM
- Two internal platforms: 
• House of Starts–venture builder turning early traction into companies
• UCS–consulting arm that embeds AI and cloud at enterprise scale

Key results to date:
- 12+ profitable ventures co-created (ARR range: $1M–$8M)
- 2 strategic exits (incl. mobile-first video storytelling platform, 2017)
- $10M SaaS acquisition integrated and doubled ARR in 18 months
 • Portfolio revenue CAGR > 25 % for five consecutive years

Current focus:
1. Partnering with founders who need product + AI muscle to reach Series A/B
2. Acquiring tech SMEs in Europe & the US for roll-up and platform plays
3. Co-developing AI transformation programs with mid-market corporates

What makes Upsquare different:
→ We co-invest and build—shared upside, shared risk
→ AI execution is in-house; speed > slide-ware
→ Culture of clear systems + long-term alignment

Exploring a build, buy, or partner path?
DM me or book an 18-min growth call to see if there’s a fit.

Founder & CEO

20 + early-stage cheques • LP in 4 funds (Europe & India)

After a multimillion-dollar exit from my mobile-first venture in 2017, I added “backer” to my builder DNA... supporting founders who exhibit the right MSDx mix (Mindset, Skillset, Drive, eXecution).

How I invest:
- First or follow-on cheques in AI, SaaS, and digital-infrastructure plays
- Intellectual + financial capital, plus Upsquare’s EMEA ↔ India network
- Hands-on product, GTM, and ops guidance ... no tourist money

If you’re an early-stage founder with MSDx and a bold path to scale, let’s talk.

Angel Investor & LP

House of Starts

Gujarat, on India’s west coast, breathes entrepreneurship.
“Dhandha” isn’t a dream here ... it’s DNA.

Most IT firms sidestep the state, fearing every pro will start a rival shop.
I saw the opposite: untapped potential.

So, inside Upsquare, I launched House of Starts—a program where talent co-creates ventures using our tech, capital, and know-how.

Demand exploded. We spun it into a standalone venture builder.
Today, House of Starts partners with individuals, startups, and SMBs to turn bold ideas into real businesses.

Purpose remains clear: co-create a shared future ... one venture at a time.

Founder

Early Career (2001-2012):
→ Software Engineer (Pfiger Software) → 
→ Project & Program Manager (Gateway/GTL) → 
→ Engineering Director (Automation Anywhere)

Built & shipped (with some overlaps with Upsquare):
- Pure Software (Domestic B2B apps), 
- Yories (storytelling & publishing),  
- Space-O Digicom (200+ mobile apps, 3M+ downloads)

Early Career — Engineer → Director

I help tech businesses grow faster by embedding AI into what they already do—products, operations, and go-to-market.

As Founder & CEO at Upsquare, I’ve co-built 12+ ventures, exited from two, and grown a 200+ team across engineering, design, and consulting.

Right now, I’m focused on:
- Partnering with aligned founders to scale their AI-first products
- Creating value through acquisitions and strategic co-building
- Helping corporate leaders integrate AI into their business ecosystems

If you’re building something valuable—and want to go further, faster — let’s talk.

Ready to explore collaboration or scale something that matters?

→ Start your 18-min growth call: 
https://calendly.com/utpalmv/growth

Utpal Vaishnav

These days, I spend a lot of time exploring Systems Thinking:

In that journey, I’ve realized something powerful:
Visuals change perception faster than words ever can.

When ideas are drawn, not just described, they bypass analysis and spark clarity.

That’s why I collect visuals that reshape how I see work, life, and growth.

Here are 9 such visuals that changed how I think —
about time, focus, success, and resilience.

They’re not motivational posters.
They’re perception shifters.

#DhandheKaFunda You don’t need new answers. You need new eyes.

Visuals by Strength Visuals; give them a follow on IG.
~~~
♻️ Repost this to inspire your followers.
🔔 Follow Utpal Vaishnav for more insights like this.

Founder & CEO @ Upsquare • Co-building AI-first businesses with aligned partners

9 views to change your perception:

Alshaya Group

Head of eCommerce & Omni Channel

Happiest Minds Technologies

General Manager

Syncrasy Tech

Program Director

Credencys Solutions Inc.

Servant-Leader for multiple project teams consisting 100-110 members to deliver ‘value’ quickly & effectively to clients and adding more & more achievement for teammates.

- Collaborating with multiple scrum teams to perform planning, development, and quality management on a large-scale software development, implementation, integration and deployment.
- Service Excellence- Single point of Contact for Operations, Delivery & Projects and for the performance of partner’s team.
- Service Level Management – Ensure compliance of contractual SLAs / KPI's. 
- Continues Improvement – Process improvements, System improvements, Reduce no. of incidents, RCA, Automation etc.
- Program Management - Establish project standards and procedures, ensure compliance by the team.
- Value creation - Inculcate value culture within team & implement value ideas.
- Governance - Monthly operational reports, Quarterly Reporting. Establish integrated SLAs and reporting mechanism.
- Escalation Management - First Point of Escalation and ensure that escalations are addressed on time. Provide customer advocacy in assuring that problems receive the appropriate response.
- Resource Management - Identification of resources, ensure timely and efficient on-boarding of resources. Performance management of resources, team building activities, training and development.
- Ensures project is managed within the boundaries of contract and billing is done on time as well as the cost of service is within the budgeted levels.
- Build and maintain effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders including supply partners. Liaise with various vendors and carriers to request costs, negotiate and processing purchase orders.

Delivery Head

Clarion Technologies Pvt Ltd

- Service Excellence
- Service Level Management
- Program Management
- Problem Management
- Project Governance
- Value creation & Automation
- Resource Management
- Customer Management
- Pre-Sales

IndiaNIC Infotech Ltd

- As head of delivery, responsible for all aspects of running a complete delivery unit including delivery of services to the client to highest industry standards and ensuring continuous improvement in all aspects of the unit

- Continuous engagement with clients to establish and manage expectations to achieve highest levels of client satisfaction

- Keeping all stakeholder informed – Highlighting to and resolving delivery issues 

- Being client focused and achieving a balance between client’s expectations and organizational capabilities 

- Coordination across business and delivery teams to ensure achievement of end goal

- Leading different team including technical, delivery, QA, BA, Support, Process & Design 

- Escalation/Issue Handling, Conflict Management 

- Managing financial (Revenue, Cost, Margins) & delivery performance KPI (Project Health Dashboard, Utilization, Subcontracting, FTE Costs) 

- Strategic Contribution in organization growth, making policies & plan

- Managed Skills/Capability building of the team on technical and domain competencies with focus on continuous training and certification process

- Managed to onboard right mix of lateral hires and campus hires to optimize the costs

- Drive efficiency goals

- Project and Team management
- Lead the Microsoft Technology Team  
- Handled multiple concurrent projects starting with quoting through delivery and maintenance and all phases in between
- Training & Development

Sr.Project Manager

Rishabh Software Pvt. Ltd.

- Project Management 
- Managed one of the key account
- Effort Estimation, Assisting in pre-sales

Project Management Professional

Virtual Life Style Pvt. Ltd

Contributed in all functions to develop, maintain and market FirstPhera.com technology driven wedding planning portal for Indian worldwide. 

- Product development & prototyping
- Converting Ideas in development & implementation  
- Assisting in Marketing plan & activities 
- Software and infrastructure architecture
- Day to day operation
- Handling support/e-commerce team

Project Manager

Scientech IT Solutions Pvt. Ltd

Managed large scale e-governance projects with clients such as Indian Railway, Municipal Corporations, and Universities etc. 

- Bidding (Technical & Financial Bid), Pre-sales and Documentation 
- Design, Development and deployment 
- On site implementation & training 
- Project Acceptance & Closure, Payment Processing  
- Project Management

Intellicon Private Limited

Team Leader

I'm 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥, an experienced IT professional with over 25 years of expertise in IT Services, Product Development, Building High-Performing Teams, and successfully managing end-to-end project deliveries. I have a proven track record of driving success through effective team building, leading teams in challenging times, and managing tough stakeholders.

I am passionate about driving excellence in all aspects of project delivery. I believe that building high-performing teams is the cornerstone of success. By fostering a collaborative and empowering environment, I ensure that my teams are equipped to overcome obstacles and deliver outstanding results.

𝐌𝐲 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 combines a strong emphasis on 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. I firmly believe that efficient workflows and well-documented processes are key to achieving excellence. This, coupled with my servant leadership style, allows me to empower my teammates, enabling them to take risks, implement new ideas, and foster open communication.

𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚, I make data-driven decisions, continuously improving processes, and promoting transparency. I firmly believe that what gets measured gets managed, and I utilize this philosophy to drive results and maintain objectivity.

Furthermore, I am committed to 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 within my teams. By sharing my expertise and nurturing talent, I aim to create an environment where individuals can grow and succeed. This not only benefits the immediate project but also contributes to the long-term success of the organization.

𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 is another key aspect of my approach. In a rapidly evolving landscape, I balance flexibility and stability to maintain a high level of responsiveness, adaptability, and the courage to challenge the status quo.

I hold a steadfast belief that 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 is a key ingredient for success and achieving even impossible things. Collaboration and synergy within a team are essential for achieving greatness. Alone, we can achieve very little, but together, we can accomplish remarkable feats.

By integrating these principles into my work, I strive to drive continuous improvement, foster excellence, and achieve exceptional outcomes in all my professional endeavors.

Vishal Kulshrestha

Had an amazing time at #TechSparks2025, the #AI-focused event by YourStory Media 
 
Met some incredible peers, founders, entrepreneurs and tech leaders …. all driven by one goal….to build the future or make it better.

The energy, ideas and conversations were truly inspiring.

More than 50 #startups showcased their work from space tech to #fintech, #cybersecurity to waste management and it was refreshing to see how young entrepreneurs are applying AI to real problems, instead of creating hype.

» Awais Ahmed, Founder of Pixxel, shared that the startup has already launched six satellites this year and plans for 18 more by 2027. While many are building apps or APIs, this team is literally putting satellites in orbit to solve problems across industries.

» A powerful session discussed how nearly $1 trillion in AI capex and another $500 billion projected in coming years  but the key question raised was:
“How much of this is real transformation and how much is still hype?”

» Bala Gorthi, COO of Teleradiology Solutions, said something different “In radiology, accuracy matters far more than cost. AI here isn’t about saving money, it’s about saving lives”

» co-founder of Urban Company, Raghav Chandra, gave a live demo of how they are using AI to power human like conversations for partner operations. It was fascinating to see AI sounding empathetic, responsive and deeply contextual.

Every session reinforced one thing, AI is not the future, it’s already here. But what matters is how meaningfully we use it  not just for automation, but for real impact.

Grateful to be part of such an inspiring community that’s shaping what comes next

#Innovation #Leadership 
#FutureOfWork #StartupIndia 
#Bangalore #StoryTellerVK

In most #workplaces, chaos gets celebrated more than clam

If your #team is seen running around fixing last minute issues, sitting in war rooms, making panic situations and burning the midnight oil … you are labelled hard working and dedicated

But if your team is quietly delivering on time, without noise, it’s assumed you had an easy project 

I once led a project that went live smoothly….. no escalations, no stretched day/late nights, no chaos.

We delivered on time, with quality and remain calm.

But the feedback we received?

“Looks like your project was not challenging enough. Get ready for a tougher one next time.”

That’s the mindset many workplaces still live with
NOISE = HARD WORK
CALM = EASY WORK 

But calm is not laziness. It’s well planned preparation, ability to think ahead and plan ahead and its competence.

#Leadership is not about putting out fires, it’s in making sure nothing catches fire in the first place.

So in your work environment does chaos get attention or people see the impact of calmness.  

#WorkCulture #Productivity #StoryTellerVK

No matter how fair we are, how pure our intent is or how hard we try …. someone will always see us as the villain in their story.

↳ If we set boundaries ….  “not a team player”

↳ If we push for excellence ….  “too demanding”

↳ If we stay calm in chaos….  “not proactive enough”

↳ If we say no …. “not accommodative”

↳ If we yes …. “don’t have view”

Everyone’s judging from their lens, their goals, their frustrations, their insecurities and even our good intentions are the twisted plot in their story.

So stop overthinking… if our intent is right and work is fair, we don’t need to justify in someone else’s narrative.

At the end of the day, we can’t control how others write their story. We can only ensure we play our part with integrity.

Rest its okay to remain bad in other’s stories. Don’t overthink. 

#Workplace #Leadership #SelfHelp
#Mindset #StoryTellerVK

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The Battle

Utpal Vaishnav

Vishal Kulshrestha

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Utpal Vaishnav's LinkedIn Performance

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