Tag: Ignite

  • “Hum hai raahi pyaar ke, phir milenge chalte chalte…”

    “Hum hai raahi pyaar ke, phir milenge chalte chalte…”

    “Hum hai raahi pyaar ke, phir milenge chalte chalte…”

    Goodbyes are strange.

    They bring flashbacks and memories… smiles and tears… anxiety and gratitude.

    But the circle of life continues.

    I feel truly blessed to have such wonderful people around me — who made saying goodbye the hardest part. It’s the daily interactions we part with, not the eternal connections.

    Thank you for a beautiful farewell — where we relived stories, celebrated memories, and honored the amazing ride we had together.

    🙏 Special gratitude to:

    • Apexon Management & Yatendra – for the belief and acknowledgment in building the Infostretch institution & Apexon journey. Teamwork truly makes the dream work.

    • Harish & Utpal – for your kind words and gracious memories

    • Alliance Rockstars – Kavita & Geetanjali

    • Ignite Superstars – Geetanjali, Pravin, Dr. Heli

    • Wonderful Igniters – Krunal, Anand, Jankit, Xama

    • Buddies Forever – Devangbhai, Milind, Kalpana, Ayushbhai, Paras, Mihir, Sheetal, Chirag, Pranay, Anil & everyone!

    And a heartfelt salute to our silent heroes – the ever-smiling Housekeeping, Security & Admin teams — thank you for the love, affection, and care that touched me deeply.

    • Ashokbhai – for always being there with airport rides and warm smiles

    • Jigar – for your support that kept my energy and focus intact

    • Ramibhai & Security Team – for always watching over

    This isn’t goodbye. Just a “see you later” — with deep gratitude and endless love. 💙

  • The Ignite Life: Sunshine. Smiles. Sukoon

    The Ignite Life: Sunshine. Smiles. Sukoon

    “The purpose of life is to be useful, to be honourable, to be compassionate — to make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

     — Ralph Waldo Emerson

    As I sign off from Apexon after 16 incredible years, I want to pause and celebrate something very close to my heart—Ignite.

    What started as a small idea turned into a movement of compassion.

     A platform where we didn’t just give back—we grew.

     We didn’t just support causes—we created change.

     We didn’t just help others—we found ourselves.

    ✨ Ignite has been a happiness project. Our sunshine corner. 

     From mentoring changemakers to empowering NGOs, from learning with leaders to creating lifelong bonds—Ignite has truly ignited me.

    Thank you Rutesh Shah for igniting the mission and providing unbelievable trust and unconditional support

    To every Igniter who chose hope over cynicism, kindness over convenience—thank you. Thank you Geetanjali Sahni, Pravinsinh Rathod, Heli Z Karvat, PhD, Zil Shah, Krunal Sagan, Jankit Shah, Anand Rohit, Sejal Bavishi, Nitin Nikumbh, Charu Mishra, Kashish, Rohini Chandra

    Thank you Manish Mathuria, Sriniketh Chakravarthi, Anand Kabra, Vinu Venkatesh

    To every NGO partner, colleague, and volunteer who shared your light—thank you.

    Because of you, the world is a better place.

    As I move into the next chapter, Ignite remains a part of who I am—and always will be.

    Here’s to living well—and giving well.

    One Life At A Time!

  • The Incredible Sixteen-Year Journey @ Infostretch & Apexon

    The Incredible Sixteen-Year Journey @ Infostretch & Apexon

    Today marks the end of one of the most defining chapters in my journey.

    After 16 incredible years at Apexon (formerly Infostretch), I sign off with a heart full of gratitude, pride, and purpose.

    In 2009, I walked into the Infostretch office with curiosity, energy, and ideas. The reception desk bore a powerful message by Mahatma Gandhi—“Be the change you wish to see in the world”—and I knew I was at the right place. That message became my mantra.

    Over the years, what followed was nothing short of extraordinary—a journey across continents, business verticals, strategic pivots, and cultural transformation. From startup energy to scaled enterprise; from late-night brainstorms to global partnerships—I’ve had the privilege of helping build something meaningful.

    Infostretch Founders Rutesh Shah & Manish Mathuria gave me complete freedom and encouragement.  With their intellectual humility and supreme trust, they inspired beyond measure. The company was being built with great alignment of vision, mission and values. As Infostretch moved from one orbit to another, I relished the opportunity to take multiple challenges and make a difference. The Infostretch story reached a new peak with the investment backing of Goldman Sachs and Everstone Group to create a strong platform called Apexon, which unlocked a new level of learnings and opportunities.

    Beyond all of these, I am really proud of Infostretch and Apexon for creating the amazing culture, ownership of executing customer’s business vision, winning the customer trust and confidence, and learning from best and brightest minds.

    🔑 5 Timeless Lessons I Carry Forward:

    1. Entrepreneurship = Ownership: Act like an owner, think like a founder.
    2. Excellence is a Habit: Relentlessly chase excellence—success will follow.
    3. Culture Wins: Culture eats strategy for breakfast, lunch and dinner—but when they align, magic happens.
    4. Leadership Multiplies: Leaders create more leaders. True leaders are humble, secure and rise by lifting others. They elevate, empower and energise people!
    5. Learn. Unlearn. Relearn: Technology business keeps changing and only curious minds with passion for continuous learning thrive successfully. Be lifelong learners! Stay curious, stay humble.

    💡 Highlights & Memories That Shaped Me:

    • Annual planning offsites, night long brainstorming, animated discussions & Bollywood stories
    • Designing new business models for Indian telcos
    • Mobile app development and certification business
    • The making of the Infostretch house
    • European expansion
    • Leading key deals in fintech, payments, and healthcare
    • Building the Global Alliances
    • Spearheading Ignite program: Global giving back & philanthropy program
    • Hosting events like Mobile Monday, Koffee with Karania, Hot Seat, Filmy Fridays, and our legendary Sales Super Saturdays
    • Winning trust, building culture, and co-creating lasting impact with an amazing team

    These are not just career milestones—they’re life moments. They shaped the leader I am today.

    🙏 A Thank You Note From The Heart:

    To all my customers, partners, colleagues and friends – they are the reason that each day of the sixteen years journey was filled with purpose, energy and joy!

    Rutesh Shah for being one of the biggest cheer leaders for me – While he has led with example, showcased passion with compassion and treated everyone with respect, he has been an amazing mentor and guiding light to me.

    Apexon Leaders—Sumitra, Somesh, Sriniketh, Vamsi, Sandeep, Anil, Anand, Vinu—your leadership sharpened mine.

    To my early crew at Infostretch—Manish, Shalin, Pinakin, Avery, Siva, Vipul, Palvinder, Leila, Anil, Padmini, Michael, Kanhai, Deven, Kinjan—we built something beautiful.

    Awesome Champions: Jay, Gaurav, Vaibhavi, Rajesh, Rupal, Chinar, Niraj, Anushree, Bhavana, Aris, Brijal, Avani, Harish, Yatendra, Ankit, Sheetal, Murali, Chetan and others who made this journey joyful!

    Alliance Rockstars: Rama, Adarsh, Kavita, Geetanjali, Prashant, Viveck for creating amazing impact with frugal resources

    Amazing Ignite Team: Geetanjali, Zil, Heli, Pravin, Kashish, Charu and local leaders Krunal, Jankit, Sejal, Anand, who work for a cause and not applause!

    Family & Friends: Aditya, Aangi & Komal & Friends for accepting that Apexon was the fourth family member for 16 years – the one who was part of all our vacations and weekends!

    (If I’ve missed names, forgive me—so many memories flooding in!)

    📖 As I Turn the Page…

    While the celebrated thinker Daniel Kahneman states that we only remember our most intense and concluding experiences – ‘Peak-End Theory’, I remember it all. Because Apexon wasn’t just a job—it was a mission, a family, a journey.

    I leave with no regrets—only deep gratitude, enduring friendships, and a renewed sense of purpose.

    Here’s to new beginnings. To applying everything I’ve learned to what comes next—at the intersection of technology, innovation, and impact.

    Forever a cheerleader and well-wisher of Team Apexon.

    Thank you for the 16-year magic. 🙏

  • Global Ignite Week – Scaling Impact

    Global Ignite Week – Scaling Impact

    The world becomes a better place when all of us act together!

    Ecstatic and happy with the inspiring ideas, passionate work and collaborative spirit of Apexon Associates to influence and create change! Servant leadership in action!

    Through Global Ignite Week, Apexon Associates with their friends and families shared their energy, time and talent to contribute to the immediate community and larger environment.

    Quick Snapshots:

    – Over 500 Apexon Associates contributed a total of 2500+ hours to various initiatives, showcasing their dedication to making a positive impact.

    – Painted 7 schools, transforming more than 28,000 square feet of space into vibrant learning environments.

    – Served over 75,000 meals and packed 500 boxes for those facing food insecurity, bringing nourishment and hope.

    – 2,800 Apexon Employees embraced environmental stewardship by adopting and caring for plants, fostering a greener future.

    A heartfelt thank you to everyone for the enthusiasm during Global Ignite Week 2024.

    A big thanks to Sriniketh Chakravarthi, Anand Kabra, Vinu Venkatesh, Vijay Talreja , Nitesh Palresa, Pradeep Anthony, Sandhiya Thiruvengadam, Jo Ramsey FCIPD, Tina Rowarth, Pravinsinh Rathod, Rathod Chetan, Sejal Bavishi, Nancy Sequeira, Nitin Nikumbh, swapnika kanagala, Gokulnath Sivashankaran, Kiruthika Ravichandran, Poorani Balasubramaniam, Jaspreet Singh, Krunal Sagan, Jankit Shah, Manish Shirvalkar, Chetan Jadhav, Geetanjali Sahni & all who made this possible!

    Thanks Rutesh Shah, Manish Mathuria, Vamsi Kora, Radha Krishnan, Sumithra Gomatam, Somesh Khanna

  • Sightless, Not Visionless

    Sightless, Not Visionless

    True Visionary

    Change Maker

    Successful Entrepreneur

    Highly Inspiring

    MIT’s First International Visually Impaired Student

    Indian President Abdul Kalam’s Hero

    Forbes Asia’s 30 Under 30

    What a list of accolades! Srikanth Bolla’s is an inspirational figure with hordes of achievements that even fully abled can only dream of! Srikanth is a visionary who happens to be visually challenged.

    I had the great honour of interviewing the legendary Srikanth Bolla in a fireside chat at Apexon. Anand Kabra, our Chief People and Transformation Officer, facilitated the event as part of Celebrating Apexon.

    Srikanth shared his journey from a sightless newborn to an award-winning industrialist.Srikanth’s life is indeed extra ordinary – an ecstatic father names his son after legendary cricketer Srikanth but is shattered to see a sightless baby. He is about to be buried alive, but mother begs for his life and saves him. The bullying in school, the rise in a special school, fighting and winning the case against Indian education system for not allowing visually challenged students to study science, getting a place in Indian cricket team, rejection by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), selection by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), life in America, return to India, struggles for setting up his business and his entrepreneurial success. He was President Abdul Kalam’s hero and he invested in Srikanth’s startup.

    Srikanth shared the journey of his life with all the ups and downs with an unprecedented level of candour and authenticity – he even revealed his mistakes and bad habits.

    Apexon associates and their family were highly inspired by Srikanth and the non-stop flow of questions was a proof of his impact.

    A few excerpts of Srikanth’s quotes:

    I am sightless, not visionless. Sight is of the eyes, but the vision comes from the mind.

    I can do anything.

    The challenges, insults and bullying motivated me further to do well in life.

    The fight is in my internal DNA. I will not accept things as they are – I will fight for the change. I am not afraid of anyone or anything.

    I believe in equality and equal ability. I do not want reservation, nor I tick the ‘blind’ column in any form.

    I aspire to be India’s first visually challenged president. India can be a first world country. And I have a vision for the new India.

    Loneliness is the biggest poverty.

    I am a workaholic and restless person, but I do appreciate and endorse the need for a healthy work life balance.

    My company employees’ people with all different abilities. I believe compassion is what makes you rich.

    My favourite movies are Mahanati, Dhoni, and Soorarai Pottru. I can watch my favourite movies even 100 times.

    I would love to play myself in a movie.

    Srikanth movie was made in 41 days, and everyone was very committed. The movie was made in 20% less than allocated budget. Sharad Kelkar charged only Rs 111 for the movie.

    Tu Mil Gaya is my favorite song from Srikanth movie

    I love non-vegetarian food.

    Truly, it was an amazing and enchanting evening with Srikanth who indeed is a living example that everything is possible when one has a clear goal and is totally determined! If Sri can, so can we!

  • Ideas & Interactions For Driving Societal Change!

    Ideas & Interactions For Driving Societal Change!

    Ideas & Interactions For Driving Societal Change!

    Creative brainstorming, experience sharing, best practices discussions and meeting like minded individuals at CSR Conference 2024.

    Inspired and energized with the addition of more possibilities to our idea and initiatives roadmap!

    Looking forward to implement the same while strengthening the collaboration of Apexon Ignite with the community and NGO partners.

    Happy to discover and meet new NGOs and learn about their activities.

    Blessed to combine organisational structure with ‘Living is Giving’ life mantra.

    #philanthrophy#givingback#livingisgiving#csr#sharing#community#ignite#apexonignite#apexon

  • A Walk For A Cause, Wellness & Happiness!

    A Walk For A Cause, Wellness & Happiness!

    A Walk For Cause!

    A Walk For Wellness!

    A Walk For Happiness!

    Happy to walk for the 22nd Annual TTEC Wellness Walk – the annual event of supporting social causes, promoting wellness and celebrating goodness!

    Love the energy and vibes emerging from great participation, live music, cheer leaders and of course, impromptu garba!

    Special cheers to our dear friend Kaushal and Parul Mehta, TTEC Team and volunteers!

    Apexon Ignite is happy to be the consistent proud sponsor of the great cause!

  • Apexon’s Got Talent: Exemplary Show Of Apexers With A Heartwarming Performance By Ignite Ahaan Kids

    Apexon’s Got Talent: Exemplary Show Of Apexers With A Heartwarming Performance By Ignite Ahaan Kids

    Apexon’s Got Talent: Exemplary Show Of Apexers With A Heartwarming Performance By Ignite Ahaan Kids

    Apexon’s Got Talent is the showcase event of exemplary talent of Apexers in all fields. Its Grand Finale coincided with the opening of our brand new office at Ahmedabad’s prime location. The sheer brilliance of the Apexers and their powerhouse performances made judging the winners a very difficult job! Congrats to the winners!

    Apexon’s Got Talent also featured the special performance from Ahaan Kids at the grand finale. Watch these kids rule the stage and win hearts!

    One of the most beautiful aspects of our culture is the close integration of Ignite and Ahaan in our Apexon fabric.

    Our Apexon family does not include 5500 hearts in our office, but also more than 2000 hearts whose lives we touch through our Ignite initiatives. Our Apexon events and celebrations become bigger with the warm presence of our Ignite kids and youth – at ICL finals, festival celebrations or cultural events.

  • Final Sign-Off From Infostretch House!

    Final Sign-Off From Infostretch House!

    Final Sign-Off From Infostretch House!

    Infostretch House: The Glass Round Building On Rajpath Rangoli Road Is A Landmark Of Ahmedabad. 

    After Calling It Our Home For More Than A Decade, We Finally Say Goodbye To The Lovely Workplace. Emotional Day For Infoneers – Especially Ones Who Were Involved From Day One – People Like Me, Ayush, Kalpana, Vipul & Others Have Been Involved In The Making Of This Awesome Office – A House That We Literally Built Together!

    Infostretch House Created Memories Of Lifetime – We Laughed, We Danced, We Fought, We Cried, We Celebrated, We Grew! It Ignited Turning Points & Unleashed Our Growth – As We Emerge Bigger & Stronger As Apexon! 

    Apexon Moves To A Bigger, Better & Shinier Office In Ahmedabad – Watch Out For The New Address & Pics! 

    Sharing Some Pics Of The Last Working Day (July 28) & Some Pics Of The Nostalgic Journey. Interestingly, One Of My Cabins Is Now A Forensic Lab