{"id":4543,"date":"2025-08-04T16:28:21","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T16:28:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ashokkarania.com\/?p=4543"},"modified":"2025-08-04T16:28:21","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T16:28:21","slug":"the-incredible-sixteen-year-journey-infostretch-apexon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ashok-karania-wordpress.staging9.com\/index.php\/the-incredible-sixteen-year-journey-infostretch-apexon\/","title":{"rendered":"The Incredible Sixteen-Year Journey @ Infostretch &amp; Apexon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"ember2658\"><strong>Today marks the end of one of the most defining chapters in my journey.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"ember2659\">After <strong>16 incredible years at Apexon (formerly Infostretch)<\/strong>, I sign off with a heart full of <em>gratitude, pride,<\/em> and <em>purpose<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"ember2660\">In 2009, I walked into the Infostretch office with curiosity, energy, and ideas. The reception desk bore a powerful message by Mahatma Gandhi\u2014<strong>\u201cBe the change you wish to see in the world\u201d<\/strong>\u2014and I knew I was at the right place. That message became my mantra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"ember2661\">Over the years, what followed was nothing short of extraordinary\u2014a journey across continents, business verticals, strategic pivots, and cultural transformation. From startup energy to scaled enterprise; from late-night brainstorms to global partnerships\u2014I\u2019ve had the privilege of helping build something meaningful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"ember2662\">Infostretch Founders <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/ruteshshah\/\">Rutesh Shah<\/a> &amp; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/manishmathuria\/\">Manish Mathuria<\/a> gave me complete freedom and encouragement.&nbsp; 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 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/goldman-sachs\/\">Goldman Sachs<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/everstonegroup\/\">Everstone Group<\/a> to create a strong platform called Apexon, which unlocked a new level of learnings and opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"ember2665\">Beyond all of these, I am really proud of Infostretch and Apexon for creating the amazing culture, ownership of executing customer\u2019s business vision, winning the customer trust and confidence, and learning from best and brightest minds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"ember2666\">\ud83d\udd11<strong> 5 Timeless Lessons I Carry Forward:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Entrepreneurship = Ownership:<\/strong> Act like an owner, think like a founder.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Excellence is a Habit:<\/strong> Relentlessly chase excellence\u2014success will follow.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Culture Wins:<\/strong> Culture eats strategy for breakfast, lunch <em>and<\/em> dinner\u2014but when they align, magic happens.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Leadership Multiplies:<\/strong> Leaders create more leaders. True leaders are humble, secure and rise by lifting others. They elevate, empower and energise people!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Learn. Unlearn. Relearn:<\/strong> Technology business keeps changing and only curious minds with passion for continuous learning thrive successfully. Be lifelong learners! Stay curious, stay humble.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"ember2668\">\ud83d\udca1<strong> Highlights &amp; Memories That Shaped Me:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Annual planning offsites, night long brainstorming, animated discussions &amp; Bollywood stories<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Designing new business models for Indian telcos<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mobile app development and certification business<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The making of the Infostretch house<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>European expansion<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Leading key deals in fintech, payments, and healthcare<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Building the Global Alliances<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Spearheading Ignite program: Global giving back &amp; philanthropy program<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hosting events like <strong>Mobile Monday<\/strong>, <strong>Koffee with Karania<\/strong>, Hot Seat, <strong>Filmy Fridays<\/strong>, and our legendary <strong>Sales Super Saturdays<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Winning trust, building culture, and <em>co-creating lasting impact<\/em> with an amazing team<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"ember2670\">These are not just career milestones\u2014they\u2019re life moments. They shaped the leader I am today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"ember2671\">\ud83d\ude4f<strong> A Thank You Note From The Heart:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"ember2672\">To all my customers, partners, colleagues and friends &#8211; they are the reason that each day of the sixteen years journey was filled with purpose, energy and joy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"ember2673\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/ruteshshah\/\">Rutesh Shah<\/a> for being one of the biggest cheer leaders for me &#8211; 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"ember2675\">Apexon Leaders\u2014<strong>Sumitra, Somesh, Sriniketh, Vamsi, Sandeep, Anil, Anand, Vinu<\/strong>\u2014your leadership sharpened mine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"ember2676\">To my early crew at Infostretch\u2014<strong>Manish, Shalin, Pinakin, Avery, Siva, Vipul, Palvinder, Leila, Anil, Padmini, Michael, Kanhai, Deven, Kinjan<\/strong>\u2014we built something beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"ember2677\">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!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"ember2678\">Alliance Rockstars: Rama, Adarsh, Kavita, Geetanjali, Prashant, Viveck for creating amazing impact with frugal resources<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"ember2679\">Amazing Ignite Team: Geetanjali, Zil, Heli, Pravin, Kashish, Charu and local leaders Krunal, Jankit, Sejal, Anand, who work for a cause and not applause!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"ember2680\">Family &amp; Friends: Aditya, Aangi &amp; Komal &amp; Friends for accepting that Apexon was the fourth family member for 16 years &#8211; the one who was part of all our vacations and weekends!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"ember2681\">(If I\u2019ve missed names, forgive me\u2014so many memories flooding in!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"ember2682\">\ud83d\udcd6<strong> As I Turn the Page\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"ember2683\">While the celebrated thinker Daniel Kahneman states that we only remember our most intense and concluding experiences &#8211; \u2018Peak-End Theory\u2019, <strong>I remember it all.<\/strong> Because <strong>Apexon wasn\u2019t just a job\u2014it was a mission, a family, a journey.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"ember2684\">I leave with no regrets\u2014only deep <strong>gratitude<\/strong>, enduring <strong>friendships<\/strong>, and a renewed <strong>sense of purpose<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"ember2685\">Here\u2019s to new beginnings. To applying everything I\u2019ve learned to what comes next\u2014<strong>at the intersection of technology, innovation, and impact.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"ember2686\"><strong>Forever a cheerleader and well-wisher of Team Apexon.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"ember2687\">Thank you for the 16-year magic. \ud83d\ude4f<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4544,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,9,18,32],"tags":[105,146,317,319,456,552,651,749,785,839,901,906,922,1693,1721,1722],"class_list":["post-4543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-apexon","category-career","category-infostretch","category-technology","tag-ai","tag-apexon","tag-career","tag-career-journey","tag-digital","tag-farewell","tag-gratitude","tag-ignite","tag-infostretch","tag-journey","tag-leadership","tag-legacy","tag-lifelong-learning","tag-tech","tag-thank-you-apexon","tag-thank-you-infostretch"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ashok-karania-wordpress.staging9.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ashok-karania-wordpress.staging9.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ashok-karania-wordpress.staging9.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ashok-karania-wordpress.staging9.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ashok-karania-wordpress.staging9.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4543"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ashok-karania-wordpress.staging9.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4543\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ashok-karania-wordpress.staging9.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ashok-karania-wordpress.staging9.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ashok-karania-wordpress.staging9.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ashok-karania-wordpress.staging9.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}