Ritu Raj
Ritu Raj Ritu Raj | |
|---|---|
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| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Known for | Founder and CEO of Avasta, OrchestratorMail, Objectiveli and Wag Hotels |
Ritu Raj is an entrepreneur based in California. Raj is the founder of Avasta, OrchestratorMail and Objectiveli, as well as Wag Hotels, a chain of luxury hotels for dogs and cats.
Education and early career
[edit]Ritu Raj graduated from Kirori Mal College at Delhi University, and worked for IT consulting firms in Delhi before moving to the US in 1994.[1] Upon his arrival in the US, he worked for a small startup, AT Systems, and was later an executive with TMP Worldwide.[2]
Chapter 2/Avasta
[edit]In 1999, Raj founded Chapter 2, an application service provider (ASP) that supports the business applications for companies as an outsourcing company running the companies' existing networks.[3] The company based its name on the idea that chapter one of the internet was web site hosting, with chapter two being business application hosting.[4] In 2000 the company secured $9.5 million in funding.[5] That year they also opened offices that provided back-office operations, security management and call center operations services.[6] As of 2001, the company had raised $50 million from investors.[7] That year Chapter 2 was renamed Avasta - a name based on the Sanskrit word "vasta," meaning "to stand and remain" - in order to reflect the company's new services.[8] In 2003, Avasta was acquired by NaviSite.[9]
Wag Hotels
[edit]Following Avasta, Raj was a partner with the information technology consulting firm Accenture. He was away from home and his dog frequently.[10][11] This was the inspiration behind his venture Wag Hotels, a California-based line of luxury hotel for dogs and cats.[12][13][14] In 2005, Wag opened its first location in West Sacramento.[15][16][17] The company also operates Wag Store, a hotel-affiliated store.[18] In 2007, Wag opened a location in San Francisco.[19] In June 2007, the company also bought a stake in the Modesto-based pet quarterly publication, Wag Magazine.[13]
Other Ventures
[edit]In 2010, Raj co-founded OrchestratorMail, and serves as the company's CEO.[2][20] An application that works on top of an existing user's email platform, OrchestratorMail organizes email into a set of categories.[21] Users then use this differentiation to determine what emails to reply to first.[22]
From 2011 to 2012, Raj was an Entrepreneur in Residence at Spring Ventures, LLC, a venture capital firm in San Francisco.[23] While there, he helped launch SideCar, a ride-sharing app that connects drivers with people looking for rides.[24] In exchange, passengers can give drivers a financial donation.[25] The apps were initially banned, however new regulations have since allowed them to operate.[26]
In 2012, Raj co-founded Objectiveli with Jonathan Yankovich.[14] Objectiveli is a web application designed for companies to set and manage objectives and goals and track the outcomes in real-time.[27]
References
[edit]- ^ Doley, Kunal (February 8, 2008). "Owners not allowed in doggie hotel". Mail Today, p. 16-17.
- ^ a b BizSpark Online (2011-06-27). "BizSpark Startup of the Day - OrchestratorMail - BizSpark Featured Startups - Site Home - TechNet Blogs". Blogs.technet.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ Rogers, Amy. "Avasta Not ASP, But Outsourcer". Crn.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ "Chapter 2 Launches ASP Hosting Service - InternetNews". InternetNews. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ "Chapter 2 Raises $9.5 Million - InternetNews". InternetNews. 2000-07-06. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ Rohde, David (2000-07-18). "'Chapter 2' hosting is for ASPs, start-up says". Networkworld.com. Archived from the original on 2014-04-26. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ Edward Cone (2001-02-12). "Same Game, New Name". Eweek.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ "Chapter 2 Becomes Avasta - InternetNews". InternetNews. 2001-02-12. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ "Avasta, Inc. - Company Profile by Insideview". Insideview.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ "Wag Hotels sniffs out Oakland location - San Francisco Business Times". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ "Luxury hotel caters to pampered pets - Houston Chronicle". Chron.com. 2007-05-10. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ "New Dog Hotel Opens in San Francisco". Dogchannel.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ a b "Bay Area is next frontier for West Sacramento-based Wag Hotels - Sacramento Business Journal". Bizjournals.com. 2007-01-28. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ a b "Interview with Objectiveli founder and CEO Ritu Raj". DoesWhat. 2012-10-09. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ "For lapdogs of luxury - Sacramento Business Journal". Bizjournals.com. 2005-11-13. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ Bonilla, Rachel (August, 2007). "The Suite Life". Bark Magazine, p. 59-62.
- ^ May, Meredith (June 17, 2007). "SF's Best Friend". San Francisco Chronicle, p. A8.
- ^ Nancy Davis Kho, Special to The Chronicle (2007-10-09). "Pets in America have $40 billion spent on them by doting owners". SFGate. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ Meredith May (2007-06-17). "S.F.'S BEST FRIEND / Where pooches outnumber kids, impassioned, doting owners and hounds dressed to the canines treat all days like dog days". SFGate. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ "Ritu Raj". Ability Success Growth. 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ "Corporations can increase productivity by bringing efficiency and collaboration to email communication | Management Innovation eXchange". Managementexchange.com. 2011-06-22. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ "OrchestratorMail - Bringing Structure and Clarity to Email Communication - Michael Sampson on Making Collaboration Work". Currents.michaelsampson.net. 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ "Spring Ventures". BuzzSparks.org. 2011-11-10. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ Joshua Brustein (March 29, 2013). "A Ride Home That's Not a Taxi, Maybe". New York Times. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
- ^ "New Sidecar App Turns Strangers' Cars Into Cabs - Digits - WSJ". Blogs.wsj.com. 2013-06-12. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ Farivar, Cyrus (2013-09-19). "California finally legalizes Lyft, SideCar, and other rideshare app firms". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ "Interview With Ritu Raj - Manage Goals With Objectiveli". Killerstartups.com. 2012-09-14. Retrieved 2013-10-02.