Ritu Raj

Not to be confused with Cricket player Rituraj Singh.
For the actor, see Rituraj Singh (actor).
Ritu Raj
Ritu Raj
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

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

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

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

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 2011-2012, 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][28]

References

  1. ↑ Doley, Kunal (February 8, 2008). "Owners not allowed in doggie hotel". Mail Today, p. 16-17.
  2. 1 2 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.
  3. ↑ Rogers, Amy. "Avasta Not ASP, But Outsourcer". Crn.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  4. ↑ "Chapter 2 Launches ASP Hosting Service - InternetNews". InternetNews. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  5. ↑ "Chapter 2 Raises $9.5 Million - InternetNews". InternetNews. 2000-07-06. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  6. ↑ Rohde, David (2000-07-18). "'Chapter 2' hosting is for ASPs, start-up says". Networkworld.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  7. ↑ Edward Cone (2001-02-12). "Same Game, New Name". Eweek.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  8. ↑ "Chapter 2 Becomes Avasta - InternetNews". InternetNews. 2001-02-12. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  9. ↑ "Avasta, Inc. - Company Profile by Insideview". Insideview.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  10. ↑ "Wag Hotels sniffs out Oakland location - San Francisco Business Times". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  11. ↑ "Luxury hotel caters to pampered pets - Houston Chronicle". Chron.com. 2007-05-10. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  12. ↑ May 11, 2007, 5 a.m. EST. "New Dog Hotel Opens in San Francisco". Dogchannel.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  13. 1 2 "Bay Area is next frontier for West Sacramento-based Wag Hotels - Sacramento Business Journal". Bizjournals.com. 2007-01-28. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  14. 1 2 "Interview with Objectiveli founder and CEO Ritu Raj". DoesWhat. 2012-10-09. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  15. ↑ "For lapdogs of luxury - Sacramento Business Journal". Bizjournals.com. 2005-11-13. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  16. ↑ Bonilla, Rachel (August, 2007). "The Suite Life". Bark Magazine, p. 59-62.
  17. ↑ May, Meredith (June 17, 2007). "SF's Best Friend". San Francisco Chronicle, p. A8.
  18. ↑ 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.
  19. ↑ 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.
  20. ↑ "Ritu Raj". Ability Success Growth. 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  21. ↑ "Corporations can increase productivity by bringing efficiency and collaboration to email communication | Management Innovation eXchange". Managementexchange.com. 2011-06-22. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  22. ↑ "OrchestratorMail - Bringing Structure and Clarity to Email Communication - Michael Sampson on Making Collaboration Work". Currents.michaelsampson.net. 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  23. ↑ "Spring Ventures". BuzzSparks.org. 2011-11-10. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  24. ↑ Joshua Brustein (March 29, 2013). "A Ride Home That's Not a Taxi, Maybe". New York Times. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  25. ↑ Jun 12, 2013 (2013-06-12). "New Sidecar App Turns Strangers' Cars Into Cabs - Digits - WSJ". Blogs.wsj.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  26. ↑ Farivar, Cyrus (2013-09-19). "California finally legalizes Lyft, SideCar, and other rideshare app firms". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  27. ↑ "Objectiveli.com | CrunchBase Profile". Crunchbase.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  28. ↑ "Interview With Ritu Raj - Manage Goals With Objectiveli". Killerstartups.com. 2012-09-14. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
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