This is as much my story as it is Ascent’s story.

It was mid-2008, and I had just begun my final year of Software Engineering when my cousin asked if I could build a website for his new commodities export business. I gladly agreed. It sounded like the perfect opportunity to put theory into practice and learn something real.

That one project turned out to be an early but powerful experience. From finding the right HTML and CSS themes to customising them, from editing photos to registering the domain name, from procuring shared hosting and email services to configuring everything end-to-end – I did it all. When the website went live, my cousin was thrilled with the result. I was too.

But the real turning point came when he decided to pay me for the work – even though I had done it just as a live project. At 21, I had earned my first income from offering technology services. That feeling was indescribable. And that’s when Ascent was conceived.

In the weeks that followed, my cousin referred me to his friends and business network. One project led to another, and soon, I was delivering websites faster and better each time. It was a small beginning, but it carried a big lesson – the satisfaction of creating something useful, and the joy of delivering value through technology.

By mid-2009, I joined Deloitte’s US-India Technology Consulting team, where I was introduced to the world of enterprise systems and how businesses leverage technology to scale efficiently. My time there was formative. I worked with exceptional professionals and mentors who shaped how I viewed technology – not just as a set of tools, but as a strategic enabler. Many of those mentors continue to guide me even today.

Between 2011 and 2013, I pursued my MBA while clearing two levels of the CFA program, and later joined Nomura in Equity Research. That year at Nomura helped sharpen my business and analytical thinking, but deep down, I knew my calling was in technology – specifically, in helping businesses use it more effectively.

When I returned to build Ascent full-time, most of our early projects were websites and eCommerce systems. Over time, we started taking on more complex and business-critical systems for start-ups – building the early versions of their technology infrastructure.

Those were exciting times. Between 2015 and 2018, the start-up ecosystem in India was booming. While many were busy mining for gold, we were happy selling shovels – helping them build the systems they needed to operate and grow.

But as those start-ups scaled, they often built their own internal tech teams. That meant we couldn’t continue adding value to them in the long run. We realised that while we had strong technology delivery capabilities, we were not yet offering the full spectrum of what businesses needed – especially in terms of Consulting and ongoing Solutions.

That realisation became a turning point.

In October 2018, during a visit to Dubai, I met Dr. Parimal Merchant – a conversation that changed the course of Ascent. Over six hours, we spoke about how family-managed businesses form the backbone of the mid-market segment in India and why they are so critical to the economy’s next phase of growth.

He encouraged us to focus on this segment – to bring our technology and consulting capabilities to businesses that were deeply entrepreneurial, operationally strong, but often constrained by legacy systems and fragmented processes.

That conversation gave Ascent a new purpose and a clear direction.

By January 2019, we had restructured our internal processes, strengthened our consulting framework, and built a team capable of serving mid-market family-managed businesses at scale.

Since then, there has been no looking back. Today, we work almost exclusively with mid-market enterprises in India and the UAE – helping them streamline operations, modernise technology, and build systems that support sustained growth.

We’ve grown alongside our clients, evolving from a technology service provider to a trusted partner for their Consulting, Technology, and Solutions needs.

Every phase of our journey – from building that first website to designing complex enterprise systems – has reinforced one belief: progress is not a destination, it’s a practice. We continue to approach each engagement with the same curiosity and energy we had on Day One. Because in a world where technology and business evolve every day, the real ascent never truly ends.