Thiyagarajan Maruthavanan (Rajan)

Thiyagarajan Maruthavanan, also known as Rajan, is a highly experienced professional who has spent over a decade aiding early-stage startups in transitioning from zero to one by identifying their product-market fit.

With a portfolio boasting more than 120 pre-seed investments in SaaS startups facilitated through Upekkha, Rajan has demonstrated a keen eye for innovative ventures.

Over the past 8 years, he has played a pivotal role in guiding numerous founders through M&A processes, particularly in the realms of DeepTech and B2B SaaS, showcasing his strategic acumen and business expertise.

His tenure at Intuit saw Rajan hold various significant roles, including as an Operator and Head of Product for Quickbooks Global outside of the US, where he spearheaded the India GST strategy and managed iCombinator, an accelerator program within Intuit.

Rajan has also organized two prominent conferences, namely SaaSx held in Chennai from 2014 to 2016 and StartupBridgeIndia at Stanford from 2016 to 2019, further solidifying his position as a thought leader and connector within the startup ecosystem.

As a Co-founder and CTO of a computer vision startup predating the deep learning era, he led the development of a SIFT vector-based visual search engine compatible with Nokia phones, highlighting his technical prowess and innovative mindset.

With a background encompassing SaaS, Strategy, Product Management, Marketing, Branding, and Computer Vision, Rajan brings a holistic skill set and diverse experience to the table.

Educationally, he pursued his B.Tech in Computer Science from the prestigious International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIITH), laying a solid foundation for his career.

Having been associated with notable organizations such as Coolwater Capital, Labellerr, Upekkha, Startup Bridge, and Intuit in various leadership and founding roles, Rajan's professional journey reflects a rich tapestry of expertise and accomplishments.