Ashwin Seshadri / Acyuta Consulting
Get important work moving.
Build the operations to keep it moving.
I work with founders and business leaders when important initiatives have stalled, operational problems keep returning, or growth is stretching the way the business runs. I find what is holding progress back and help your team make the changes needed to move forward.
20+ years in programs and operations
Freshworks · SunEdison · Illumine Industries
Prefer email? Tell me what needs attention.
asmr@acyutaconsulting.com
What needs to move forward?
An important initiative has stalled.
There is a plan. People are working. The finish line keeps moving.
I establish why progress has stalled, bring unresolved decisions and dependencies into the open, and work with the teams involved to reset the route to completion.
What you gainAn execution plan with realistic commitments, clear ownership and the decisions needed to restore progress.
Example: a stalled initiative brought into operation →The same problem keeps returning.
Each fix buys some time. Then the rework and escalations start again.
I trace the problem through the work itself: how information arrives, who makes decisions and where handoffs break down. From there, I recommend changes to the operating model and help put them into practice.
What you gainChanges to everyday operations that reduce rework and recurring escalations, with clear ownership to keep the problem resolved.
Example: recurring reporting effort reduced →The business has outgrown how it runs.
The business has grown, but decisions and coordination still depend on the same few people.
I assess where the current operating model is limiting the next stage of growth, then recommend changes to address those constraints. Depending on the gaps, this may involve designing a new function, revising decision rights and governance, or strengthening planning and performance management.
What you gainAn operating model design and implementation roadmap for leadership approval, with proposed decision rights, governance mechanisms, performance measures and capability requirements.
Example: operations through fourfold growth →Selected work
Work I have helped move forward.
Selected work across founder advisory, business operations and complex initiatives.
Acyuta / Software founder advisory
From a working prototype to a first annual licence order.
- Starting point. A working prototype, no customers and a founder pursuing prospects through his network.
- My contribution. Shaped product messaging, marketing materials and pricing structure. Advised on objections, feature requests and customer stakeholders. Drafted customer communications and prepared the master services agreement (MSA) and statement of work (SOW).
- Working relationship. Ongoing advice and practical support through the pilot and commercial discussions. The founder led the customer relationship.
The customer signed the MSA and SOW with minimal changes.
Operating experience before Acyuta
Selected work from leadership and operations roles across SaaS, renewable energy and semiconductors.
Freshworks / Freshservice
Building the operating backbone through fourfold growth.
Planning, reporting and coordination depended on fragmented processes and individual follow-up. I owned annual planning, OKRs and review cadences, and co-developed business reporting with my Freshdesk counterpart.
I also established Product Operations and Field Product Management to connect customer needs with roadmap decisions. These systems supported the business as revenue and headcount grew roughly fourfold.
Illumine Industries
A stalled initiative reached operational readiness in three months.
Took over an e-commerce initiative stalled for over a year. Established manufacturer selection, SKU requirements, cost structures, online ordering and US fulfillment.
MEMC / SunEdison Semiconductor
Product transfers and qualifications supported a new fab’s production ramp.
I managed transfers and customer qualifications for 100+ products from five fabs. I covered production control and accelerated qualification sample shipments, supporting the new fab’s production ramp.
SunEdison
Consolidated contract oversight improved budget visibility and negotiating leverage.
I established a single point of contact across a multimillion-dollar portfolio of provider contracts, improving visibility on budgets, issues and performance escalations. Consolidated negotiations replaced piecemeal discussions and created economy-of-scale leverage.
How I work
Know what needs to change. Make it workable.
A stalled initiative may need a difficult decision before it needs a new plan. A recurring failure may start several steps before it becomes visible. I examine the work closely enough to tell the difference.
A diagnosis you can act on.
I test the stated problem against operating evidence and the experience of people doing the work. You get a clear account of the cause, its consequences and the questions still to resolve.
The trade-offs made explicit.
I bring priorities, capacity and dependencies into the same discussion. You can see which decisions are needed and what must change in scope, resources or commitments.
A practical change to how work gets done.
The response may be a checklist, revised decision authority, better metrics or a new function. Each recommendation sets out what it requires from the business and who will carry it forward.
A way to judge whether it worked.
We define the measures of success and ongoing ownership. For implementation engagements, I work with your team to test the change, review the results and adjust it.
About Ashwin
Twenty years of making complex work happen.
I founded Acyuta after more than twenty years in semiconductors, renewable energy and SaaS. My work has included product transfers, business planning, new functions and stalled initiatives that needed someone to bring the pieces together.
I am used to working across functions where people see different parts of the problem and have competing commitments. I get close to the details, challenge assumptions and work through the difficult conversations needed to reach a decision people can carry out.
PMP · Operational Excellence Black Belt
View my LinkedIn profileFrom a former manager
“Outside of all this, Ashwin was also a mature, high EQ contributor who became a sounding board for me on several key decisions in our journey to be a scaled, high-growth business at Freshworks.”
Excerpt from his LinkedIn recommendation
Work with Acyuta
Bring me in for the work ahead.
You can engage me for a defined problem or work with me over time as priorities evolve and initiatives progress.
Resolve a defined problem
For a recurring operational issue, a stalled initiative or a decision that needs a closer look.
- A focused assessment of what is happening and why.
- Recommendations, priorities and a practical plan of action.
- Hands-on implementation support when the assignment calls for it.
Scoped assessment or project
Ongoing advice for the work in motion
For founders and leaders who need an experienced thinking partner as the situation develops.
- Work through decisions, competing priorities and emerging problems.
- Review progress and challenge assumptions before they become expensive.
- Practical support with the materials and conversations needed to move forward.
Advisory engagement
Next steps
What needs to work better in your business?
Book a free 30-minute conversation. Tell me what is happening, what you have tried and what needs to change. We can work out where I can help.
You receive a clear scope and fee before committing to an engagement.