When seasoned professionals from corporate display a softer side that scores above all — Mrigank Tripathi #JeenaIsiKaNaamHain

I met him at the NASSCOM Emerge 50 Awards in the year 2009. Mrigank Tripathi represented Voice Tap Technologies which had reached the League of 10. The League of 10 was a big deal in those days. And Mrigank, being the face of the company did an astounding job keeping the audience in thrall. A meeting was organized with NASSCOM’s Leadership, and it was very fruitful. Mrigank was satisfied with the outcome and returned with thought-provoking ideas and a definitive direction.

After that, we were in touch for some time. Then I met him again after three years at a bootcamp in Mysore, organized by iSPIRT. I was working for iSPIRT, driven by passion which I shared with Indian software product companies.

One evening, along with a few others we connected socially, and it lasted till the wee hours. Mrigank is the archetypal Fauji kid, and his legacy defines who he is — highly disciplined, physically active, passionate about sports, and an outdoor person who is always up for a challenge. He was into his second startup, and we had a candid conversation on what was working, and what wasn’t. He would go on to run it for a few years and it did very well. Later, it was acquired by PeopleStrong.

He joined PeopleStrong in a senior position as Chief Growth Officer, India and MEA, and last year moved further up to be President, Growth. It was expected!

He has exemplary skills in sales and professionals like him are the ones who conduct Masterclass. At SaaSBoomi he is a mentor for participants of the SGx programme which is focused on supporting Indian SaaS startups, helping them to a path of steady growth. He is extremely committed to this programme, and one must see him in action to experience the passion he brings to the table. That’s how he spends his weekends.

There’s also mutual admiration. He highly regards my community-building capabilities as I do for his, in sales. There’s a reason why I’m bringing this up — it’s not vanity.

He hails from a UP town called Deoria. He wants me to do something for the community there and we often have these inspiring conversations. He is driven by an intrinsic quality, a need to help people. During COVID, he moved mountains to lend a helping hand — procuring vaccines and making arrangements to feed people (almost 100 daily) and it was exemplary. He is one of those fighters, who fought fearlessly when the world was locked inside. And he didn’t stop.

Today, he also runs a not-for-profit organization called Punyaproject.org, which feeds around 100 people daily. He nurtures big dreams for his native town, and I am sure he will make a huge difference to the community, there.

I have now known him for more than 15 years and have seen many sides of him. As an entrepreneur yes, as a fitness enthusiast, definitely, and there’s a humane side to him that scores above all. He is a multi-faceted man and plays every role with panache — a crack sales professional who manages global markets with aplomb. The same man who is obsessive about his company’s high growth, also serves people with humility. That’s his super-power — he can delink and wear the other hat when the need shifts.

There’s an incident that touched my heart. About a year back, at one of the parties, after some time, I started to feel rather unwell. He was there for me. He helped me to my room and stayed on for a few hours till I regained strength. That’s him! He can go to great lengths to help a fellow human being.

This helping nature is on full display during his mentoring sessions. He spends a lot of time with entrepreneurs who are struggling and gets down to working in detail, on how to come back into the growth trajectory. My admiration for him only grows with time.

More power to you Mrigank, please keep doing what you do best, and it’s been a privilege to have you as a friend.