A strategy practice, rebuilt for the AI era.

Stratessence started in 2009 as a startup advisory in New Delhi. The idea was small and specific: sit with founders, help them think clearly, and help them build. The tagline at the time was "change one startup at a time," and that was the actual unit of work, one company, one honest conversation, one plan that could be executed.

Over the years the work spread well beyond that first office. The practice has advised teams across India, the United States, and Asia-Pacific, from early-stage founders to established companies and the investors backing them. Different markets, the same job: help people think clearly and build.

The firm went quiet for a stretch as its founder went deeper into building software. That was the right call. The years since have been spent shipping products and working with engineering teams, which is exactly the experience AI strategy now demands.

We are reviving Stratessence because the gap in the market is obvious. Every company wants to use AI. Most of the advice they can buy comes either from firms that understand strategy but have never shipped a system, or from engineers who can build but do not think about the business. The work needs both, in the same room, in the same person where possible.

So the new Stratessence is AI-native by design. We help leadership teams set direction, help operating teams rebuild workflows around AI, stand in as fractional AI leadership, and help investors tell a real advantage from a wrapper. The brand is older than the technology. The posture is the same as it was in 2009.