Born and raised in India, Vinita studied IT at IET DAVV. She later moved to the UK in January 2007 and secured a job at Goldman Sachs the month after. “Fast forward five years, I had my first baby, and I started reflecting on what I wanted to do next with my career,” Vinita said. And after some consideration, this is how Systango was founded.

What is Systango?

“At the heart of what we do, we are a digital transformation company,” explained Vinita. “We work with companies of different sizes, small to medium, largely startups, early-stage, and growth stage companies. We help them build their products as a technology partner and then help them shape their go to market strategy, build the infrastructure, and help them scale.”

Vinita didn’t originally plan on starting her own company, and the founding of it actually came about as a coincidence. “Starting Systango was kind of a coincidence. An ex-colleague from Goldman Sachs reached out to me and said that he wanted help to set up a team in India, so I helped him do that. However, what I realised, is that usually when companies outsource their work to India, they undermine the engineering skillset that developers have, and that’s largely because of how the team is usually grouped. There are a lot of soft skills that really differentiate one developer from another: their ability to question, put their opinion on the table, the ability to really understand what the product is trying to do. That’s what we really wanted to differentiate ourselves on.” 

Knowing what companies need and having those soft skills that enable a stronger team puts Systango at a competitive edge. “Our mission is that we want to become a boutique consultancy that’s large enough to be able to take projects of any size, and work hand-in-hand with the companies we work with to help them achieve their goals and mission.” 

Systango works with startups looking to disrupt, or large enterprises looking to innovate within their space. Working on a case-by-case basis, Systango crafts scalable and future-ready products for its clients that are tailored to their needs. 

Goldman Sachs to Systango

To many, the idea of leaving a stable corporate job in order to start a company is near crazy, but for Vinita it just made sense, and now it makes a good story to tell. 

Vinita explained the journey: “It was an interesting journey, especially because at the time I had an 18-month-old, and being in London, we had absolutely no family support, as they were all based in India. 

“I was also taking the risk of leaving a full-time paid job to be doing something that’s relatively unstable and wouldn’t pay much as much as they would.”

Vinita took a huge leap founding Systango and has experienced plenty of success, but it hasn’t always been the most glamorous option. 

“When you work in a corporate like Goldman Sachs, you get used to certain amenities and budgets that you have. You have all the luxuries of whatever you want, and when you end up in a startup, you realise that the life is not as charming as you thought it would be.”

Challenges so far 

When discussing Vinita’s journey, she identified three core challenges that she has faced so far. 

“The first one was that I always wanted to balance being a mum with my career aspirations. I wanted to make sure I was participating in my kids’ lives, their growing up, their journey, and their school. I think balancing that was difficult because I wanted to make sure I was spending time with my boys, but I always had to be making sure I was working with customers and the team.”

The second challenge for Vinita was her status as a woman in the technology field, which, unfortunately, is a very common occurrence in the industry. “I didn’t realise how big of a problem it is. When I was at Goldman Sachs there was awareness, and my managers were very supportive of me and gave me opportunities. Versus when I actually started my startup. I think there were a lot less women in tech, especially in senior positions. [I found that] people don't really take you as seriously as they would take a male founder. I think getting that level playing field was relatively difficult as a woman in tech.”

The third challenge that Vinita highlighted was: “Making sure that the cultures of the engineering team in India versus the customers in the UK actually bridges and works.”

Highlights of the journey so far

Having an experience-filled career means that Vinita has identified the best highlight of her entire career. Systango and the growth of the company is one of Vinita’s highlights of her entire career.

She said: “Being able to grow the company as far as we have been able to has been the highlight. I think a lot of people at my previous company doubted my decision to leave.

“Listing the company [on the National Stock Exchange of India] a couple of years ago and being on this journey of organic growth, where we’re looking to acquire companies, I think has been a game changer. I think listing the company gave me a lot of confidence and a lot of desire and inspiration to grow.”

Tech Innovator Award at the everywoman Entrepreneur Awards 2024

In December 2024, Vinita won the Tech Innovator Award category at the everywoman Entrepreneur Awards. “I really wasn’t expecting it,” Vinita beamed. “I think it was great. It is good to be in such programmes and get recognised, because another theory that I've always believed in is in creating role models. Programmes like these and awards like this positions you as a role model for the people that you're working with. It feels like proof of my credentials, and that I’m on the right path.”

Lessons learned

Vinita has learned plenty of lessons throughout her career. Sharing the lessons, she mentioned: “The biggest one has been to build a support system. Without a support system it’s very difficult for you to go out and take risks. Having a support system is so fundamental to growing and succeeding in what you do.”

Her second valuable lesson is: “Always aspire high. If you don’t aspire, you will never think about it, and you will never get it. I think it’s very easy for anybody to start settling and getting complacent and not reflecting on what they do. I believe in being a better version of yourself every day. Whenever I start my day, I always compare what I did yesterday and how I can improve on that. I think that’s very important for founders and entrepreneurs, as it allows you to reflect and grow.”

Encouraging more women in tech

Vinita has discussed her experience as a woman in tech and the struggles she has faced, especially as a woman in tech in a leadership position. As an advocate for the inclusivity and encouragement of women in tech, I asked her how she thinks the industry can encourage more women and girls to pursue the field.

“I’ve always said, and I keep repeating this message, even to my sons as well, a problem is half solved when you start becoming aware of it.

“In my opinion, a lot of work has been done in the last 10 years in building awareness around this issue. I think we have come relatively far from where we were ten years ago. Being aware of challenges that women might have in a tech workplace is very important.

“There should be this awareness, but we also have to start speaking up. We have to acknowledge and help the next generation build a career in tech.”

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