Meet the veterans driving the
success of VCNow on a global scale.
VCNow is a team of telecom veterans innovators path finders who seeded and evangelized the concept of Video Conferencing & ExecutiveEducation in India. We are passionate about leveraging the power of Audio, Video & Conferencing and Executive Education Services to impact life in a positive manner. We proudly believe that Video is in Our DNA.
Meet Our Leadership Team
Darayus Mehta
Founder & DirectorA trailblazer with a profound love for technology, Darayus Mehta, an engineer by education, who envisions a world transformed through the seamless integration of telecommunications across diverse industries, domains and unchartered territories.
With a remarkable career spanning over 30 years, Darayus has delved into the realms of start-ups and blue-chip companies, leaving an indelible mark in the EdTech, Telecom, Enterprise Product Sales and Marketing, Web, and E-Commerce domains. His leadership at VCNow encompasses Sales and Marketing, Product Strategy, Technology and EdTech functions.
From a humble start in his career with Godrej & Boyce and later switching to Lintas, where he learned the ropes of managing Advertising, Brand and Marketing Communications to the Dotcom bug that bit the start-up industry in 1999, Darayus was exposed to a world of opportunities that Telecommunications would unleash. Guided by his belief that success is inevitable for those who know and passionately pursue what they seek , he recognized that this was only the beginning of a revolutionary era in communications.
Darayus spearheaded Enterprise Voice, Data and Video Collaboration Products during his tenure at Reliance Communications. As a founding member of the Reliance Webstores team, he played a pivotal role in deploying 220 Reliance World Video Conference Centers across 100 cities in India, forever changing the landscape of corporate communication.
In 2014, Darayus, along with 3 partners, laid the foundation for Unified Collaboration Services LLP (UCS) to continue the groundbreaking work initiated at Reliance Communications. Fueled by unwavering belief and vision, Darayus now leads this mission under the brand name VCNow as its Founder Director.
Today, VCNow caters to almost all verticals like Education, Hospitality, Medicine, Banking and Finance. By providing enterprise-grade AV solutions and services, Darayus and his team impact the day-to-day operations of professionals, driving transformation and ensuring equal access and opportunity for all.
Milind Akolkar
Founder & DirectorMilind is a seasoned finance professional and a Chartered Accountant (CA) by practice. He serves as the Founding Director of the VCNow team and is passionate about balancing profits while adding value through ethical practices and firm principles that positively impact all stakeholders.
Milind is a certified member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and has further completed his certification in Business and Corporate Laws from IIM Kolkata. Additionally, he holds a Valuation Program Certificate from the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA).
Commencing his journey as an articled clerk with a CA Firm in 1985, Milind mastered the business commercial and corporate finance management domains. This is evident from his extensive experiences with companies like Geoffrey Manners, Mahindra Ugine, and Reliance Communications, where he spearheaded the start-up of multiple divisions, overseeing growth and expansion.
Milind has consistently been involved in establishing new enterprises or divisions and ensuring efficient cost utilization and savings. With 30 years of rich experience, he has successfully managed the entire spectrum of Commercial and Financial functions, ranging from an MSME to a large financial conglomerate.
Considered an extremely valuable and dependable teammate by his colleagues at Reliance Communication, Milind played a pivotal role as one of the Founding Directors of Unified Collaborations Services LLP (VCNow). He oversees the commercial, legal, HR, administrative, and business support functions at VCNow.
Aligned with his founding partners, Milind shares a passion for technology that can transform the lives of stakeholders.
Suresh Sundaram
Founder & DirectorSuresh Sundaram is the Founder and Director of United Collaboration Services (UCS) LLP, bringing over 35 years of rich experience and leadership to the company. An accomplished senior corporate executive with expertise in FMCG, Telecom, and Retail, Suresh has successfully led large multidisciplinary teams, showcasing his leadership prowess in various functions such as Distribution, Retail Operations, Corporate Sales, Customer Service, and more.
One of his standout achievements lies in his early involvement in establishing the distribution channel for prepaid mobiles, contributing significantly to the growth of the telecom industry. His expertise also extends to setting up and managing expansive retail outlets across diverse geographies, playing a pivotal role in shaping the success of Video Conferencing services as a robust revenue stream for the region.
Suresh has a keen eye for operational excellence, evident in his successful implementation of Business Excellence Projects to improve operational metrics within a large circle. His journey in the Videoconferencing industry reflects a trailblazing spirit, from seeding the concept in retail to driving imaginative uses in corporate settings, such as interviews, town halls, review meetings, CME, virtual classrooms, and large events managed services.
In the Telecom space, Suresh has led customer service operations on a grand scale. What defines his remarkable three-decade tenure is the consistent delivery of excellence in execution, having successfully overseen large, complex projects in the retail domain within remarkably short timeframes.
His impact extends to his instrumental role in building the retail channel for UCS. Beyond his corporate endeavours, he is a seasoned EdTech professional, demonstrating the ability to conceive and roll out executive education programmes in collaboration with top institutes.
Pulak Pattanayak
Co-Founder & DirectorIn his role as the co-founder and director of VCNow, Pulak leverages over three decades of diverse industry experience. He has previously worked with prestigious organizations, accumulating extensive knowledge in telecommunications and professional education management. Pulak shares the unique vision and passion of the Founding Team towards telecommunications and leveraging the power of technology to connect people.
Pulak’s journey with VCNow began in 2014, alongside other founding members, as they continued the videoconferencing business under Unified Collaborations LLP. It was a natural progression of the team’s shared vision, fundamental in planning, project management and establishing the videoconferencing vertical on a pan-India level, which was one-of-a-kind when launched in 2000.
Leading the Executive Education vertical at VCNow, Pulak’s relationship-building, strategic thinking and leadership have been crucial in developing and successfully scaling up alliances with the country’s top-ranked IIMs and management institutions. Through continuous market research, he delved into a deeper understanding of industry needs, identifying an unaddressed requirement for lifelong learning, and upskilling between Corporate India, working professionals and management institutions.
Under his leadership, VCNow has emerged as a premium, high-quality and responsible Executive Education partner for the country’s top-ranked management institutions. Pulak, alongside other Founder Directors of VCNow, believes in the power of leveraging technology. Sharing a common mission and vision of a thriving Edtech company, they have opened doors to new markets, audiences and opportunities while contributing to long-term growth and sustainability.
Vipin Khanna
Founder & DirectorA key player in VCNow’s success story, Vipin Khanna brings invaluable expertise, visionary leadership and a wealth of experience to the team. Vipin’s career trajectory, spanning over 40 years, embodies a multifaceted entrepreneurial spirit, adaptability and a relentless pursuit of knowledge. Even after decades of success, his passion for learning led him to study emerging retail formats in European markets. Later, he completed a Retail Leadership Programme and an Advanced Programme in Strategic Management at IIM Calcutta.
After graduating in 1983, he joined his family’s retail business, mastering diverse areas such as sales, purchasing, design and accounts. This strong foundation primed him for his first entrepreneurial venture in 1989, where he established a company that exports niche leather goods, capitalizing on high margins and advanced machinery.
Never one to shy away from a challenge, Vipin co-founded another company in 1992. This venture focused on designing and manufacturing equipment for leather tanneries, utilizing innovative, long-lasting materials. This demonstrated his ability to identify unique market needs and translate them into successful business ventures.
In 2004, Vipin embraced another challenging and exciting role as Reliance Communication (R.Com.) franchisee partner, where he met the other founders of VCNow. Overcoming initial hurdles, he built a 10-year success story. Notably, he played a pivotal role in pioneering live surgeries and medical conferences via video conferencing, showcasing his forward-thinking leadership and willingness to adopt new technologies.
In 2014, Vipin joined the founding team of VCNow. He leveraged the experience gained at R.Com., where he represented both client requirements and acted as a service provider, offering impactful contributions to the company’s growth. His deep understanding of the industry enabled him to effectively train and develop the execution team, solidifying his reputation as a leader who builds resilient and successful teams.