TESTIMONIALS
Organizations we work with
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Ara Mahdessian
Co-Founder & CEO, ServiceTitan
“The Upbuild team has become a critical, trusted partner and advisor to me, my co-founder, and my team. They have helped us discover truths behind our motivations, the underlying drivers of our behaviors, and the cascading productive and unproductive impact those behaviors have on our team and our company at large. They are brilliant, thoughtful, inspiring, and enlightening – and they care deeply about us and our professional and personal success. We are very grateful that they continue to help us become an even more cohesive, effective, and efficient leadership team that is able to lead ServiceTitan to create an even greater impact on this world.”
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Jason Beverage
Managing Director, Two Sigma
“My main goal in working with a coach was to improve my effectiveness as a leader. What I did not fully realize was that the path of self-discovery with Vipin would not only impact me professionally but also meaningfully increase my sense of purpose and overall happiness. Vipin has a natural way of guiding self-exploration, blending thought-provoking questions and non-judgemental observations that unearth extraordinary insight. It is particularly gratifying to finish a session with a deeper understanding of yourself and then to use that knowledge to make tangible improvement.“
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Casey Gibbons
Co-founder/CEO, Newco
“I started working with Upbuild five years ago, focusing at first on 1:1 coaching to help me manage the ups and downs of growing a business. In the time since, my experience with Upbuild has deepened – their workshops, courses, and community have changed my life. From providing an understanding of my fears and motivations through the Enneagram framework to offering knowledge and guidance for my own spiritual journey, I am grateful beyond words for Upbuild’s wisdom, grace, and service. I hope to be part of the Upbuild community for many years to come.”
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Chris Blackburn
CEO, Liatrio
“The Upbuild team has been a huge benefit through the growth of Liatrio from 6 employees to almost 50. I was referred to Upbuild when looking for help to grow a new leader and executive on my team. While working with my exec, Vipin quickly expanded into a close coach and advisor to myself, a first-time founder and CEO, as well as numerous folks on my team. Having an outside support system with Upbuild has been truly invaluable in our growth.”
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Scott Plate
Actor, Director, Educator
“Upbuild workshops foster human community in a time when meaningful connection with our fellow beings is vital. All gatherings, whether in person or online, are rooted in a culture of openhearted sincerity, communal respect, and diligent practice. The Upbuild team uses the raw material our workaday world offers us and makes it sacred. They know that our daily lives and circumstances are reliable road maps to and through what happens inside each one of us. I have been changed by my affiliation with Upbuild, and have grown to see more clearly what I intrinsically am.”
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Pragya Thakur
Director, Strategic Media LLC
“My spiritual journey shows distinct pre-Upbuild and post-Upbuild segments. The care, compassion, and deep understanding with which the Enneagram 101 workshop was led by Hari Prasada, Rasanath, Vipin, and Michael compelled me to be a part of the subsequent Call to Awaken workshops. My understanding of the Bhagavad Gita is now deepened and simultaneously challenged on a weekly basis under the expert Socratic style of inquiry, discourse, and guidance with a team whose dedication to the path of self-realization is so hearteningly obvious!”
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Noah Isaacs
Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Bowery Valuation
“Management coaching is arguably the highest leverage investment any company can make. It also means that the coaches you pick will have multiplicative effects on you and your company, which is why we feel so incredibly fortunate to have found Upbuild. Upbuild has been immensely helpful in not only building trust within our senior leadership but also serving as a sounding board and point of support as we work through the most uncertain of times, providing a toolkit for our leadership team to navigate the ever-changing and challenging landscape of running a company. From the beginning, we’ve made it a point to surround ourselves with good, thoughtful, and decent people, and you’d be hard-pressed to find better people than the team at Upbuild - they have our deepest respect.”
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Viji
Independent Consultant
“If you're seeking more insight into yourself or support on your personal growth journey, the team at Upbuild are masters at both. They are experts on the Enneagram, a powerful tool that helps us understand why we do what we do and the underlying fears and desires that drive us. Beyond their content expertise, what makes Upbuild special is that they are amongst the most caring and dedicated professionals you'll meet. Their big hearts, unparalleled commitment and genuine desire to serve make them wonderful thought partners and guides to help navigate the world around as our most authentic selves.”
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Beverly Shortt
AVP Sales and Education Development, L'Oreal
“Working with Upbuild started with my journey to understand myself and others on a deeper level so that I could be a better leader. Little did I know how deep that journey would take me! Learning about the underlying motivations and fears through the Enneagram types has strengthened my relationships both personally and professionally. Being part of the Upbuild community has brought a sense of belonging and acceptance that is lacking in the world around us. But most important, the information and tools I’ve learned in seminars and coaching has helped me to find a sense of peace within myself and a stronger spiritual connection.”
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Kumar Sundaram
Managing Director, Goldman Sachs
“I have had a life changing experience with Upbuild and with Michael as my coach. During the course of the coaching, I've achieved challenging career objectives, improved my personal and professional relationships, and found greater balance in my life. As a coach, Michael never claimed to have all the answers, but he knew exactly where I would find them, always giving me a little nudge to seek the answers within. I am more confident and fulfilled today as a result of the coaching. Michael is empathetic, patient, down to earth and a true professional. He is genuinely invested in helping his clients define priorities and articulate inspiring future versions of themselves, and he provides the right amount of challenge to help one actually achieve these goals.”
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Parastou Marashi
Design, Communication, Technology Consultant
“Hari Prasada is a coach who truly practices what he preaches with sincerity, beauty, and authenticity. He has a heart of shining light, is a compassionate listener, and a pleasure to be around. It's been a conversational journey of uplifting consciousness and deepening awareness. He helped me structure my busy thoughts - in one of the most difficult times of my life - and focus my energy into profound presence and crystal clear vision. He pushed me to determine practical ways I’ll carry out my vision and to prioritize my values for a life of freedom. He taught me to anticipate obstacles before they arise so I’m equipped to deal with whatever comes. I’m now extremely dedicated to the vital personal practices we co-created and to giving in service, rooted in my deepest sense of purpose.”
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Lindsey Adelman
Founder & CEO Lindsey Adelman Studio
“The team at Upbuild have helped me and my company in ways we could not achieve on our own. We were getting stuck in some areas of interpersonal communication. They brought the perfect balance of business know-how and mindful therapy. Some of the blockages at work can be traced back to behavior we learned to survive since we can remember. Even if you and your colleagues try not to let things “get personal,” these tendencies and unconscious reactions can get in the way professionally. Through our work together, I have seen profound shifts amongst my team and in what we can accomplish together. Sharing the opportunity for personal growth for yourself and your employees is a gift that goes way beyond the job.”
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Raphael Ouzan
Technologist, entrepreneur, and investor, A.Team
“When I had the chance to meet with Hari I realized that sessions with Upbuild, both coaching and workshops, would be some of my most valuable time of the week. Thanks to their poignant questions and practical framework, I've had the chance to trim through the noise to focus on the high leverage questions that define thoughts, actions and relationships. I've since left that VC fund to found my new company and immediately told the team as soon as we're able to afford anything at all more than making our internal hires, we must host a workshop with Upbuild and get regular coaching from them. This work has meaningfully improved my daily habits, the way I hire people, the way I interact with my family and the way I train and manage my teams.”
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Arjun Srinivas
Derivatives Trader and MBA / MS at The University of Chicago
“I had always been interested in spirituality but never found the right place to study it until I found Upbuild. Their spiritual courses teach often confusing and esoteric concepts in a manner that is distinctly modern, highly approachable, and unbelievably sincere. The principles taught are also philosophically rich and will open up a world of life-changing spiritual exploration. No matter your faith or where you are in your spiritual path, Upbuild can help you better define your personal identity, make sense of the world, and connect with others on your journey. I love the team, courses, and community and couldn’t recommend them more.”
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Evan Frank
CEO, Context Travel
“Vipin has served as indispensable emotional and practical support for me and my organization. His support has extended beyond CEO coaching, to coaching other members of our leadership team, helping us define our core values & mission, and teaching the Enneagram framework. What's so rare about Vipin's approach is his ability to fuse the softer aspects of leadership with the battle-hardened experience of being a founder & CEO himself - setting objectives, managing a board of directors, raising capital. This combination has made him entirely indispensable on my CEO journey. I consider Vipin a friend and a close insider in my life - a 'first phone call' when I need support. I hope to continue working with him for years to come.”
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Rich Runyeon
Vice President, Goldman Sachs
“The Upbuild Enneagram workshop was an enlightening journey of self-discovery about who I am. It was also an unexpected journey through all of the other personality types. This workshop leaves you with the objective tools required to put yourself in someone else’s shoes.”
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Paul Towne
Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships & Alliances, CARE USA
“I’ve attended more than a dozen team retreats and the Upbuild visioning offsite really stood out for its simple, profound approach and practical, tangible outcomes – not to mention the exceptional facilitation style, which was both motivating and calming.”
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Joanna Ehrenreich
Marketing Associate at Blue Apron
“The Upbuild personal development workshops have been a really strong prompt toward self-discovery for me. The team is made up of the most empathetic, unconditionally accepting people I have met. These programs give me a great framework for examining my personality and emotions and assessing their cause and impact in my life. I'm much better outfitted to engage, not only with others, but even with myself, in a healthy and empathetic way.”
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Jessica Lawrence
Executive Director at NY Tech Meetup
“We are being asked more and more frequently to forget that we and those with whom we work are human. This is one of the reasons the work of Upbuild is so essential. It has given me a new language with which I can describe how I experience the world. It has helped me to feel connected to a tribe of people who experience the world in a similar way and who have many of the same struggles. It has also helped me increase my appreciation for the value that each different lens brings to the world. I had an amazing experience with Upbuild and I would recommend it to anyone.”
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Julie B. Lang
Clinical Professor of Management, Tuck School of Business Dartmouth
“What the Upbuild team has added to our students’ experience is real. Through a series of training workshops for our leadership coaches and an inspiring keynote to the entire first-year class, what they have given us has helped us to inspire, to model vulnerability, to speak the truth, and to articulate the reasons why it is valuable to do the hard work. Upbuild’s work with us has enabled us to be catalysts in making our student leaders more of who they want to be – authentic, good listeners, compassionate leaders, empathetic managers, and leaders who go beyond smart to inspire others.”
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Ravi Kalaga
Director at PwC Advisory, Co-Founder at Liatrio
"Upbuild became a part of our firm’s journey when close bonds were getting strained during the initial scaling phase. After working with the Upbuild team for three years, our firm's trajectory and team's relationships have never been better. Upbuild works at meeting everyone where they are and tailoring solutions to every situation. Having a personal coach is like having your best friend shine a mirror at you at all times to allow you to see the blind spots that are hard to see on your own. The Upbuild team firmly and kindly holds you accountable to outcomes and always cheers you on to be the best version of your unique self without trying to change you. They are a fantastic support system to lean on to make this journey a little easier.”
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Cyrus Shahabi
Chief of Staff at Lafayette RE LLC
When we started working with Upbuild, our firm had been in existence for ten years, and a culture had already been formed. But we wanted to really understand it, define it, strengthen it and leverage it. I couldn't hope for a better team than Upbuild to guide us through this process. They took the time to truly understand us as a company and as people. They also guided us through the implementation phase to ensure that the work we had done together permeated across our organization and throughout time. Upbuild provided the right amount of hand-holding: they were generous with their guidance and experience, but also made sure we, as clients, held the pen, and the output was really internally driven from within our company.