How UpSquad Leverages Criya AI for Powering Their Growth

In this case study, the Criya AI team had the opportunity to sit down with Venki Mandapati, Co-founder of UpSquad, and Eric Branch, Director of Sales and Marketing at UpSquad. As early partners for the Criya platform, Venki and Eric provided valuable insights, delving into UpSquad's challenges, their reasons for partnering with Criya, the specific features they've found most valuable, and their goals for leveraging the platform to drive sales growth. As a fast-growing startup in the competitive tech industry, UpSquad's experiences offer a unique and valuable perspectives for other entrepreneurs looking to streamline their content creation process and better engage their target customers. The insights shared during this interview provide a glimpse into the powerful synergy between Criya AI and its innovative customers.

Meet Upsquad

Upsquad is on a mission to revolutionize the way communities connect, grow, and succeed. By offering a robust platform designed to facilitate meaningful networking and mentorship, Upsquad enables individuals and organizations to build thriving communities with ease. Whether it's connecting mentors with mentees, fostering peer-to-peer learning, or creating support networks, Upsquad provides the tools and resources necessary for lasting impact.

Founded by a passionate and experienced team, Upsquad is led by visionaries who understand the power of community. Their diverse backgrounds span technology, education, and social impact, bringing together a wealth of knowledge and a shared commitment to driving change. With a deep belief in the potential of every individual, the Upsquad team is dedicated to breaking down barriers and creating opportunities for all.

Finding product market fit

As a fast-growing startup in the highly competitive tech industry, the team at UpSquad was constantly pivoting and finding new ways to effectively reach and engage their target customers. With a small marketing team stretched thin, they struggled to create the high-quality sales and marketing content needed to make a strong impression and stand out in a crowded market.

"We're startup founders and team members, and it only gets crazier - we're always pivoting and finding the next thing," said Venki Dutta, Co-founder of UpSquad.

"It takes a lot of time and effort to build content that we know we'll actually use, because we don't want to just create something that we'll abandon in a few weeks."

Enter Criya

That's when UpSquad discovered Criya AI, an innovative platform that empowers companies to create stunning, customer-ready sales and marketing content in minutes. Venki and his colleague Eric Branch, Director of Sales and Marketing at UpSquad, were immediately drawn to Criya's ability to streamline their content creation process and deliver a polished, branded experience for their prospects.

"We partnered with Criya as design partners because we saw great value in what the platform had evolved into over the past couple of years," Venki explained. "As startup founders, we're all in it together, and we wanted to see if there was anything we could do to support other entrepreneurs like ourselves and help them succeed."

One of the key features that UpSquad has leveraged is Criya's ability to create personalized, interactive sales decks.
"We love that we can embed our existing decks into Criya and easily customize them for different prospects," said Eric.

"It saves us so much time and ensures a consistent, branded experience, which is crucial when you're trying to make a strong impression."

The team also appreciates Criya's robust analytics, which allow them to track engagement and identify their most effective content.

"Being able to see who's opening our materials and how they're interacting with them is invaluable," Venki noted.

"It helps us refine our messaging and better understand what resonates with our target customers, which is especially important for a startup like ours that's constantly evolving."

In addition to the sales deck functionality, UpSquad has also leveraged Criya for creating one-pagers and other marketing collateral to support their prospecting efforts.

"We recently created some new one-pagers to highlight our updated narratives and ICP [Ideal Customer Profile] focus areas," Venki said. "Being able to easily build and publish those assets in Criya has been a huge time-saver for us."

Looking Ahead

Looking ahead, UpSquad is excited to explore Criya's upcoming features, including the ability to create personalized LinkedIn outreach campaigns and integrate with their CRM.

"The team at Criya has been incredible in terms of supporting us and keeping us in the loop on new developments," Eric said.

"We're confident that Criya will continue to be a powerful tool in our sales and marketing arsenal as we scale our business."

For startups like UpSquad, Criya AI has proven to be a game-changer, enabling them to create high-impact content quickly and efficiently without sacrificing quality or brand consistency. "Criya has been a valuable resource for us, and we're excited to see what else we can accomplish together," Venki concluded.

Deb Dutta, a leader at Criya, has been instrumental in supporting UpSquad's journey. "Venki and Eric have been amazing design partners for us," she said. "Their feedback and insights have been invaluable in helping us shape the Criya platform to better serve the needs of fast-growing startups like theirs."

Conclusion

The partnership between UpSquad and Criya AI is a testament to the power of collaboration and the shared mission of empowering entrepreneurs to succeed. By leveraging Criya's innovative content creation tools, UpSquad has been able to streamline their sales and marketing efforts, freeing up time and resources to focus on other critical aspects of their business.

As UpSquad continues to scale, they're confident that Criya will remain a crucial part of their growth strategy. "We're excited to see what else we can accomplish together with Criya," Venki said. "This partnership has been a game-changer for us, and we're grateful to have found a tool that aligns so well with the needs of startups".