About Roottuja
Who am I?Operating at the intersection of commercial rigor and behavioral insight, I translate ambiguous, high-stakes mandates into scalable GTM roadmaps and high-velocity execution.
3
markets lived & worked in
4
disciplines I converge
0→1→10
marketing functions built
Across B2B and B2C SaaS, I build marketing engines from the ground up, define emerging categories, and steer cross-functional teams through complex, zero-to-one launches.
Having operated across the US, India, and the UAE, that global lens defines my leadership: I listen before deciding, adapt before imposing, and align technical, clinical, and commercial stakeholders around a single narrative.
For me, operational rigor isn't a tagline—it is a default. I lead with user empathy, strategic ownership, and a high bar for excellence.
Global footprint
- 🗽🧬📈
Graduate school in Washington D.C., east-coast biotech labs, and the first taste of American go-to-market rigour.
- Biotech research
- Transaction advisory
- US buyer psychology
- 🪷🚀🛕
Mumbai as home base — building teams, launching D2C and B2B products, and founding across a market that rewards speed and frugality.
- 0→1 marketing functions
- 15 product launches
- Team of 15 + 6 agencies
- 🕌🐪🤝
Gulf market entry work — relationship-first selling, localization, and partnership building across Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
- Market entry plans
- Localization
- Partner GTM
How I think
Convergence zone
- 🧪Applied Sciences
- ⚙️Technology
- 📊Management
- ✏️Design Thinking
Milestones
Leadership journey
- 🧬
2013 — 2016
Science & Business Foundation
Stony Brook · Georgetown · SP Jain
Molecular biology at Stony Brook, where I also served as a research assistant and teaching assistant, an M.S. in Biotechnology focused on bio-business and bioscience management at Georgetown, and executive education in design thinking and innovation from SP Jain — the science-plus-commerce lens that started it all.
- 🏅
2015
Roche Diagnostics Intern Award
Roche Diagnostics
Digital marketing analytics internship at Roche's headquarters — recognized with the Roche Intern Award for 2015.
- 📊
2015 — 2019
Transaction Strategy & Advisory
Focus Investment Banking · Capital Fortunes · Alira Health
Strategy and advisory across life sciences — diligence, market sizing, and growth theses for healthcare businesses.
- 🤝
2019 — 2020
Partnerships & Impact Strategy
Wellthy Therapeutics
Partnerships, business development, and impact strategy for a digital therapeutics platform — learning how regulated products reach patients and payers.
- 🚀
2020 — 2022
Product & Category Leadership
LifeCell International
Launched 15 at-home diagnostics products, rebuilt the ecommerce experience, and unlocked a $20M+ revenue opportunity.
- 📈
2022 — 2025
Director of Marketing, Brand & Content
Octalsoft · Techment
Built the marketing function from zero: 15-member team, 6 agencies, Gen AI and data service-line GTM, and an inbound engine driving 70% organic growth.
- 🪷
2023 — 2024
Founder
Founded a spiritual and mental health tech startup — owned product vision, roadmap, and the end-to-end experience from discovery to retention.
- ✨
2025 — now
Independent Advisory
Independent Advisory
Investor advisory, fundraise support, fractional CMO, and go-to-market systems for founders and growth-stage teams.
How I work
Operating principles
- 01User-first & growth mindset
- 02Robust ownership mentality
- 03Unwavering work ethic
- 04Intercultural outlook
- 05Calculated risk-taking
- 06Relentless pursuit of excellence
Foundations
Education
Hover for detail
Leadership competencies
- Decisive under pressure.
- Clear north star.
- Where teams thrive.
- Trust across stakeholders.
- Outcomes over activity.
- Fluent across markets.
- Navigates complexity.
- Sees the whole board.
- Grows people genuinely.
- Ships with autonomy.
- Aligns across functions.
- Pivots fast.
- High impact always.
- Calm under pressure.
- Finds the path.
- Opens new ground.
- Creative, structured.
- User-first always.
Personal
Good to know
- LanguagesEnglish, Hindi and Marathi
- MarketsStudied and worked across the US, India and UAE
- VeganPlant-based by choice, every day
- Favorite citiesBrussels and Varanasi
Hobbies
- Theater
- Documentary filmmaking
- Street photography
- Oil painting
- Home decor
What I'm passionate about
- Mental health advocacyChampioning access to compassionate, evidence-based mental health support and destigmatizing the conversation around wellbeing.
- Holistic wellnessAn everyday practice of integrating physical, mental, and spiritual health into how I work and lead.
Volunteering & community
- NGO work with survivors & migrant workersVolunteered with NGOs supporting domestic violence survivors and migrant workers — livelihood pathways, placement support, and confidence building.
- Learning manuals for blue-collar workersHelped develop soft-skills and technical learning manuals used to upskill blue-collar workers across multiple languages.
- Community mobilisationCoordinated volunteer cohorts across cities to run training drives and on-ground outreach programmes.
Certifications
CredentialsSelect certifications
Product Strategy, Discovery, Experimentation & PLGProduct SchoolOngoing
Agile Project ManagementAtlassianOngoing
Generative AI for Marketing ProfessionalsAmerican Marketing AssociationSep 2025
HubSpot Marketing CertificationHubSpot AcademyMay 2023
SaaS B2B Growth Mentorship ProgramGrowth School, Bangalore, IndiaMay 2022
Tableau & Salesforce Advanced TrainingRoche Diagnostics, Indianapolis, USAMay 2015