NEW ORLEANS – Entrepreneur Amith Nagarajan has changed the name of his family of technology companies from Association Success Corporation to Blue Cypress to more accurately reflect the variety of his customers.
A veteran of the association world, Nagarajan has broadened his focus to include – well, just about everyone.
“Thanks to our new branding, we can now expand our reach to help all purpose-driven organizations expand their impact for good by giving them the resources they need to scale to a whole new level,” he said. “That includes associations, not-for-profit groups, public sector entities and for-profits.”
Nagarajan founded Aptify – which provides software solutions for large organizations, associations, nonprofits and other groups – in 1993 when he was still in college. In 2017, he sold the company to Community Brands, a big player in that world.
Since then, he has focused on several other ventures, including AssociationSuccess.org, which provides resources to help grow organizations; CIMATRI, provider of technology consulting services; PROPEL, home of business coaches and advisory teams; Tasio, which uses machine learning techniques to uncover deep patterns in member behavior; and rasa.io, which uses AI to personalize email newsletters.
In all, Nagarajan has created or invested in about 10 companies and he expects that number to nearly double in 2021. Though many are headquartered far from New Orleans, Nagarajan himself has lived here for the last decade. He’s been active in the local entrepreneurial community and is always on the lookout for new talent. He employs about 20 New Orleanians, although all have been working remotely during the pandemic and some may be currently working from other locations.
So what’s the inspiration for the name “Blue Cypress”?
Nagarajan said the new brand underscores the importance of doing good over a long period of time rather than just trying to make a buck in the short term.
“We are believers in an evergreen philosophy of business,” said Nagarajan. “That means a business is purpose driven with a multi-decade perspective of what constitutes a success. We wanted a name that would reflect that so we said, ‘Well, what are some of the evergreen species?’ And, of course, cypress is one.”
Nagarajan said the “blue” in the new name is a reference to two different schools of thought that inspire him.
“Blue sky thinking refers to thinking big picture and being creative,” he said. “And blue ocean strategy is a concept from a popular book: a red ocean has tons of competitors all eating each other and the blue ocean has lots of space where you’re looking for opportunities to create rather than destroy, looking for ways to find new kinds of value and innovation.”
Though all Blue Cypress companies provide different services, they share an objective.
“We help leaders achieve greater long-term success, unlock their potential, and break down barriers in order to grow for the long term,” said Nagarajan. “Our core purpose is to serve purpose-driven leaders, helping them crush their goals and maximize impact.”
Learn more at BlueCypress.io.
