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IMAST Director Akash Joshi
In 2015, two colleagues, Akash Joshi and Ankur Pathak, who worked at Kirloskar Brothers Limited, a globally renowned organisation, decided to venture out on their own.
After working in the pump and consultancy industry for years, they had realized that it needed technological advancement… And it needed it fast.
The duo quit their comfortable jobs and decided to launch IMAST with one simple mission: to redefine customer loyalty and sales CRM (customer relationship management) solutions in the country.
Almost a decade later, the Indore-based startup has garnered 100+ clients and has become a leading technology partner of choice for some of India’s most renowned companies in the automotive, FMCG, retail, electrical, and manufacturing sectors.
Recently, the tech solutions startup’s flagship product, IMAST 360, received the title of Best Sales CRM and Loyalty Solution at the India Business Awards 2025. The event was organised by Blindwink, and the founders received the award from Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu.
FOUNDERS
Akash Joshi, hailing from a small town called Dewas in Madhya Pradesh, secured jobs in companies like Hindustan National Glass, Reliance Communications, and Kirloskar Brothers Limited.
It was at Kirloskar that Akash Joshi met Ankur Pathak. The young professionals shared a value system and aligned with each other.
“We were operating in the pump industry. I developed the country’s first Loyalty Program, especially made for pump retailers. Also, I innovated the first Sales Force Automation (SFA) solution in the pump industry. It went on to become a huge hit. It even got an international award,” startup founder Akash Joshi told Startup Pedia in an earlier interview.
Eventually, he decided to start something of his own in the domain of loyalty and sales CRM solutions in the country. Akash’s creativity was complemented by Ankur Pathak’s faith in the idea.
Together, they quit their jobs and started IMAST in 2016.
They began their operations out of a two-room office in Indore, went through days where meetings happened one after the other, and proposals were presented tirelessly. Initially, the startup began with just one client.
While Akash Joshi used his years of experience in the fields of sales, CRM, and loyalty solutions to design business strategies for IMAST, Ankur Pathak leveraged his operational expertise and project management discipline to uphold delivery standards and make the client journey seamless.
IN FOCUS: IMAST 360
Over the years, IMAST has garnered more than 100 clients across various sectors in the country.
In 2022, startup founders Akash Joshi and Ankur Pathak launched IMAST 360, a SaaS-based platform that streamlines the hiccups in supply chains for companies and organizations while enabling them to drive sales, reward loyalty, and manage data efficiently. This has become the startup’s flagship product.
Under IMAST 360, the Indore startup offers a plethora of tech solutions consisting of various modules like Distributor Management Systems (DMS), Sales Force Automation (SFA), Lead Management CRM, After-Sales Service Management, Loyalty Program Management, Inventory Management System, and Project Management System.
“We feel IMAST 360 became a huge success because of how client-centric we have designed the platform to be. Many platforms in the market simply offer plug-and-play solutions, but we’re known for offering customised deployments and 360-degree support,” entrepreneur Akash Joshi tells Startup Pedia in an exclusive interview.
Since its inception, IMAST 360 has helped 100+ leading brands across 18 Indian industries with end-to-end program implementation, user management, reward logistics, and real-time analytics.
BEST SALES CRM AND LOYALTY SOLUTION: INDIA BUSINESS AWARDS 2025
IMAST 360’s tangible contributions to scaling and advancing Indian companies’ sales and loyalty ecosystems have been recognised at the India Business Awards 2025.
Organised by Blindwink, the event celebrates entrepreneurship by gauging industry impact and levels of innovation. Akash Joshi emphasises that while multiple businesses across various sectors made their way to the event, IMAST 360 became a front-runner in the space of integrated CRM and loyalty management platforms.
After receiving the title of Best Sales CRM and Loyalty Solution at the India Business Awards 2025 from Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu, IMAST’s Akash Joshi and Ankur Pathak express gratitude for the acknowledgement and are positive that the tech solutions startup will drive more innovation in the coming years.
“This award is not just a win for IMAST but a celebration of every client who trusted our vision, every employee who went beyond limits, and every challenge that inspired us to innovate. We believe that implementation and ownership are the heart of loyalty success. This recognition strengthens our commitment to building smarter, faster, and more human-centric solutions that empower brands across India. We dedicate this honour to our amazing team and clients who made this journey possible,” says startup founder Akash Joshi.
“When we started IMAST, the dream was to bring clarity, control, and creativity into how businesses manage their channel sales and loyalty programs. Winning this award is a validation of that dream. It reflects the strength of our values — client-first, innovation-led, and performance-driven. I’m incredibly proud of the team we’ve built and the impact we’ve made. We’re just getting started,” entrepreneur Ankur Pathak affirms.
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LOOKING AHEAD
With its headquarters in Indore and a current valuation of Rs 100 crore, the Indore-based tech solutions startup is actively working towards scaling its product offerings, integrating AI-driven features into loyalty personalisation, and expanding its offerings across international markets.
IMAST plans to focus on core areas of digital security, reporting intelligence, and seamless mobile experiences.
In the next five years, the tech solutions startup aims to clock a turnover of Rs 500 crore.