Summary :
- From a ₹5,000 investment in 2010 to a ₹250 Cr cloud company in 2025—the journey of Manoj Dhanda, founder of Utho.
- Utho, born as Microhost, rebranded in 2023 to solve India’s over-reliance on AWS, Azure, and GCP.
- Today, Utho powers 22,000+ customers (3,500+ enterprises) and is positioning itself as India’s first sovereign hyperscaler.
From A 10×10 Room To A National Cloud Mission
It all began in 2010. Armed with just ₹5,000 and an old computer, Manoj Dhanda started Microhost from a small 10×10 room. His goal was simple yet ambitious—make web hosting affordable and accessible for Indian businesses.
But as India’s internet economy boomed, he discovered a deeper problem. Indian startups and enterprises were heavily dependent on foreign cloud giants. High costs, hidden charges, and vendor lock-ins made local businesses vulnerable and tied to decisions made in Seattle and Silicon Valley.
This realization set the stage for something bigger—an Indian alternative to foreign cloud powerhouses.
The Birth Of Utho: Bharat’s Own Cloud Platform
In 2023, Microhost transformed into Utho—a name that means Rise Up.
Today, Utho is:
- Valued at ₹250 Cr, completely bootstrapped.
- Serving 22,000+ customers, including 3,500+ large enterprises.
- Building India’s first sovereign hyperscaler, designed to keep sensitive data within Bharat.
Unlike AWS, Azure, or GCP, Utho promises transparent pricing, unmatched local support, and zero vendor lock-ins. Its mission is clear: empower Indian businesses with cloud independence while competing on a global scale.
Data Is The New Weapon—And Bharat Wants To Win
In Dhanda’s words, “The wars of tomorrow won’t be fought with guns—they’ll be fought with data and technology.”
While American tech giants dominate the global cloud conversation, Utho is quietly scripting a new story—India’s digital self-reliance. By focusing on data sovereignty and scalable infrastructure, Utho isn’t just serving India’s needs but also building servers for the world.
As India’s digital economy races toward $1 trillion by 2030, Utho stands as a reminder that the future of technology will be decided not just in Silicon Valley, but also in a 10×10 room in India that dared to dream bigger.
