# Akraya

> Akraya is a global staffing and managed services company founded by Amar Panchal and Sonu Ratra in 2001. It supplies enterprise talent and delivers UX research, data and AI, product engineering and data center services. Its Women Back to Work initiative supports experienced career returners; in July 2026 it acquired career reentry company iRelaunch.

- **Founded:** 2001
- **Headquarters:** San Francisco, United States
- **Founders:** Amar Panchal (Co-founder and CEO), Sonu Ratra (Co-founder and President)
- **Products:** Contingent workforce and direct hire, Women Back to Work, UX Research-as-a-Service, AI & Data, AI Led Product Engineering
- **Notable:** Cisco Supplier Day Diversity Award, 2019., Glassdoor Best Places to Work, 2021-2023, according to Akraya’s published award history., Inc. Best Workplaces, 2024-2026, listed by Inc.

## Products & services

- **Contingent workforce and direct hire** — Recruiting and placement of technical and professional talent, including contract and permanent roles.
- **Women Back to Work** — Returnships, contract hiring, direct hiring and employer program support for experienced career returners.
- **UX Research-as-a-Service** — Managed studies and embedded researchers, with participant recruitment, research operations and findings delivery.
- **AI & Data** — Data pipelines, integration and analytics infrastructure for enterprise AI and decision-making.
- **AI Led Product Engineering** — Software delivery and modernization using its AI-Accelerated Delivery Framework.
- **Data Center Acceleration** — Engineering talent and program oversight supporting infrastructure deployment.
- **iRelaunch** — Career reentry community, employer advisory services and events; acquired by Akraya in July 2026.

## Achievements

- Cisco Supplier Day Diversity Award, 2019.
- Glassdoor Best Places to Work, 2021-2023, according to Akraya’s published award history.
- Inc. Best Workplaces, 2024-2026, listed by Inc.
- Acquired iRelaunch in July 2026.
- Ranked third in the 2026 Bay Area Best Places to Work micro-company category, as shown in its award photograph.
- Reported Gold Stevie award for Employer of the Year - Other Industries, July 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Published a guide explaining suitable questions, scope and limits for rapid UX research.
- **2026-07** — Announced Gold Stevie recognition in the Employer of the Year - Other Industries category on July 27.
- **2026-07** — Announced the acquisition of iRelaunch on July 14; financial terms were not stated in the announcement.
- **2026-06** — Reported third place in the Bay Area Best Places to Work awards.
- **2026-04** — Marked its 25th anniversary; its company retrospective reported more than 650 professionals.

## Links

- Website: https://www.akraya.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/akraya-inc/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/akraya
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/akrayainc
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/life.at.akraya/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AkrayaInc

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/akraya
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-26