HRUpstart is an HR outsourcing and Virtual CHRO service for Indian startups with 15–100 people. Founders get senior HR expertise — compliance, hiring strategy, policy design, and culture — from ₹45,000/month, without a full-time hire. Engagements start within 48 hours.

Senior HR leadership —
without the full-time cost

HRUpstart gives growing startups a Virtual CHRO and on-demand HR expertise. Build your people function right, from day one — without a ₹25L salary commitment.

●  For startups with 15–100 people   ●  40+ clients across India   ●  Starts in 48 hours

40+Startups
Served
30+Years in
HR
60%Avg Cost
Saving vs. Hire
48hTime to
Get Started

Most startups get HR wrong

Not from lack of effort — but because senior HR expertise is priced for enterprises.

  • 🚫Hiring a full-time CHRO costs ₹20–30L per year — before stock and perks.
  • 🚫HR generalists can’t handle strategic challenges: culture breakdowns, leadership hires, board-level people questions.
  • 🚫Outsourcing to agencies gives you volume, not insight. No one owns your people outcomes.
What We Do

HR that grows with you

Three engagement models, built for startups at different stages. No full-time hire required.

HR Foundation

01

HR Foundation

Set up everything from scratch — policies, offer letters, onboarding kits, PF/ESIC compliance. The infrastructure every startup needs before it scales.

₹45,000 / monthStarting price · scales with headcountGet Started →

Virtual CHRO

02

Virtual CHRO

A senior HR brain on your leadership team — minus the full-time cost. Hiring strategy, culture design, board reporting, and the tough people decisions.

Custom pricingSenior expertise · part-time engagementLearn More →

Ongoing HR Support

03

Ongoing HR Support

A flexible monthly retainer for companies that already have HR basics but need expert backup — employee relations, performance cycles, manager coaching.

Custom pricingTailored to your team size and needsTalk to Us →

The Process

Up and running in three steps

No long onboarding. No complex contracts. Senior HR expertise working inside your business within a week.

01Tell us where you are

A 30-minute discovery call. You share where your people challenges are — hiring, compliance, culture, or all three. No forms, no sales pitch.

02We map a plan

Within 48 hours you get a clear scope: what we’ll tackle, how long it takes, and what it costs. No surprises.

03We get to work

Susan and her team embed into your operations — Slack, email, whatever works. Visible, accountable, and focused on outcomes that matter to your founders.

Susan D’Silva — HR Consultant & Virtual CHRO
About the Founder

Susan D’Silva

HR Consultant & Virtual CHRO for Indian Startups

Susan brings over 30+ years of senior HR experience across startups and mid-size companies to every engagement. She founded HRUpstart after watching too many promising teams falter — not because of product or market, but because their people foundations weren’t built right.

She works directly with founders and leadership teams, not through a layer of junior staff. When you hire HRUpstart, you get Susan.

Based in Bangalore. Working with startups across India.

Client Stories

What founders say

These are placeholder testimonials. Real client quotes will replace them once confirmed.

★★★★★

“We were scaling fast and had no idea what HR infrastructure we needed. Susan came in, assessed everything in a week, and within a month we had policies, offer templates, and a compliance framework that actually made sense for our stage.”

Rahul M.Co-Founder, Series A SaaS startup — Bangalore

★★★★★

“The Virtual CHRO engagement was exactly what we needed. Susan sat in our leadership meetings, helped us navigate a difficult restructure, and brought a calm, experienced perspective we couldn’t have got from a generalist.”

Priya K.CEO, D2C Brand — Mumbai

★★★★★

“I was sceptical about outsourcing something as personal as HR. But Susan’s team felt embedded — they knew our team, understood our culture, and were genuinely invested in outcomes. Would recommend to any founder who is serious about people.”

Aditya S.Founder, Healthtech Startup — Hyderabad

FAQs

Common questions

What does a Virtual CHRO actually do for a startup?
A Virtual CHRO acts as your most senior HR person — without the full-time cost. They own people strategy: how you hire, how you build culture, how you handle tough decisions like restructures or performance issues. Susan works directly with founders and leadership, attends key meetings, and is accountable for real outcomes — not just advice.
How is this different from an HR agency or recruiter?
Agencies fill roles. Recruiters find candidates. HRUpstart builds the system that makes hiring, retention, and culture work over time. We don’t just place people — we design the infrastructure so you don’t need to call us every time something breaks.
What size startups do you work with?
Typically 15 to 100 people — the stage where you’ve outgrown ad-hoc HR but aren’t yet large enough to justify a full HR department. We work across sectors: SaaS, D2C, healthtech, fintech, and professional services.
How quickly can we get started?
Discovery call within 24 hours. Scope and proposal within 48 hours. Engagement start within one week. Most clients have their first deliverable — a policy document, a hiring framework, or a compliance audit — within two weeks of signing.
Do you require long-term contracts?
No. Our engagements are month-to-month after an initial 3-month commitment. Most clients stay 12–24 months because the value compounds, but you’re never locked in.
What does the ₹45,000/month price include?
The HR Foundation retainer covers: HR policy documentation, offer letter and employment contract templates, onboarding kit design, PF/ESIC compliance guidance, and up to 8 hours of consulting per month. Higher tiers include more hours and strategic involvement.
Get In Touch

Ready to build HR that actually works?

Book a free 30-minute discovery call. No obligation, no sales pitch — just a conversation about where you are and what you need.