Founder · Inventor · Author · Builder · Community Leader

Salim
Gheewalla

Founder & CEO — utilITise
Building Self-Healing IT
Forbes Tech Council · Houston, TX

See What I'm Building Read My Work
Salim Gheewalla
01

Profile

At the
intersection
of tech,
brand &
story.

15+
Years in Enterprise IT & Cybersecurity
$200M+
IT Divisions Led
12+
Publications & Features
5
Companies Led Through M&A
Salim Gheewalla
Founder & CEO · utilITise · Houston, TX

I build at the intersection of business, technology, and story — turning complex IT into momentum-driving, customer-admired growth engines.

Fifteen years leading $200M+ IT and cybersecurity divisions taught me one thing: the problem with IT is not the technology. It requires constant human attention to work. I started utilITise to fix that — agentic AI that resolves IT issues before anyone notices they exist.

I'm a technologist at heart and a marketer by craft. My philosophy stays consistent: Know us. Like us. Trust us. Pay us.

Founder & CEO — utilITise | Self-Healing IT
President — OPEN Houston
Forbes Tech Council & Communications Council — Member & Author
Senior Executive AI Think Tank — Member
CRN 2023 Next-Gen Solution Provider Leader
Adweek — Featured Panelist, AI & Marketing Innovation
Patent-Pending Inventor — Agentic IT Infrastructure
Texas A&M University — Mays Business School, Executive MBA

Published Work

Thinking
in public.

12+
Publications & Features
Forbes Tech Council
Five Levels Of AI Adoption: Why The AI 'Bubble' Is Just The Tutorial
Feb 2026
↗
Forbes Tech Council
Five Facets Of AI: Understanding Investment, Value And Business Impact
Oct 2025
↗
Adweek
Balancing Innovation, Authenticity, and Human Creativity With AI
2025 · Panelist
↗
Senior Executive AI Think Tank
GPT-5: The Strategic Edge for AI-Driven Enterprises
Sep 2025
↗
Forbes Communications Council
Only 3% Of Brands Get It: How Customer Love Drives Exponential Growth
Apr 2025
↗
Forbes Communications Council
Aspirational Marketing: Balancing Dreams And Reality In Brand Storytelling
Jan 2025
↗
CRN
2023 Next-Gen Solution Provider Leader — Top 40-Under-40 Channel Leaders
2023 · Recognition
↗
Forbes Communications Council
Balancing Innovation And Familiarity: How Brands Can Evolve Without Alienating Loyal Customers
Sep 2024
↗
Forbes Communications Council
The Loyalty Paradox: Why Brands Should Reciprocate Customer Devotion
Aug 2024
↗
Forbes Communications Council
Navigating Data Breach Communication: A Blueprint For Executives
Apr 2024
↗
Corporate Compliance Insights
Cybersecurity & Crisis Communication — Executive Guides
2024 · Author
↗
ShoutoutHTX
Meet Salim Gheewalla — Technologist, Marketer, Community Builder
Feature
↗

Recognition

I
Forbes Tech Council
Member & Published Author
AI · IT · Emerging Technology
II
Adweek Panelist
AI & Marketing Innovation
ADWEEK House Austin 2025
III
CRN Next-Gen Leader 2023
Top 40-under-40 Channel Leaders
Solution Provider Excellence
IV
Patent-Pending Inventor
Agentic IT infrastructure
Self-Healing IT category

Community & Leadership

Leading
Houston's
entrepreneurial
community.

As President of OPEN Houston, I lead one of the region's most active professional networks for entrepreneurs and executives — championing collaboration, mentorship, and cross-industry connection between Houston's business leaders, innovators, and investors.

Visit OPEN Houston
President
OPEN Houston · 2025–Present
National
Representing Houston at global OPEN events
Mentor
Always a mentor and mentee
Builder
Connecting founders, investors & executives
Academic
University of Houston
Guest Lecturer, Senior Digital Media — College of Engineering. Advisory Board Member, Digital Media Program. Guiding the next generation of tech and marketing innovators since 2022.
Industry Advisory
HPE Aruba Networking
Former member of the HPE Aruba Networking Marketing Advisory Forum. Providing strategic guidance on go-to-market and channel partner strategy across the networking industry.
Creative & Brand
KIND/RED
Founding Partner. A creative community for bold thinkers building at the intersection of culture, brand, and business. Houston-rooted, nationally connected.

Career

Built
across
fifteen
years.

Five companies through M&A. One IPO. $200M+ in IT divisions. 200+ strategic partnerships. One category created.

2025 — Present
Founder & CEO
utilITise — Self-Healing IT
Building the Self-Healing IT category. Agentic AI platform that autonomously resolves IT issues for SMBs. Patent-pending. Early revenue stage. Seed round in progress.
2022 — 2025
VP & Divisional CMO, Marketing & Alliances
Calian IT & Cyber Solutions ($700M public company)
Led marketing and partner strategy for the U.S. IT & cybersecurity division. 200+ strategic alliances including Cisco, Nutanix, Fortinet, Microsoft, and HPE. CRN Next-Gen Leader 2023.
2020 — 2022
VP Marketing Communications
Computex Technology Solutions (NASDAQ: AVCT)
IPO leadership via SPAC. Brand integration across acquisition of Kandy Communications. $22M ARR growth through rebranding and managed services packaging.
2013 — 2020
Director, Marketing & Alliances
Computex Technology Solutions
8 years. Led 5 companies through mergers and acquisitions. Triple-digit growth in recurring revenue. Brand architect across three acquisitions.
2021 — Present
Founder & Fractional CMO
1 Brand Story
Fractional CMO consultancy helping ambitious companies scale with clarity and premium positioning across IT, cybersecurity, SaaS, and retail.

Currently Building

What if IT
just worked?

utilITise is agentic AI software that autonomously detects, troubleshoots, and resolves IT issues — before anyone notices they exist. Built for businesses running without a dedicated IT team.

"The most valuable AI applications won't be the ones that impress you in a demo. They'll be the ones you never notice running."
utilITise — Self Healing IT Solutions
Visit utilITise ↗
I
Self-Healing IT
Systems that monitor, detect, and resolve IT issues autonomously — within defined guardrails. No ticket required.
II
D.O.N.N.A.
Operational intelligence layer. Agentic AI acting as an autonomous IT operator — not a copilot, not a dashboard.
III
Built for the 99%
10–100 employees. No dedicated IT staff. The market every enterprise AI company is skipping.
IV
Currently Raising
Seed round. Early revenue. Live deployments. Houston-based, building nationally.

Speaking & Teaching

Academia
University of Houston
Guest Lecturer, Senior Digital Media — College of Engineering. Inspiring the next generation of technology and marketing leaders since 2023.
Industry
Forbes Expert Panels
Forbes Tech Council and Forbes Communications Council contributor. Expert panel member on AI adoption, brand strategy, and cybersecurity communications.
Executive
Senior Executive AI Think Tank
Strategic guidance on AI orchestration, cybersecurity compliance, and enterprise AI adoption for a curated network of C-suite leaders.
SG

Connect

Let's talk.

Investor conversations · Speaking · Collaboration · Press

LinkedIn Email Newsletter utilITise X / Twitter Crunchbase