Mohamed Wajahat and Samiksha, co-founders of Continum, share why they chose to shed a nostalgic name and build a brand that could grow with the business – and what that shift has meant for how founders and startups engage with their studio.
Every brand tells a story, whether its founders intend it to or not. For Mohamed Wajahat and Samiksha, the name Undergrads told a story they had both outgrown. What began as an honest reflection of where they were – young, just getting started, figuring things out – had quietly become a ceiling. Clients were warm. The work was good. But something about the name kept the studio anchored to a moment that no longer existed.
So they made a decision that many founders delay for years: they rebranded. Undergrads became Continum – a name built not for where the studio started, but for where it was going.
When the Name Stops Fitting
Continum is a Bangalore-based design and technology studio that works with startups and founders across India, the US, and Gulf markets. The studio offers a bundled Growth Service – combining conversion-focused websites, LinkedIn outbound, and paid media on Meta and Google – designed to help early-stage companies build momentum without hiring multiple agencies.
“Undergrads made sense at the start,” says Mohamed Wajahat. “But when you are talking to a founder in the US or a startup in the Gulf about growth strategy, you need them to feel like they are working with a studio that has arrived.” Samiksha agrees: “The name was holding back conversations that the work itself could have opened. Once we made the switch, even the way clients described us to others changed.”
Brand names are a form of positioning. They set expectations before a single conversation happens. A name that worked at zero clients may quietly undermine credibility at twenty.
What “Continum” Stands For
The name Continum is a deliberate misspelling – and that is entirely intentional. It nods to the idea of continuity: of sustained momentum, compounding effort, and long-term partnership with clients. The missing letter is not an oversight; it is a marker. In a market full of agencies with polished but generic names, something slightly unexpected sticks.
The rebrand also gave the studio a cleaner visual identity – one that could hold up against international competitors and communicate maturity without abandoning the scrappiness that made the work good in the first place. Startups hiring Continum are not looking for a corporate agency. They are looking for a team that moves fast, takes ownership, and thinks like a co-founder.
Rebranding While Running a Business
One of the most underrated challenges in rebranding is timing. Most founders wait until they have bandwidth – which often means never. Mohamed Wajahat and Samiksha chose to run the rebrand while actively managing client campaigns, building sales infrastructure, and hosting community events in Bangalore for local founders.
That approach had an important upside: the new brand was tested in real conditions almost immediately. Within weeks, the tone of inbound enquiries shifted. Founders arrived with a higher baseline of trust. The studio’s positioning – premium but accessible, global but Bangalore-rooted – had more room to breathe under the new name.
A Lesson for Founders Who Are Holding On to the Old Name
Many founders are attached to their original names for understandable reasons – nostalgia, early community recognition, the story embedded in the word. But a brand name is a tool, not a memoir. The question is not whether the name holds memories; it is whether it opens doors.
“We did not lose anything by changing the name,” Mohamed Wajahat reflects. “We just stopped leaving opportunity on the table.” Samiksha adds: “The rebrand made us more intentional about everything – how we pitch, how we present, how we think about the clients we want to work with.”
For Continum, the rebrand was not a reset – it was a graduation. The clients, the craft, and the culture that made Undergrads worth working with did not disappear. They just found a home that fits better.
If your name still describes who you were rather than who you are, it may be time to ask the same question Mohamed Wajahat and Samiksha asked: what does this brand need to become?
Mohamed Wajahat is the Founder & CEO of Continum, a design and technology studio based in Bangalore. He works with startups and founders across India, the US, and Gulf markets on growth strategy, digital products, and paid media.
Samiksha is the Co-founder of Continum. She plays a key role in shaping the studio’s brand, client experience, and creative direction.
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