Himanshu Upreti - Co-Founder, Ai Palette

Himanshu Upreti

Co-Founder, Ai Palette

Himanshu Upreti is a co-founder and the CTO of Ai Palette, a B2B SaaS AI startup that offers a CPG insights platform to discover, launch, and grow brands and products. Himanshu comes with a background in Big Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence. He is an IIT Graduate and worked previously at Visa Data Labs where he filed 2 trade secrets and played a major role in restructuring Visa's tech stack. He is also a Forbes 30 under 30 awardee.

According to a research study, our brain makes upward of 35,000 decisions each day. That adds up to millions of decisions in our lifetime - some decisions are big and some small. Some will shape and change our future forever such as which college to go, or which job to take. While some will be insignificant like what to eat for lunch today or what to wear to the office.

There are only two things that will determine how our life turns out:

1. Luck
2. Quality of our decisions

Fortunately or unfortunately, we only have control over one of these two. Therefore, it is extremely important to have a high-quality decision process.

Recently I started reading "How to Decide" by Annie Duke, an American former professional poker player and I've been hooked from the first few pages. The book provides you with invaluable insights and frameworks to make thoughtful and strategic decisions that can set you apart personally and professionally. Whether it is navigating your career moves, business strategies, or personal choices, the book offers practical tools, like decision trees and backcasting, to systematically analyze options and potential outcomes.

If you are looking to improve your decision-making process, then do give this a read. 
Persistent.

All of us aspire to be this, but there are very few who achieve it.

One such person who has been persistent for more than a decade and not just years is Jatin Chaudhary, Co-Founder of eChai Ventures - a friendly global startup network that hosts engaging startup growth meetups and enables cross-border collaborations.

eChai Ventures was started more than 13 years ago in Ahmedabad, India and it has grown immensely in recent years with Startup Growth meetups in 25+ global startup cities in 10+ countries including the US, Canada, Singapore, Australia, UK, Estonia, UAE, and others.

Before starting eChai Ventures, Jatin sold long-distance services in Canada while working in a call center in Gandhinagar, architectural stone products in the USA and European markets while working with an exports group in Ahmedabad, strategic concepts to Microsoft Corporate Teams while working with a high-end technology consulting company in Udaipur, and HP enterprise servers and Softwares to SMEs and large businesses in Gujarat while working with India’s largest IT products distributor.

Then how did Jatin get into the startup domain? He loves networking and genuinely helping individuals to grow - what better place to do so than a startup community? He was one of the early believers in the "Startup India." He was recently awarded 'Startup Ratna' by GUSEC-Gujarat University for eChai Ventures’ contributions to the Startup Ecosystem in Gujarat.

I have been lucky to listen to him a couple of times and his simple words powered with persistence inspire everyone in the room. Presently his LinkedIn job title reads "Salesman at eChai Ventures" and rightfully so since he is extremely good at selling his vision and able to attract the right partnerships and organize high-quality large gatherings at low cost.

The story of eChai serves a crucial lesson for aspiring entrepreneurs: success rarely comes overnight. It's the product of consistent effort, unwavering belief in one's vision, and the resilience to keep moving forward, even when faced with setbacks. It's a powerful and beautiful reminder that with persistence, a local idea can indeed blossom into a global success.
The current controversial job quota bill in Karnataka and the rising hate for migrants in Bangalore remind me of this book that I read last year.

"We are all descended from migrants."

We humans have been a migratory species fundamentally. Most people move in search of work or economic opportunity, to join family, or to study. Others move out of necessity to escape conflict, persecution, etc.

Curiosity has been central to the human species and it continues to remain rightfully so with the global migration that happens to date. Overall, the estimated number of international migrants has increased over the past five decades. As per a UN migration report, a total of 281 million people live in a country other than their country of birth.

Migrants have been central to building and scaling economies across the globe. Be it the Silicon Valley of the USA or the Silicon Valley of India, migrants have played a crucial role in both. Tech giants like Apple, Amazon, Google, and Facebook were all founded by first or second-generation immigrants. According to a report, migrants contributed roughly 10% percent to global GDP.

This book is a history of us all - after all, we have all descended from our migrant ancestors. And the book continues to be ever more relevant in the current geo-political scenario associated with migrants.
eChai Partner Brands

eChai Ventures partners with select brands as their growth partner, helping them expand market reach, drive revenue growth, amplify brand visibility, and strengthen hiring efforts.

About eChai Ventures

eChai Ventures is a global startup network connecting entrepreneurs through local meetups in 20+ cities worldwide, enabling cross-border collaborations via startup panels, demo days, cricket, and pickleball leagues.

Make the most of eChai Ventures network:

  1. Complete Your eChai Profile It's key for others to discover you.
  2. Join eChai's Startup Meetups: Register for relevant eChai events happening across cities. Each event will have specific instructions on how to join.
  3. Discover Startup Folks: Explore and connect with other participants.
  4. Stay Updated: Follow the eChai feed for the latest updates from our community.
  5. Explore eChai Partner Brands: Check out our partner brands and how they can support you.
  6. Showcase Your Startup: Get opportunities to present your startup.
  7. Get Involved: Engage more and get a chance to volunteer or host meetups.
  8. Attend Global Events: Participate in events across different cities and countries.
  9. Find Collaborators: Discover co-founders, collaborators, talent, and business opportunities.
  10. Build Friendships: Make meaningful connections with fellow startup enthusiasts.

Join the meetups that interest you and start making the most of the community.

If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out at [email protected].