Naval and Nivi sit down with Guillermo Rauch (Vercel), Blake Scholl (Boom Supersonic), and Max Hodak (Science) on AI as the next industrial revolution. The conversation covers software factories and waste tokens, vibe coding hardware (Blake's turbine blade), the regulatory frontier (why China's FDA is beating ours), and the autonomous company (what it means when your job becomes training the agent). Worth watching for how three founders building in very different stacks converge on the same questions.
Pune
2 upcoming events
Next: FailCode Pune: Failure lessons from startups and operators tomorrow
What's already happened
See gallery →
People from Pune on the network, plus folks from elsewhere who've shown up at an event here.
Co-founder, Bootstrapped and Profitable, in Media / creator.
Building eChai.Ventures
- Engineering leaders / CTOs
- Product leaders
- Growth & marketing leaders
- People obsessed with AI workflows
Co-founder and Agency, Pre-revenue / pre-PMF, in SaaS + B2B / enterprise + AI/ML.
Building We build for the overlooked middle — 50-to-800-person operations firms. Some need GenAI, some need their data untangled, some just need an app that replaces 14 spreadsheets. We do all four, AI just happens to be the loudest one right now.
- Intros to paying customers
- Partners for my services or agency
- People obsessed with AI workflows
Aspiring founder (exploring an idea), Idea stage, in B2B / enterprise + D2C / consumer + Agritech.
- A startup role I would love, at any kind
- Vetted service providers (design, dev, legal)
- People obsessed with AI workflows
- Founders & operators in my city
Co-founder and Engineer / builder, Bootstrapped and Profitable, in SaaS + Vertical SaaS + Edtech.
- A co-founder
- Founders with US / global reach
- Others in my exact role to swap notes with
- Founders & operators in my city
Looking for: Startup opportunities, internships/full-time roles, networking with founders, Idea stage and Exploring the startup ecosystem and looking for opportunities to contribute to an early-stage team., backing Pre-seed / seed and Angel, in AI/ML and DevTools / infra.
Building I'm interested in working with early-stage startups. I'm here to meet founders, learn how startups operate, and explore opportunities where I can contribute.
- I'm hoping to connect with founders, learn how early-stage startups are built, and explore opportunities to contribute to a growing team.
Co-founder, Pre-revenue / pre-PMF, in SaaS + B2B / enterprise + Martech.
Building Helping Brands Win in AI Search.
- Intros to paying customers
- Enterprise / GCC buyer intros
- Growth & marketing leaders
Founder, Bootstrapped, in SaaS and Marketplace.
Building Building Grab Or Miss, a community & platform that helps people save money on SaaS while helping founders get discovered.
- Founders past $1M ARR
- Founders with US / global reach
- Bootstrapped, profitable founders
- Growth & marketing leaders
- People obsessed with AI workflows
- Founders & operators in my city
Founder, Pre-revenue / pre-PMF, in SaaS + B2B / enterprise + Deeptech.
- Angel / seed investors for my startup
- Enterprise / GCC buyer intros
Building on the side and Founder's Office, Seed, backing Strategic / corporate, in B2B / enterprise + AI/ML + Productivity.
- Partners for my services or agency
- Founders with US / global reach
- Growth & marketing leaders
- Founders & operators in my city
- Networking
- Ideas
Aspiring founder (exploring an idea) and Engineer / builder.
- A co-founder
- People obsessed with AI workflows
Founder, Pre-revenue / pre-PMF, in D2C / consumer and Media / creator.
Building Building KathaKar, a multilingual story app for Indian readers. The tech is shipped. Now figuring out how to get the first 1,000 writers to publish on it — that's the hard part.
- Engineering leaders / CTOs
- Product leaders
- Growth & marketing leaders
- People obsessed with AI workflows
- Others in my exact role to swap notes with
Aspiring founder (exploring an idea), Idea stage, in Fintech and B2B / enterprise.
- Intros to paying customers
- A co-founder
- People obsessed with AI workflows
Investor / angel and Educator / mentor, Acquired / exited, backing Angel, in Fintech + Insurtech + Climate / clean energy.
- Startups to invest in
- A startup role I would love, at any kind
- Founders & operators in my city
Aspiring founder (exploring an idea) and Engineer / builder, Idea stage, in SaaS.
- A startup role I would love, at any kind
- Engineering leaders / CTOs
- Product leaders
- Growth & marketing leaders
- Others in my exact role to swap notes with
Founder and Solo founder, Idea stage and Pre-product (building), in Agritech.
Solo founder and Advisor, in SaaS + Vertical SaaS + B2B / enterprise.
Building A growth-focused marketing engine that helps tech startups, SaaS, and B2B companies generate demand, accelerate revenue, and scale efficiently through AI-powered marketing strategies. 🚀
- Intros to paying customers
- A startup role I would love, at any kind
- Founders past $1M ARR
- Founders with US / global reach
- Bootstrapped, profitable founders
- People obsessed with AI workflows
- Founders & operators in my city
Founder, Idea stage and Pre-product (building).
Building Building an AI assistant designed to simplify and ease daily life for busy parents by streamlining and organizing everyday family logistics and communications.
- People obsessed with AI workflows & Founders in my city.
Co-founder, Pre-product (building) and Pre-revenue / pre-PMF, backing Pre-seed / seed, in SaaS and B2B / enterprise.
Building SmartCheckIn, a hospitality SaaS platform that enables QR-based and pre-arrival digital check-ins, guest data collection, compliance-ready reports and automated guest reviews. Helping hotels reduce paperwork, save time, and deliver a better guest experience.
- Partners for my services or agency
- Bootstrapped, profitable founders
- Growth & marketing leaders
Founder, Pre-revenue / pre-PMF, in B2B / enterprise + AI/ML + DevTools / infra.
- Intros to paying customers
Aspiring founder (exploring an idea).
- Founders past $1M ARR
- Founders with US / global reach
- Bootstrapped, profitable founders
- Engineering leaders / CTOs
- Product leaders
- Growth & marketing leaders
- People obsessed with AI workflows
Aspiring founder (exploring an idea) and Engineer / builder, Idea stage, in SaaS.
- Intros to paying customers
Co-founder and Building on the side, in AI/ML.
- Partners for my services or agency
- Growth & marketing leaders
- People obsessed with AI workflows
- Others in my exact role to swap notes with
- Founders & operators in my city
Co-founder and Engineer / builder, Pre-revenue / pre-PMF, in SaaS.
- Intros to paying customers
- Founders with US / global reach
- Bootstrapped, profitable founders
- Product leaders
- Others in my exact role to swap notes with
Founder and Engineer / builder, Pre-seed, in SaaS + Marketplace + Proptech / real estate.
Building Building Preworks, a construction opportunity network for India. Millions of projects still begin through referrals, brokers and fragmented searches. We're creating a structured system where project demand connects with contractors, architects and designers at scale.
- Angel / seed investors for my startup
- Capital for my next round
- Partners for my services or agency
- A co-founder
- Bootstrapped, profitable founders
- Founders & operators in my city
- angel Investor
Engineer / builder and Product (PM), Idea stage and Pre-product (building).
- Angel / seed investors for my startup
- A co-founder
- A startup role I would love, at any kind
- Vetted service providers (design, dev, legal)
Aspiring founder (exploring an idea), Idea stage, in SaaS + Healthtech + DevTools / infra.
- Intros to paying customers
- A co-founder
Building on the side, Pre-revenue / pre-PMF, in HR tech / future of work.
- Intros to paying customers
- Partners for my services or agency
- Founders & operators in my city
Co-founder, Idea stage and Pre-revenue / pre-PMF, in Healthtech and Counselling.
- Startups to invest in
- Intros to paying customers
- Partners for my services or agency
- Growth & marketing leaders
- Others in my exact role to swap notes with
Solo founder and Engineer / builder, Idea stage, in Fintech + SaaS + DevTools / infra.
- Others in my exact role to swap notes with
Engineer / builder, in Fintech and SaaS.
- A startup role I would love, at any kind
Founder, in Foodtech / F&B and D2C / consumer.
Building CEO and founder of MH12 Pav Bhaji. Also CFO at Bootstart Spaces & Hospitality.
Co-founder, in Foodtech / F&B and D2C / consumer.
Building Co-founder and CEO of Cheesiano Pizza, built under Turophile Foodworks. Growing a homegrown pizza brand across India.
- New startup ideas
Solo founder, Pre-product (building) and Pre-seed, in Fintech + B2B / enterprise + Deeptech.
- Intros to paying customers
- A co-founder
- Bootstrapped, profitable founders
Co-founder and Engineer / builder, Idea stage and Pre-product (building), in Healthtech and Logistics / supply chain.
- Angel / seed investors for my startup
- Startups to invest in
- Partners for my services or agency
- Founders past $1M ARR
- Founders with US / global reach
- People obsessed with AI workflows
- Founders & operators in my city
Founder, Idea stage and Pre-product (building), in Healthtech and Logistics / supply chain.
- Angel / seed investors for my startup
- Startups to invest in
- Partners for my services or agency
- Senior hires for my team
- Founders past $1M ARR
- Founders with US / global reach
- Growth & marketing leaders
Founder and Building on the side, Pre-product (building) and Acquired / exited, in Insurtech and E-commerce / retail.
Solo founder, Bootstrapped, in Climate / clean energy.
- Startups to invest in
- Senior hires for my team
- Founders with US / global reach
- Bootstrapped, profitable founders
Co-founder, Bootstrapped and Profitable, in Foodtech / F&B.
- Growing bhsiness
Aspiring founder (exploring an idea) and Engineer / builder.
Co-founder, Idea stage, in Foodtech / F&B.
- Angel / seed investors for my startup
Engineer / builder, Idea stage, in Fintech and Deeptech.
- Growth & marketing leaders
- People obsessed with AI workflows
- Founders & operators in my city
Engineer / builder and Looking to join a startup.
- A startup role I would love, at any kind
- Founders with US / global reach
- Bootstrapped, profitable founders
- Engineering leaders / CTOs
Across eChai
Founders to meet
Founders from across eChai worth a hello, beyond Pune.
Engineer / builder and Educator / mentor, Seed and Profitable, backing Pre-seed / seed and Strategic / corporate, in SaaS + D2C / consumer + E-commerce / retail.
- A co-founder
- Senior hires for my team
- A startup role I would love, at any kind
- Growth & marketing leaders
- Founders & operators in my city
Founder, Bootstrapped and Profitable, backing Angel and Syndicate / scout, in Fintech + SaaS + Deeptech.
Building Transforming my legacy tech business, Upsquare Technologies, into a Lab that does experiments with Digital & Physical AI, Robotics, Reusable Systems, models & architectures.
- Startups to invest in
- Bootstrapped, profitable founders
- Engineering leaders / CTOs
- Product leaders
- Growth & marketing leaders
- Others in my exact role to swap notes with
- Founders & operators in my city
Founder and Educator / mentor, Pre-revenue / pre-PMF and Pre-seed, in Healthtech + Deeptech + Mobility / EV.
- Angel / seed investors for my startup
- Startups to invest in
- Founders with US / global reach
- Bootstrapped, profitable founders
- Founders & operators in my city
Co-founder, Pre-product (building), in SaaS + Vertical SaaS + AI/ML.
- Capital for my next round
- Growth & marketing leaders
- People obsessed with AI workflows
Solo founder and Advisor, Profitable, backing Strategic / corporate, in Vertical SaaS + AI/ML + Deeptech.
Building Working on a lot of interesting tech projects, alongside the Investment Banking firm
- Enterprise / GCC buyer intros
- Partners for my services or agency
- Engineering leaders / CTOs
- People obsessed with AI workflows
Entrepreneur | Startup Mentor | IIMA Guest Speaker | Speaker.
- Intros to paying customers
- Enterprise / GCC buyer intros
- Founders with US / global reach
- Bootstrapped, profitable founders
- Growth & marketing leaders
Founder, Pre-seed, in Healthtech.
Building Fitness community of 37K users, making fitness fun through Rewards, Challenges, and National Fitness Leagues backed by DST, IT Ministry, IIMA Ventures, i-Hub & Mahindra Rise. Now pivoting to B2B2C Corporate Fitness Leagues and urgently looking for a CTO / Tech Co-founder.
- Angel / seed investors for my startup
- Intros to paying customers
- A co-founder
- Founders past $1M ARR
- Engineering leaders / CTOs
- Growth & marketing leaders
- Co-founder
- Fundraising
- Distribution
Founder, Bootstrapped, in HR tech / future of work.
- Founders & operators in my city
Network
Latest from the network
Stories, podcasts, and notes from across eChai. A few of the most recent. tap any one to read in full.
-
Nikunj Kothari built Nock: a Claude Code skill that pitches like him
Nikunj Kothari (partner at FPV Ventures) used Claude Code to build Nock, a personal skill grounded in his real conversations. He pulled 200+ founder pitch notes captured by Granola, narrowed to ~53 with the strongest debate, layered in his essays on the kind of founders he loves, then iterated against 5-10 real decks until the output matched what he'd actually ask in the room. Founders raising can try it at nikunjk.com/nock; VCs who want their own can build at nikunjk.com/buildnock.
-
Can Tech Legends Find the Liar? Mafia with Founders Fund
Founders Fund gathered Sam Altman, Palmer Luckey, Bryan Johnson, Dylan Field, Moxie Marlinspike, Tim Urban, Ryan Petersen, Liv Boeree, Cyan Banister, Trae Stephens, Josie Zayner, and Michael Solana for an evening of Mafia, the murder-mystery parlor game. Players are secretly assigned roles and must use deception and debate to eliminate the opposing team before they are outnumbered. Worth watching for how some of the sharpest people in tech read each other under pressure.
Also active in
See all →eChai Partner Brands
eChai Ventures partners with select brands as their growth partner. Together we explore new ideas, open doors, and build momentum across the startup ecosystem.