We plan to bring eChai across 100 cities in India. The next eChai Startup Demo Day is on 29 August in Bengaluru and Pune. The next after that is on 26 September, all in person, with 12 cities confirmed and 517 founders registered. See your city
An area

Grow organically & retain

SEO, content, email, and community that compound while you sleep.

SEO for D2C brands 6

Free traffic that compounds while you sleep.

I just launched my Shopify store. Where do I even start with SEO? 4 → What technical SEO actually matters for my product and collection pages? 4 → How do I build a content/blog strategy that actually drives organic traffic, and sales, not just eyeballs? 4 → I have almost no budget, how do I build backlinks and authority for my D2C brand? 4 → Are there India-specific SEO things I should be doing differently, language, COD, local search? 4 → All 6 questions in SEO for D2C brands →
Content & social media 6

Show up daily so the ad has somewhere to land.

Should I be on Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and Pinterest, or just pick one? Where do I actually put my limited time? 4 → I'm a team of two - what should I actually be posting every week, and how do I build a system so it doesn't fall apart after month one? 4 → Should I be paying for polished brand shoots or just running UGC campaigns - what actually converts for a D2C brand? 3 → How do I get more mileage out of one shoot instead of creating from scratch for every platform? 4 → Should I, the founder, be on camera building a personal brand, or should that be the brand account's job? 4 → All 6 questions in Content & social media →
Email & retention marketing 6

The profit is in the second order.

Should I use Klaviyo, WebEngage, MoEngage, or something else for email and retention marketing? 4 → How do I actually set up abandoned cart, welcome and post-purchase email flows that make money? 4 → Should I be doing WhatsApp marketing, and which tool, Interakt, WATI or Gupshup? 4 → How much revenue should email actually be driving for my D2C brand? 4 → SMS vs email vs WhatsApp, where should I actually put my retention budget for Indian customers? 4 → All 6 questions in Email & retention marketing →
Community, referrals & loyalty 6

Turn buyers into a flywheel.

How do I build a referral program that people actually use, not one that just sits unused in my Shopify admin? 4 → Is a points-based loyalty program worth the effort for a D2C brand, or is it a distraction from bigger problems? 4 → How do I build a real customer community - a WhatsApp group, Discord or Facebook group - not just another broadcast channel? 4 → How do I turn my best customers into brand ambassadors instead of just paying influencers for posts? 4 → Which loyalty and referral tools should I actually use for my D2C store? 4 → All 6 questions in Community, referrals & loyalty →
PR & earned media 6

Get written about without a PR retainer.

How do I get press coverage for my D2C brand without hiring a PR agency? 4 → How do I pitch journalists directly, and is there an Indian version of HARO? 4 → How do I get my D2C brand featured on YourStory, Inc42, ET or Moneycontrol? 4 → Are startup awards, 'best brand' lists and rankings actually worth applying for? 4 → When is it actually worth hiring a PR agency in India, and what does it cost? 4 → All 6 questions in PR & earned media →
Influencer & affiliate programs 6

Ongoing creator engines, not one-off posts.

How do I build a repeatable influencer program instead of just sending free products and hoping for posts? 4 → Should I spend my budget on micro-influencers or go big with a macro/celebrity influencer for my D2C brand? 4 → How do I actually set up an affiliate program for my D2C brand, and what commission should I pay affiliates? 4 → Which influencer marketing and affiliate platforms should I actually be using in India? 4 → How do I measure influencer ROI properly instead of just tracking likes and reach? 4 → All 6 questions in Influencer & affiliate programs →
Reputation & crisis management 6

Handle a viral complaint or recall without losing the brand.

A customer's complaint about my product just went viral on social media, what do I do in the first few hours? 3 → How should I, as founder, actually respond publicly when the brand is getting called out, what tone works vs backfires? 3 → If I actually need to recall a product in India, what's the legal process and who do I have to notify? 4 → My reviews are getting review-bombed after a controversy, how do I handle that without looking defensive? 3 → Should I hire an ORM or crisis PR agency, or can I handle this myself as a founder? 3 → All 6 questions in Reputation & crisis management →
eChai Partner Brands