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 527 founders registered. See your city
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Scale, fund & exit

What breaks at each level, the money to fund it, and building a brand to sell.

Scaling 1Cr to 10Cr to 100Cr 6

What breaks, and what to fix first, at each level.

What actually breaks when a D2C brand goes from ₹1 crore to ₹10 crore in revenue? 3 → What changes operationally between ₹10 crore and ₹100 crore - what worked before stops working? 3 → Why do most Indian D2C brands get stuck and never cross ₹100 crore? 3 → How do Indian consumer VCs like Fireside Ventures and Sauce.vc actually think about which brands can scale? 4 → What can I learn from how Mamaearth and WOW Skin Science scaled - and where did they hit trouble? 3 → All 6 questions in Scaling 1Cr to 10Cr to 100Cr →
Building your D2C team 6

The first ten hires that make or break a brand.

What are the first 5-10 hires a D2C founder should make, and in what order? 4 → Should my first marketing hire be a generalist or a specialist - performance marketer vs brand marketer? 3 → When do I need to hire an operations or supply chain person instead of doing it myself? 3 → How do I hire well on a tight budget before I've raised real money? 3 → Where do I actually find good D2C talent in India, and what should I pay? 3 → All 6 questions in Building your D2C team →
Funding a D2C brand 6

VC, revenue-based finance, venture debt, or none.

Should I bootstrap my D2C brand or raise VC money? 4 → What is revenue-based financing and how does it work for D2C brands in India? 4 → What's venture debt, and when should I take it instead of - or alongside - equity? 3 → How do I finance inventory without giving up equity? 3 → Klub, GetVantage or Velocity - which RBF platform is actually right for my brand? 4 → All 6 questions in Funding a D2C brand →
D2C investors & accelerators 6

Who backs consumer brands, and what they want.

Which VCs actually invest in D2C and consumer brands in India? 4 → What do consumer VCs actually look for before writing a check? 2 → Are there D2C-focused accelerators in India worth applying to? 4 → Is Amazon's Propel accelerator or a similar marketplace program worth it for a small brand? 3 → How do I build a shortlist of investors instead of mass-emailing everyone I can find? 4 → All 6 questions in D2C investors & accelerators →
Grants & government schemes 6

MSME, export incentives, and non-dilutive money.

Do I need MSME/Udyam registration for my D2C brand, and what does it actually get me? 3 → What is the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) and can my D2C brand apply? 3 → What is RoDTEP and how does it help if I export through Amazon Global or Shopify? 4 → What other export incentive schemes exist besides RoDTEP for a D2C brand? 3 → Are there government loan schemes (CGTMSE, MUDRA, PMEGP) I should know about before going to a bank? 3 → All 6 questions in Grants & government schemes →
Partnerships & collaborations 6

Grow by borrowing someone else's audience.

What's the actual playbook for a D2C brand-to-brand collaboration? 4 → Co-marketing vs co-branding vs sponsorship - what's the difference and which should I do? 3 → How do I find a brand to partner with that isn't a direct competitor? 3 → What do good D2C co-branding campaigns actually look like? 3 → Are Indian D2C brands actually doing meaningful collabs, or is it mostly a Western D2C thing? 3 → All 6 questions in Partnerships & collaborations →
Distributors & channel partners 6

Add feet on the street without hiring them.

Should I even bother with offline distribution, or stay D2C-only? 3 → What's the difference between modern trade and general trade, and which should I start with? 3 → How do I actually find and vet a distributor in India? 3 → What is ONDC and should my brand list on it? 3 → Is quick commerce killing traditional distributors, or do I need both? 3 → All 6 questions in Distributors & channel partners →
Selling or exiting your brand 6

Roll-ups, acquisitions, and building to sell.

What is the Thrasio/roll-up model, and would my brand actually get acquired by one? 4 → Which roll-ups and acquirers are actively buying D2C brands in India right now? 4 → How is my D2C brand actually valued when someone wants to buy it? 3 → What do I need to get in order before I even think about selling? 3 → Should I sell to a strategic acquirer (HUL, Marico, Reliance) or a roll-up firm? 3 → All 6 questions in Selling or exiting your brand →
eChai Partner Brands