National Startup Day Special Meetup : Hyderabad Edition

January 16, Friday, 2026
6:00pm — 08:00pm (GMT+05:30)
Draper Startup House Hyderabad, Terrace, Rajiv gandhi Nagar, Gachibowli, Hyderabad, Telangana 500032.
2 slots booked
Register for the event
Sandeep Sinha - Founder, AccelForge udit kosuru - Senior Software Engineer (Agentic AI) @ T-Mobile
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Agenda:
National Startup Day offers a moment to step back and reflect on how startups are shaped over time. Beyond announcements and timelines, it is the everyday choices, experiments, and conversations that quietly influence how companies and founders grow.

On January 16, founders and operators will come together at this special eChai meetup to share real experiences from their journeys. The conversations will span early ideas, ongoing challenges, recent learnings, and the small insights that often make a lasting difference.

The evening is designed to be open and conversational, creating space for thoughtful discussions, listening closely to one another, and exchanging perspectives that come from building in the real world.

Whether you are at the beginning of your journey or have been building for a while, this meetup brings together people who are curious, committed, and eager to learn from one another.

Join us for meaningful conversations, familiar faces, and connections that continue well beyond the meetup.
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The people

These open and free events are hosted across cities and countries as part of a broader effort to keep the startup ecosystem accessible, inclusive, and connected. You’ll find a diverse mix of participants: early-stage founders, students, aspiring entrepreneurs, professionals exploring transitions, and others curious about the theme. Each event brings a different experience, shaped by the people who show up.

The format

We host panels, talks, socials, open houses, and demo days in different formats. Each individual event listing clearly mentions what’s planned, so you know exactly what kind of experience to expect before you register.

The flow

You can check the exact time and map address of the venue directly on the event page. Once you register, you typically receive four emails: a confirmation, a reminder a day before the event, another on the day itself, and a follow-up after it ends. You can manage your email notifications at any time.

The guest list

The participant list on the event page keeps updating as more people register. Since attendees often sign up through platforms like eChai, Meetup, Eventbrite, and others, the visible numbers may not reflect the complete turnout. Speakers are usually announced three to four days before the event, and you’ll also start seeing featured participants appear as they register.

The context

You can also explore the list of past participants and speakers from each city to get a sense of who typically joins. It offers a glimpse into the kind of conversations, collaborations, and diversity that shape each meetup. Every event has its own purpose, shaped by its theme, setting, and the community that gathers around it.

The experience

Some people come to learn, others to connect, and many just to explore. While the agenda provides structure, the real energy often comes from the spontaneous conversations and shared curiosity in the room. These events are open to a broad mix of people including students, professionals, early-stage founders, and aspiring entrepreneurs. If you are specifically looking to meet only growth-stage or highly targeted founders, this may not be the right format for you. In that case, you might explore scale up dinners and socials for growth stage founders and operators.

The eChai Effect - In Their Words

"eChai is playing biggest role in my personal and professional life together. Its a community where i meet like minded people to share idea and learn from their idea. Even while playing cricket i learn something and i implement something new from that learning. Its my entry point for building network in different countries where my base is not established yet. Personally my only fun activity day in a week is eChai cricket and social."
yash shah - Chairman, ES Group of Companies
yash shah
Chairman, ES Group of Companies
"eChai has been a game-changer for Hungrito, providing us with invaluable connections, insights, and opportunities that have significantly fueled our growth. eChai has introduced us to a global network of entrepreneurs and experts, fueling our growth and opening doors to new opportunities from Ahmedabad to Dubai. The community has become like a second family to us, providing support, guidance, and valuable insights as startup entrepreneurs."
Sahil Shah - Founder- Hungrito & Netsavvies. Digital Marketing Evangelist
Sahil Shah
Founder- Hungrito & Netsavvies. Digital Marketing Evangelist
“eChai has been that turning point in my journey. It gave me a platform when I wasn’t looking for visibility but needed direction. Over the years, it became more than just a network. It became my tribe; a place where conversations sparked collaborations, and strangers became trusted sounding boards. What I value most is how effortlessly eChai brings people together - no airs, no filters, just genuine people with shared dreams. I owe a lot to this community and to Jatin, whose consistency and belief in people have shaped journeys like mine. Forever grateful to be part of something so real.”
Rushabh Shah - Managing Partner - STIR Advisors
Rushabh Shah
Managing Partner - STIR Advisors

eChai Partner Brands

eChai Ventures partners with select brands as their growth partner - working together to explore new ideas, open doors, and build momentum across the startup ecosystem.