Explore · The library
Every resource founders actually use, in one library.
The essays, videos, podcasts, books and tools behind every answer across eChai's hubs, from starting up to go-to-market, D2C, founder money and AI, each with a note on why it is here.
What founders use most, ranked by how many answers lean on it.
- A founder logs a Techstars batch day by day: Week 1 KPI workshop and kickoff, a brutal seven-day 'mentor madness' of... austinhenley.com Article · 15 min read · Starting Up My startup diary: Techstars Austin Z. Henley
- Written by a Techstars Mentor in Residence who has sat across from 350+ startups, so it is the advice from the other side of... landonhowell.com Article · 8 min read · Starting Up Founder advice for Techstars Mentor Madness Landon Howell
- The failure mode our answer warns about has a name: mentor whiplash, where smart people give you opposite advice until you no... jag.eu Article · 6 min read · Starting Up Mentor whiplash, and working through it Jag Singh
- Instead of abstract advice, this dissects the actual DoorDash demo day pitch that turned a 2 minute slot into a $2.4M seed... Slidebean Article · 10 min read · Starting Up DoorDash's YC Demo Day Pitch, Broken Down Slide by Slide Slidebean
- This is the concrete India reality behind the in-person question, with real numbers. Indian and Southeast Asian startups in a... TechCrunch Article · 6 min read · Starting Up Y Combinator and India are drifting apart Manish Singh
- This is the clearest India-specific case for why hard tech needs a specialized door, told through IISc's SID incubator (Mynvax,... Inc42 Article · 10 min read · Starting Up IISc-Backed SID On Turning Deep Science R&D Into Viable Deeptech Startups Inc42 Staff
- This is the worked example your question demands: two post-money SAFEs (one at an 8M cap, one at a 12M cap) that each look like... Capwave.ai Article · 14 min read · Starting Up Post-money SAFE stacking in 2026: the dilution math 83% of founders get wrong Capwave.ai
- This is the horse's-mouth map of how a batch actually runs, and it names the two levers you should grab in week one: your group... Y Combinator Article · 8 min read · Starting Up What Happens at YC Y Combinator
- Most YC content is about getting in; this piece is refreshingly about what to do once you are in, and it backs our whole... HubSpot Article · 15 min read · Starting Up Getting Into Y Combinator and Succeeding HubSpot for Startups
- Our answer says get your data room started early so Demo Day is not a scramble, and this is the concrete checklist to do it,... FounderFirst (Spotlight Insights) Article · 12 min read · Starting Up Fundraising Data Room Checklist: Structure, Templates and What Investors Actually Look For FounderFirst
- This is the guide that tells you which tenders you can actually win on merit instead of on price. It lays out the QCBS 70:30... Tata Nexarc Blog Article · 10 min read · Starting Up QCBS in Tenders: An MSME Guide to Scoring and Selection Tata Nexarc editorial team
- This explains the policy shift that makes chasing QCBS a real option rather than wishful thinking. It documents the October... ThePrint Article · 8 min read · Starting Up Lowest cost or 'L1' no longer the only way to select bidders: why Modi govt revised policy ThePrint
- This is the cost breakdown that tells you exactly what a Performance BG will drain before you earn a rupee. It spells out that... Karbon Card Article · 12 min read · Starting Up Bank Guarantee Charges in India: Best Banks, Fees and Calculation Karbon Card
- This is the practical bridge between the rule and the actual bid: it explains EMD as the 2 to 5 percent deposit that locks up... Tata nexarc Article · 10 min read · Starting Up EMD Exemption for MSMEs and Startups in Government Tenders Tata nexarc
- This is the read-it-like-a-lawyer guide. It shows exactly how buyers set the gates that kill startup bids: turnover pinned at... TenderBook Article · 10 min read · Starting Up How Tender Eligibility Criteria Are Designed: Understanding Turnover, Experience and Technical Requirements TenderBook editorial
- Your fastest route around a turnover or experience wall you cannot clear alone: borrow someone else's track record. It walks... TenderX Article · 8 min read · Starting Up Consortiums and Joint Ventures: How They Can Benefit SMEs in Government Tenders TenderX editorial
- This is the rejection-reasons checklist mapped to how Indian government buyers actually disqualify bids on GeM: one missing GST... GemTech Paras Article · 9 min read · Starting Up 10 Common Reasons Why Tenders Get Rejected (and How to Fix Them) GemTech Paras editorial team
- This is the assembly list for your reusable bid kit as a first-time Indian government vendor: Aadhaar, PAN, business... Bidz365 Article · 8 min read · Starting Up Documents Required for GeM Portal Seller Registration Bidz365 editorial team
- This explains why GeM is your compliance weapon, not just a listing site. Every order carries a complete digital audit trail,... Bidz365 Article · 10 min read · Starting Up How Did the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) Change Indian Procurement? Bidz365 editorial
- Built from SeamlessDocs' real B2G playbook, this is the craft of winning government without connections. The through-line is... Close.com Article · 14 min read · Starting Up B2G Sales: How Startups Can Sell to Government Agencies Close (SeamlessDocs case)
- This is the one piece that lays the state-vs-central comparison out in plain numbers so you can pick your first target with... TenderDekho Article · 12 min read · Starting Up State vs Central Government Tenders in India: 2026 Guide TenderDekho
- To sell to a smart-city SPV you have to understand it is a company under the Companies Act with its own board, its own tied... Ideas for India Article · 15 min read · Starting Up Special Purpose Vehicles for Smart Cities: A Question on Governance Persis Taraporevala
- The corrigendum is where the real tender lives after publication, and this piece is built around Indian procurement (CPPP, GeM,... TenderShark Article · 12 min read · Starting Up What is a corrigendum in tenders: meaning, types, and why missing one loses the bid TenderShark editorial
- This is the sharpest playbook for the exact thing your government buyer is asking for: define numerical success criteria... Amplify Partners Article · 18 min read · Starting Up The technical founder's guide to pilots and POCs Amplify Partners
The hubs
Starting Up
Find an idea, validate it, build, and land your first customers.
GTM
Go-to-market, from breaking in to how the best teams do it.
D2C
Building a direct-to-consumer brand, India-first.
Wealth
Paying yourself, ESOPs, secondaries, and de-risking founder wealth.
How Founders Use AI
How founders actually put AI to work, mapped topic by topic.
Glossary
Plain-language definitions of the startup and VC terms you'll hit.
eChai Partner Brands
The partnership →