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Startup events and networking · checked 11 November 2026

Search Meetup and Luma for your city, then pick one recurring founder gathering, such as TiE or eChai, and go every time.

A regular meets far more people than a one-time visitor. Lead with help before you ask for anything, follow up within a day, and form a small peer group of founders at your stage. Find mentors through work: send one sharp question to someone a few years ahead, and use Startup India's MAARG portal, TiE chapters and incubators for matching.

The steps 19 answers

  1. Where can I find startup events and meetups near me? Starting Up
  2. How do I build a founder network intentionally instead of hoping it happens? Starting Up
  3. How do I find a mentor or advisor who will actually help me, not just add a logo to my deck? Starting Up
  4. My network is all corporate colleagues, how do I actually meet founders and investors? Starting Up
  5. Can I build a serious startup from outside the big startup hubs, or do I have to move to Bangalore? Starting Up
  6. How do I actually ask someone to mentor or advise me without it being awkward? Starting Up
  7. How do I 'give before I ask' when I feel like I have nothing to offer yet? Starting Up
  8. Which online communities are actually worth joining as a founder? Starting Up
  9. How do I get real value out of the advisors I already have? Starting Up
  10. Should I set up a formal advisory board, or just keep a few informal advisors? Starting Up
  11. How do I turn my early customers and investors into informal mentors? Starting Up
  12. How do I build a peer group of other founders at my exact stage, not just senior mentors? Starting Up
  13. How do I network effectively at events and conferences when I hate small talk and I'm an introvert? Starting Up
  14. How do I stay on a busy mentor's or investor's radar between meetings without being annoying? Starting Up
  15. How do I find a mentor for one specific gap like sales, hiring, or pricing rather than a generalist? Starting Up
  16. How do I know when an advisor or mentor relationship has run its course, and how do I gracefully end it? Starting Up
  17. As a founder building from India, how do I build a network with global investors and operators without moving abroad? Starting Up
  18. How do I evaluate whether a well-known name actually adds value as an advisor or is just borrowing my traction for their portfolio? Starting Up
  19. Are there founder communities I should join to learn this stuff instead of figuring it out alone? D2C

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