i’m hosting a small, high-intent gathering in palo alto with eChai Ventures and Khyati Brahmbhatt designed for tech founders, med-tech builders, VC funds, and students who want to understand where ai x healthcare is truly heading.
the focus is simple: real conversations on ai, healthcare systems, founder pain points, clinical pathways, and what it takes to go from 0→1 in this space. no panels, no long presentations — just builders talking to builders.
if you’re: • building in ai, healthcare, med-tech, vr-wellness, or infra • running an early-stage startup • investing in the future of care delivery • a student exploring ai-healthcare this room will be useful for you.
please tag people who should be in this room — founders, researchers, engineers, operators, VCs.
the goal is to bring together the right minds before the sf → boston → global wave of ai-healthcare kicks into its next cycle.
One of the things we have seen at eChai Ventures over the years is how founders host founders when they travel. When someone is in a new city for work, building partnerships, or exploring, instead of scattered one-to-one coffees, we bring people together in one place. It becomes an easy and friendly entry point to understand the local ecosystem.
This Wednesday, we are doing that in Cape Town, South Africa. A small Founders Social at The Vineyard, Newlands, for founders and operators to meet, share what they are building, exchange experiences, and see where conversations go.
It will be hosted by Keval Padia and Rajiv Patil from Nimblechapps, who are spending time in South Africa working with teams on product development and MVP launches. Solly Moeng will also be joining. He works across reputation strategy and stakeholder communication, bringing a grounded perspective to the room.
This Wednesday, Nov 12, 6 to 8 pm The Vineyard, 60 Colinton Rd, Newlands.
If you are in Cape Town, or know someone who is, DM me or Keval Padia. Happy to share details or help you loop in friends who might enjoy being part of this.
One of my founder friends, Shalin Parikh, recently invited me to visit the new global headquarters of MYCPE One. During our conversation, we began talking about turning points, the moments that don’t look like opportunities at first but end up shaping everything that follows. That’s when the theme of Blessing in Disguise came up.
Shalin smiled and said, “My story actually starts with a rejection.” Back in 2006, he had just qualified as a Chartered Accountant, ambitious, prepared, and convinced that hard work and credentials were enough to open doors. Around that time, he interviewed with Fenil Shah, who was then the India lead for Analytix Solutions (then called Sunbelt Solutions). “I was armed with ambition and credentials,” he said. “Fenil interviewed me, and rejected me.”
It wasn’t the outcome he had imagined. He still remembers the exact words that stayed with him long after the interview ended: “What I respect is logic, not the designation or the degree of qualification.” At the time, it hurt. “I thought my qualification should have spoken for itself,” Shalin told me. “Had he hired me, I’d probably have been working at Analytix Solutions today.”
But time doesn’t erase moments like these; it reframes them. What feels like a wound in one season often becomes wisdom in another. The sentence that once cut deep would later become a quiet compass, shaping how Shalin thought about work, people, and the idea of merit itself. That day, he learned that qualification opens a door, but logic keeps it open. And while he couldn’t have seen it then, that rejection was quietly rewriting the direction of his life.
Nineteen years later, Shalin’s story had come full circle. MYCPE One had grown into a global platform, and the company he built had become twice the size of the one that once turned him down. “As Charlie Chaplin said, ‘Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot,’” Shalin reflected. “What once felt like rejection turned out to be one of life’s greatest redirections.” It was a lesson in patience, something he often connects to Warren Buffett’s wisdom: “The stock market is designed to transfer money from the impatient to the patient.” “The same could be said for success,” he said. “Patience, persistence, and perspective turn short-term setbacks into long-term defining moments.”
When MYCPE One inaugurated its corporate headquarters, Shalin invited Fenil Shah as a guest. “We laughed about that interview from years ago,” he recalled. “I told him, ‘I can’t thank you enough for rejecting me. Back then, I cursed you. But if you had accepted me, none of this would have happened.’” Fenil smiled and replied, “Then I deserve founder’s equity in your company, where’s my share?”
It’s a story that captures the essence of Blessing in Disguise, how time turns sting into story, how perspective reframes loss as lesson, and how every “no” can quietly shape the path to a much larger “yes.”
Some rejections don’t close paths; they clear them. Some detours don’t delay success; they define it. And sometimes, the people who once said no end up being part of the story you’re proudest to tell. Maybe that’s what building really is, the slow realization that life was never working against you; it was just waiting for you to see the long shot.
Three founders. Three very different journeys. One powerful conversation. ⚡
From Srikanth balancing his Qapita role while building two buzzing communities, to Tony landing his 5-year visa and showing up in full-on Diwali vibes outfit, to Himanshu sharing about AI Palette’s big acquisition by GlobalData Plc — this panel had it all: hustle, heart and humor.
Truly loved moderating this one — and soaking in all that entrepreneurial energy. If this is how we kicked off Diwali week imagine what’s coming next! 🔥
Stay tuned (and drop by Draper!) for more conversations that spark ideas, connections and maybe a little chaos too.
You open an app to see what your friends are doing. The screen fills with stories, short videos, and glimpses of daily life. There’s colour, humour, and creativity in every swipe. It’s familiar and easy, part of the way we move through our days now. And yet, sometimes, after scrolling for a while, a quiet thought appears, how are my friends actually doing?
It’s a simple question, but it lingers. Over the years, the internet has become the place where most of our lives meet, where we share ideas, build work, find communities, and stay connected across time zones. It has given us scale, reach, and access that once felt impossible. Each new tool adds its own form of connection: messages, stories, short clips, and spaces that bring people together in different ways.
Lately, a new pattern has started to emerge. More people are looking for smaller, calmer ways to stay in touch. Group chats, close-friend lists, private updates, little pockets of connection that feel easier, lighter, and closer to real life. The meaning of being “social” is expanding again, slowly taking a shape that feels more personal and present.
One of our founder friends, Mitesh Shethwala, is building something along these lines. His product, Currently, describes itself as “a place to know what your friends are doing.” It isn’t designed for reach or performance. It’s built around awareness, the quiet comfort of being part of each other’s everyday moments, without needing to say too much. It’s the kind of idea that feels small at first, but it touches something most of us understand immediately.
Across the world, similar ideas are emerging. Some builders are creating tools for closer communities. Others are designing products that make it easier to stay in touch in small ways. Together, they form a quiet but clear pattern, a new wave of social products that see technology not as a stage, but as a space to stay present in each other’s lives.
People are slowly finding new ways to stay in touch. A short message instead of a long post. A photo shared with a few friends. A small update that says, I’m here. These moments feel light, but they hold what social networks were always built for, a sense of closeness that fits into everyday life.
The next wave of products seems to be moving in that direction, simple spaces that help people stay connected without trying too hard. Apps that blend into our days instead of asking for them. Tools that make it easy to reach out, not perform.
Maybe this is what social networks were meant to do all along, to help us notice each other, to make distance feel a little smaller, and to remind us that connection was never about being seen by many, but being remembered by a few.
"eChai has been a game changer in my journey. It connected me with real people, real support and real opportunities. From building HMMBiz to launching Mindalcove, eChai has played a key role at every step. Grateful to be part of a community that truly believes in growing together."
Hardik Manwani
CTO, Mind Alcove
“I have no hesitation in saying that my association with eChai has been a gateway into the startup ecosystem. Through this platform, I’ve had the opportunity to connect with many young and dynamic entrepreneurs. These interactions have been immensely enriching - I’ve learned a great deal and have always tried to offer guidance whenever approached. It’s a truly symbiotic relationship that I deeply value, and it wouldn’t have been possible without eChai.”
Syed Nadeem Jafri
Founder, Hearty Mart
"If there’s one phrase that sums up my journey, it’s truly ‘The eChai Effect.’ Six years ago, I simply walked into my first eChai event, not knowing what to expect. The honest conversations, energy, and inspiration from founders and entrepreneurs struck a chord within me. That eChai spark became the catalyst for everything to follow. I proudly say: my entrepreneurship journey started—and keeps evolving—because of eChai. Redicine Medsol’s story is integrally linked to this community. I’ve gained so much, not just as a founder but as a forever volunteer and grateful member of the eChai family. With all my heart, thank you Jatin Bhai and everyone at eChai for shaping, guiding, and supporting my dreams. The eChai Effect will always be a part of my story."
Kush Prajapati
Founder, Redicine Medsol
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.
