We are collaborating with Pro Zero Carbon, CoKarma - Coworking Space and Ewoke Studio for Wudbox Climate Dialogue in Hyderabad today (6th April, Saturday) at CoKarma Hitec City from 6 pm to 8 pm.

🎙️Shruti Rawal (Ewoke Studio)
🎙️Rashi Agrawal (Banyan Nation)
🎙️Dashveer Singh (Maharaja Carpets India)
🎙️Sundeep Singh (C-Forth Energy)
🎙️Nikhil Somani (Somani Packaging)

It will be hosted by Charu Dhyani & Shantanu Sharma (Pro Zero Carbon & Wudbox)

Free registration at eChai.Ventures 

Couple of things I noticed during a conversation about sales strategies for #startups organised by eChai Ventures in partnership with GVFL Limited.

1. Most questions were around negotiation and pricing.
It is natural to think that the most difficult part of sales is getting the customer to agree on a price point. This is because that's what we as entrepreneurs hear most objections on. It is also because that is fairly relatable and happens to all sales folks.

But it is important to remember that whatever happens in the room (or video calls) is only 5% of the sales process. 95% of sales happens outside of negotiation and pricing.

Negotiation is just one of the stages.

Building a predictable, repeatable and scalable sales engine is significantly harder than handling negotiation. I'd strongly recommend focusing on the sales engine a lot more, a lot early.

2. People do not focus enough on building trust.
Trust is one of those very few things - takes a life-time to build but a moment to lose. Most folks did not realise how valuable proofs, cases and testimonials can be if used the right way and how quick it can make the sales process.

One of the recommendations is - early on, see if you can ride on trust built by someone else. If your #agency does not have enough clients yet, work with an existing agency as a sub-contractor. If your #product does not have enough users/customers yet, launch on marketplaces like AppSumo.

3. In an effort to show our expertise, we end up ripping apart the customer.
No one. Absolutely no one wants to be told they are wrong/incompetent over and over. The customer already realises that they have a problem to be solved and that is why they are there to have a conversation with you.

Once you establish in first few minutes of the conversation that you can help them fix that problem, stop pointing out their mistakes. Consider using cases and portfolio to showcase your value. Consider existing ROI calculations to convince them on the pricing.

4. No one likes being sold to.
But all of us love an interesting conversation. Ultimately, sales is just interesting conversations. Asking open ended questions to understand them better and sharing your experiences to show them who and what you and your company are.

Doing this as a genuine individual (neither as a sales person nor a strategy) has helped us significantly at both Clientjoy (Acquired by Synup) and at Momentum Ventures.

Strongly recommend treating prospects like a person. Not like a bag of money or a record in your #CRM.

Lastly, focus on the process. Everything else will fall into place.

Thank you Jatin for considering me to join in on this discussion with Vikas from Magenta Insights and Shrijay from LegalWiz.in. It was meaningful. Looking forward to the next one.

Had a great day at eChai Startup Demo Day pitching Impler.

Just 2 minutes of pitch and a few minutes of Q&A were enough to open doors for genuine pain points and insights.

The event was filled with many amazing people, fantastic startups, and interesting questions. Even the 12th grade does join and network with people.

Nice meeting with Kshitish Dixit, Mehul Shah, Maulik Domadia, Ravi Gandhi, and Viraj Zaveri

Special thanks to Jatin Chaudhary and eChai Ventures for an amazing opportunity.

eChai Ventures and Draper Startup House will be hosting the in-person 'Startup Open House in Tallinn' with founders and startup folks on 4th April, Thursday from 6 pm to 8 pm.

eChai Startup Socials are volunteer driven small gatherings with founders and startup folks happening all over the world.

Speakers:

Small Group. Candid Conversations. Startup Folks.

This meetup is free and open for all.

Venue: Draper Startup House, Pikk 7, 10123 Tallinn, Estonia Office 1, Second floor

Date & Time: 4th April, Thursday. 6 pm to 8 pm.

Free registration at eChai.Ventures

As the echoes of The Climate Party still resonate within the walls of CoKarma and the hearts of our vibrant community, we're excited to announce the next step in our collective journey towards sustainability: the Wudbox Climate Dialogue event! ♻️🗣️

Imagine a place where your ideas have the power to morph into actionable climate solutions. That's what we are all about! This dialogue is your platform to mingle with eco-warriors in our ecosystem! 🌱🤝

- Charu Dhyani - She's not just the Founder of Pro Zero Carbon; she's a beacon of hope, leading the charge towards a zero-carbon future! 🌟🌿

- Shantanu Sharma - As Co-Founder of Pro Zero Carbon, Shantanu is here to prove that sustainability and success go hand in hand. 💼♻️

- Shruti Rawal - The brain behind Ewoke Studio, Shruti is stitching the fabric of sustainability into every creation. 🧵🌏

- Dashveer Singh - Steering Maharaja Carpets India towards green horizons, Dashveer's journey is nothing short of inspiring. 🌿🔍

- Nikhil Somani - Nikhil is here with Somani Packaging to wrap the world in eco-friendly solutions. 📦🌍

- Rashi Agrawal - As the Director of Banyan Nation, Rashi is transforming the landscape of sustainability through innovative waste management. 💼🌱

- Sundeep Singh - Sundeep, the Executive Director at C-Forth Energy, electrifies the scene with cutting-edge energy solutions. ⚡🌐

Amidst the constant warnings of a heat wave in Telangana and rising temperatures, be there to be the change. Let's make our planet proud, together! 🌟👫

🗓️ 6th April 2024 6PM onwards
📍CoKarma, Hitech City

RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/eMpMUiaT

No professional epiphanies or LinkedIn gyaan today.

Just a bunch of folks that met through the Ahmedabad start up community and became good friends.

Thanks eChai Ventures for doing what you do best- connecting likeminded folks who sometimes just want to laugh over a good cup of chai.

Founders have lives, too 🙂

Arindam Sengupta Faraz Wadhwania Rushabh Shah Jatin Chaudhary EduFund

Last Saturday at MotionGility, we had the privilege of hosting two esteemed speakers, Mehul Shah, co-founder of Ivy Growth Associates, and Tushar Suhalka, founder of Regrip, along with Komal Chaturvedi.

The topic of discussion was "How to Secure Funding During a Recession," a subject that couldn't be more relevant in today's economic climate.

Both Mehul and Tushar shared their experiences in investing and securing funding.

One key takeaway was that having a solid business and a profitable cash flow can increase your chances of securing funding, even in a recession.

The event was a goldmine of knowledge for entrepreneurs, giving actionable tips and strategies to secure funding during tough times.

Thank you, Jatin Chaudhary and eChai Ventures for backing this insightful gathering!

Also, a special thanks to Narendra Govil Ji & Aman Jolly for presenting the Gift 🎁& Taponn card to Mr. Mehul, it was a pleasure having you here.

This post celebrates the incredible impact of #networking and the pivotal role eChai Ventures has played in expanding my knowledge and connections within the industry.

A special shout-out to Jatin Chaudhary, whose support was instrumental when I was navigating the beginnings of this vibrant ecosystem. The relationships forged through #eChai meetings have turned out to be not just valuable but transformative.

Witnessing Bull Agritech's growth has been a joy. The dedicated approach and profound industry insights of its founders, Hit Desai and Divyajeetsinh Chauhan, clearly set them apart and paved their path forward.

Heartfelt congratulations to the entire Bull Agritech team—here's to soaring to new heights and achieving even greater milestones.

A big thank you to Faraz Wadhwania for being part of this journey. Your involvement and connections have made the job a lot easier.

|Fundraising Alert|

I am humbled to share the news of the $100K fundraise of Bull Agritech as their Fundraising Advisor. Personally, this is the first instance of aiding a fundraiser as a consultant.


With the new infusion, Akassh P., Nilesh Bhalala, Jeet Shastri, Adishwar Jain and Shahin Patel have joined in on the capable.


The Backstory:

Thanks to our coffee connection, I met the founders of Bull Agritech Hit Desai and Divyajeetsinh Chauhan through Rushabh Shah of STIR Advisors with whom I met through Jatin Chaudhary of eChai Ventures. This was my first experience working with someone as an 

#investmentbanker to meet the capital requirements of a startup.

With our close engagement with the founders, we will continue to help them in their capital-raising journey.


About Bull Agritech:

📌 Bull Agritech aims to create India's largest #agricommodity #supplychain by leveraging technology and its network of farmers and commodity processors.

📌 BA facilitated trades worth 35 crores in 24 months. Over 6000 farmers chose BA for selling crops instead of local APMCs.

📌 After reporting a 200% YoY growth, the company aims to sustain a 25% MoM growth and expand in the less penetrated farmer financing market.


Special Shoutout:

We rooped in Khyati Jha from Spectrum Partners to manage the legal side of the transaction. It has now been 5+ deals with Khyati on the legal front in the last couple of years. Bunty Hudda from Hudda & Associates Company Secretaries LLP led the secretarial piece. Harshit Dave also worked as a supporting pillar for the deal.

I extend my heartiest congratulations and support to the Bull #agritech team in their journey to growth and success.

WE ARE NO DIFFERENT

Every #sharktank featured event I go to, they put us on a pedestal.

Last meeting organised by eChai Ventures for young and aspiring entrepreneurs, the first thing I did was change those high seats to seats the same as the others.

It relaxed the whole group and they felt inclusive immediately, of course, Ravi Mathur and Agnim Gupta were also game and three of us immediately became one with the group.

Three of us shared our journeys, visions, wins and most importantly our failures. It is absolutely crucial to understand that our success is only after a series of failures.And, we still have a long way to go.

So walk, fall, get up, relearn and this time RUN. It was such a successful moment when the listeners at the end came up to us and said that they felt we were as normal as them and if we could, so could they.

But, here’s a little secret. I too look up to some legendary entrepreneurs and it feels like they are different, but this was a sweet reminder that we can be whoever we want to be if we put in all our efforts.

So who do you want to be like? Do share your hero with me.

eChai Ventures social conversations are super fun and insightful theme was great "From Zero to Millions".

Thanks everyone for joining in Bhavesh Patel | Leena Parikh | Valay Parikh | Jatin Chaudhary | Bhavik Makwana | Nikita Lalwani | Pankaj Bhimani | Chirag Panchal  | Yug Dave

In the age of overselling and misselling, how do you truly drive sales?

An Incredible event hosted by eChai Ventures X GVFL Limited, delved into this very question: How to get early customers to scaling your sales.

Key Takeaways:

1. Listen & Ask the Right Questions: Allow your target customers to share their pain points. Avoid assumptions, and simply listen.

2. Don’t outsmart your customer.

3. Under Promise, Over Deliver:

It’s easier said than done. Making sales promises you can't keep damages your credibility in the long run.

4. Don’t sell to everyone.

If your customer is everyone then your customer is no one.

5. Invest in PR:

PR means Perception that drives Reality. Create Perception by investing in PR activity.

6. Base your research on facts, not assumptions.

7. Lead Magnets >> Money Magnets: Offer exceptional value through lead magnets to convert target customers into loyal fans.

Last not but least,

8. Find ways to collaborate with people:

Be the person that everyone wants to collaborate or be that person who collaborates with everyone, Read that again.

Thanks for sharing invaluable insights Jatin Chaudhary, Shrijay Sheth, Yash Shah , Vikas Mundhra, Kamal Bansal & Mihir Joshi.

Draper Startup House + eChai Ventures , moderated by Vishnu Chaitanya, is a powerhouse combination! 💥

Yesterday's discussion brought together the titans of the #HoReCa industry in Hyderabad, featuring brands like Ishtaa, Haashi , Euphoria Bakers, Drunken Monkey , churrolto, and Swiggy. 🍽️

The insights shared by these industry stars were nothing short of fascinating, especially for a marketing enthusiast like me. The moderator's questions and the engaging Q&A session kept us hooked for an event that stretched two hours beyond schedule! 🕒

From Koushik "Babu" Koganti's journey from the streets of the USA to Harvard and then to the bustling streets of Hyderabad, to Samrat Reddy transformation of Drunken Monkey from a brand to a lifestyle, each story resonated deeply with the entrepreneurial spirit. 🌟

Neehar Bisabathini from Churroltto captivated us with his eloquence and straightforward explanations, leaving us eagerly anticipating more of his wisdom in the future. Stay tuned! 🎤

Faisal Tayabali's journey with Euphoria, from corporate life to becoming the "Bald Brownie Baba," showcased the power of entrepreneurial freedom.

Sandeep Balasubramanian from Hashi shared his eureka moment and the enduring value of strong employee relationships during challenging times like the pandemic. 💡

And let's not forget Suharika Karri from Swiggy Hyderabad, whose insights on dark kitchens and boosting sales were nothing short of guru mantras for startups in the HoReCa industry. 🍕

I (and members of The D2C Folks) had the privilege of learning so much from the panelists at the D2C event by eChai Ventures and Netcore Cloud yesterday!

From Shivam Tiwari's inspiring story to Janvi Tiwari's unwavering dedication to her brand SOQO, and Vandita Tewari Kapoor's insightful strategies for Iyurved, every moment was enriching.

Waiting for more of these enlightening sessions!

Thank you Nanda Kumar, Mitul Aggarwal for this event!

Gorang Gupta | Nishanth Kumar | Manesh Jain | Prashant Prakash Dubey | Jatin Chaudhary

Contributing to streaming conversations around marketing in #Surat is a great delight and also the need of the hour. We've all witnessed events centering around startups, funding, finance, art, textile, auto, energy, and various other sectors but one pivotal factor "Marketing" still remains overshadowed & undervalued.

There's clear lack of education on marketing, both from the standpoint of brands and marketers themselves. It's time we marketeers collectively come together, uplift the significance of marketing in our ecosystem.

Let's ensure every voice in #Surat is equipped with ample knowledge and tools to harness the potential of marketing.

Glad eChai Ventures & Manoj Adwani is taking initiatives forging the culture of strong brand image!

Had an amazing time attending the event last Saturday evening hosted by eChai Ventures and LOGICWIND 🚀 It was an incredible opportunity to connect with amazing founders, exchange ideas, and gain insights into the latest trends shaping our industry.

The panel (Saurabh Pacheriwal,Hardik Dawar, Anushi Shah,Meghna Kherajani,Roshan Chaudhari,Radhika Agarwal) shared some valuable insights for new startup founders:

🔍 To establish client connections and nurture them, keep the approach very personalized based on the client. This results in better client conversion and retention.

📞 Quick responses to client queries play a major role in client satisfaction. It's not just about great numbers and results; it's about being attentive and responsive.

💼 As a founder, having an authoritative or strong point of view of what you bring to the table and what results you can help achieve is crucial.

🚀 Confused about when to start marketing for your product? The answer: even before the product hits the market. Start by sharing free resources and insights for your target audience to identify the first adopters for your product.

Thanks to Manoj Adwani for making this event possible. It was an enriching experience, and I'm excited to be part of more such upcoming events.

Thank you for joining us as I hosted the eChai Ventures Marketing Summit at Urban Vault, HSR!

My key takeaways:

Sharuti Mittal: Paying more attention to the labels on our foods is crucial.

Ajitesh Shankar Das: Working closely with the product folks enables in targeting the ideal customer profile.

Parasar Sarma: Talking to the customer is everyone's job. Stories that stay with us exist there.

Aquibur Rahman: There's immense value in talking to your customers on why are they coming to you and how can you serve them better.

Thank you for making this gathering happen, Jatin Chaudhary!

To HSR, With Love ❤️
Your Cheerleader from HSRisHome

We host eChai's two parallel startup meetups in Bengaluru every Saturday evening, one in Koramangala and the other in HSR Layout. 

Feel free to join whenever you happen to be in Bengaluru and nearby these areas.

Join me on March 16 at 6 PM IST at Urban Vault for a conversation about marketing along with Parasar Sarma, Sharuti Mittal and Ajitesh Shankar Das.

Hosted by Radhika Mohta for eChai Ventures.

RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/gdzcTjRp

The eChai Ventures AI Social was a truly great experience.Yesterday, I had a pleasant time discussing various AI topics. The conversation with folks was enlightening, and I learned more about AI applications. Thank you, Jatin Chaudhary and GVFL Limited, for hosting such a wonderful social gathering.

Where do we all use AI nowadays? Be it in presentations, content creation, scanning interviews, job searches, education, on LinkedIn, reviewing documents, scanning documents, in e-commerce businesses using photography, or applying it to other skills.

The discussion on fantastic use cases was enlightening; there's a saying that a lot can happen over a cup of tea. Such great discussions are not always about showcasing who we are but often about understanding where the world is heading. The interaction with a few folks was great, and I'm looking forward to meeting and connecting with you again soon.

The discussion of AI's beautiful use cases across various domains—be it driving AI Nisarg Pandya, AI-driven interviews Vinit B Yadav, the education sector Niraj Harlalka, or the creation of mobile apps through AI—highlights its transformative power and versatility.

Nowadays, we often see blogs and posts from AI, and you can feel the difference between personally written and AI-generated content. It was also noted that sites using AI-generated content will be penalized, and the day may come when you have to credit your article as being generated by AI as thoroughly pointed out by Dipti Parmar.

Great mission of Ekta Shah founder of Biziverse is to empower Indian MSMEs to become world-class. Also discussion with VIKASH RAJPUROHIT founder of VastraApp, which is Vertical SaaS for the Textile Industry, was truly fruitful.

The clever integration of personal website visibility in the background during a concise two-line pitch adds a personalized touch that blends professional presentation .The commendable speed at which these tasks are executed is truly impressive Jatin Chaudhary.

In In the world of finance, as a qualified CA and CISA-certified professional, I look forward to more such use cases in the field, but along with ensuring data privacy and personal privacy. So, to conclude, AI is a companion, and we should use it wisely, not blindly. It can never replace humans but definitely saves time.

Notes from eChai AI Social at GVFL:

Curious about what went down at the eChai Startup Social with GVFL on March 14, 2024? Get ready to dive into a whirlwind of insights and takeaways straight from our participants themselves.

Mitesh Shethwala

, Founder, Currently 

Aditya Shah

, Founder, Because 

Shalin Parikh

, Founder, Entigrity

Nikita A Macquinn

 

Jimish Kapadia

 

Tarjani Shah

 

We use various tools in our office for graphics, images, and presentations, including ChatGPT-4 and its plugins and DALL-E, as well as Microsoft Copilot. We also utilize software that leverages AI in the backend for tasks like GST reconciliation. 

I recently shared a use case and a story titled "A Tale of Technology: AI's Impact on GST" on LinkedIn. You can find it here: https://l1nk.dev/Esd6Z.

I am excited to launch my very first "ReSchool Podcast" episode with Abhishek Desai, founder of CricHeroes, and Jatin Chaudhary, co-founder of eChai Ventures. 

Together, we explore innovative pathways for transforming schooling in our digital era as we dive deep into education, entrepreneurship, innovation, and reschooling. Stay tuned for real insights and inspiring stories!

🇮🇳 #India: It's been a FUN week in the world of #entrepreneurtourism! March is my favourite month of the year. It's a celebration of life and being on many levels: from birthdays to my gender, driving movements for gender equity, etc.

Last week on a panel with Moina, Shruti, Maithreye, Charu, we discussed launching startups, challenges in the entrepreneurial world, and on a less conventional topic of support systems to tide through hurdles, we dived deep and personal over a closeknit roundtable.

The journey can be lonely (sometimes more so as a woman), but how do we navigate that?

It is heartening to hear that support systems for these empowered women range from families and supportive partners, communities, micro-communities, to having access to like-minded peers in the same business social circles, alongside professional networks such as Women in Investing Network and Women in VSEA.

Earlier that day, I caught up with Aashraya who's one of the few #web3 founders in #Hyderabad – we shared a panel on network states and virtual nations last year in #Bangalore. We discussed ambitions and future plans for Illuminated.

Just yesterday, Deeksha from Anthill Ventures was passing through #Bangalore. Coincidentally, me too! So we couldn't pass on the opportunity to catch up in person at Draper Startup House in #koramangala and explore collectively driving progress in the startup community. It's always cool to meet a fellow woman in VC – i always have something to learn from them.

💫 On a personal note over birthdays and wishes, I hope that people continue to be the progress they want to see in this world.

The future belongs to the dreamers and visionaries who believe in the beauty of their dreams, and I'm always grateful and humbled by the community that shows me, without fail, everyday:

The future is here 🚀