Accel has launched the fourth edition of its pre-seed scaling program 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐥 𝐀𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐬 𝟒.𝟎 offering up to USD 1 million in funding.
To know more about this program, eChai Ventures and Accel is hosting this session with - *Vishal Virani*, founder of DhiWise (backed by Accel) - *Sarthak Singh* from Accel Partners
Last Saturday, I had the privilege of moderating a stellar panel on Bootstrapping at Draper Startup House in collaboration with eChai Ventures – and it was truly a session to remember.
I was thrilled to host some of the most inspiring and talented founders:
Amal Mishra, Co-founder of Urban Vault, who shared his remarkable journey of bootstrapping to 57 managed workspaces in Bangalore. His story of overcoming asset-heavy challenges by leveraging his furnishing business showed us the power of strategic thinking.
Vikas Bardia, CFA, Co-founder of Shoffr, captivated the audience with how he led one of India’s first customer-led funding rounds, raising $1.1M from 110 customers! He bootstrapped to 57 cars, and post-funding, has now scaled to 110 cars. His insights on maintaining a bootstrapped mentality while growing were incredibly valuable. As he put it, “The service inside the car is broken, not the app.”
Jeevan Gnanam, from Sri Lanka’s Hatch Works – one of Asia’s top coworking spaces – and co-founder of SpectrifyAI, shared key insights on scaling businesses while managing multiple ventures. His focus on hiring champions who help you grow was a game changer.
Rishav Agarwal, founder of Picxele™ and angel investor in 60 startups (including Zypp electric & Crib), gave a masterclass on what angel investors look for in founders and the red flags to avoid.
Despite the rain, we had a full house with 82+ attendees – a testament to the energy and passion of the startup community.
Don't miss out! This Saturday, we’re back with an amazing VC panel to dive into fundraising strategies and expert insights from the best in the game.
The Climate Tech Startups Meetup that we organised through Pro Zero Carbon in association with eChai Ventures and Draper Startup House India was an amazing gathering where founders shared insights, challenges, and solutions, sparking conversations on how innovation can combat climate change. Conversations flowed freely, from groundbreaking tech innovations to collaborative opportunities aimed at creating a sustainable future.
Many thanks to Dr. Disha Ahuja (Ph.D.), Kiran Kumar Alla, Vyshali Sagar and Nazim Sharif for joining in and giving their valuable insights on biogas, hydrogen, solar power and corporate climate responsibility and making this memorable.
Real-world solutions driving impactful change through technology and collaboration.
On September 27th, I had the opportunity to speak at the ClimateTech Startups Meetup, hosted by eChai Ventures at AIC GUSEC - Atal Incubation Center, Gujarat University. This event brought together some of the most innovative minds in sustainability, including @Ashit Chandaria (Belgrey Waters) and Dr. ANSHU KUMAR (AirX Purifier), to tackle pressing environmental challenges with cutting-edge solutions.
It was an exciting moment to showcase how Oizom is transforming air quality monitoring across 70+ countries. The discussions were not just insightful but action-oriented, highlighting the power of partnerships in driving meaningful, lasting change.
A big thank you to eChai Ventures and GUSEC for creating this platform. Together, we’re not just talking about the future—we’re building it.
Success Story: Celebrating Partnerships with eChai
Over the years, we have had the privilege of meeting some truly remarkable people, thanks to the various programs and events organized by Jatin and the team at eChai. The eChai community has been instrumental in helping us (IndiaBizForSale) build valuable relationships with founders and entrepreneurs, and this ecosystem has played a significant role in our growth. Our journey with eChai began in early 2014 when we first met Jatin at CIIE (now IIM A Ventures).
I still remember how, without hesitation, he recommended that we meet six individuals who could help us. That kind of easy access, with no expectations, really highlighted the essence of eChai: the power of paying it forward. Fast-forward to 2024, and I’m glad to share that we (IndiaBizForSale and now also IBGrid) have closed several successful transactions through connections made in the eChai community.
One standout example is the recent funding secured for DevX, facilitated by investors from the IndiaBiz network. Our initial introduction to the founders of DevX came through Jatin, and over the years, we strengthened this relationship through multiple interactions at eChai events. That trust and camaraderie eventually led to their successful fundraising round—and yes, we happily earned our fees from it 😊.
In recognition of the immense value that eChai has brought to us and the wider ecosystem, I’m happpppy to announce that we’ve partnered with eChai as they transition to their new business model, becoming growth partners for brands.
As far as I know, we’re the first to pay affiliate fees for the outcomes we’ve achieved through eChai, and it feels great to be part of this next chapter.
A huge thank you to Jatin, Kunal, and the entire eChai team for their unwavering support throughout our journey. We’re incredibly grateful and look forward to many more successful collaborations in the future.
"Natillu evedya?" – Where are you from? In Kerala, this is more than just a question; it’s a way of greeting, an instant bridge between people.
This week was particularly special for us, as we had the pleasure of hosting a wonderful mother-son duo from Kannur, who recently moved to Bangalore. The mother, Hafsa MTP founder of Hafz Products, is deeply passionate about community health and wellness, while her son, Sijhah Sadique, co-founder of Atom & Echo, is driving their vision forward in the startup space. They joined us at Draper Startup House for a startup event, and by the end of it, they weren’t just participants—they won the best pitch among five incredible startups! 🎉
This is why we do what we do. A big thank you to eChai Ventures and Draper Startup House for allowing me to moderate this event and giving entrepreneurs the platform to showcase their ideas and build meaningful, valuable connections.
I ❤️ connecting people, especially if they are folks that want to help others. Thanks for meeting Kushagra Shrivastava while he’s in 🇮🇳 Jatin Chaudhary! 🙏🙌
✅Support our 5,000+ early-stage startup community, acing their journey from Zero to One ✅A three-month action-packed "Open Accelerator" to learn all about Starting Up ✅Learn from the ones who have worked their way up! From the Community, by the Community ✅Engage in a series of online webinars and live interactions covering broad topics to ease the initial hustle ✅Suggest topics you would want to learn in detail and connect with mentors who could guide you better ✅Stand a chance to present your product to a larger audience at the "Demo Day" and interact with early-stage investors!
Tag your startup friend & colleague to remind them to join.
🦄 Thank you for joining us in the eChai Ventures gathering on 'Building Startup Teams and Company Culture' at Urban Vault HSR, Bengaluru! 🚀
Sharing glimpses -
🌸 Ankita Shree is the Managing Director at Mamacoco Hospitality and runs the restaurant Moglu on St. Mark's Road, Bengaluru with her husband Kiran Narayanan, PhD. "My heart was not in bureaucracy and my partner needed a co-founder. So I moved out of my role as an IRS Officer and moved in to the startup world as a co-founder at a deep tech startup", she says. She strongly believes that Kiran has a gift for food and flavours. Moglu is Kiran's nickname! Their golden rule to hiring is to have people with an attitude to learn and grow. She loves the word 'nurture' because it captures everything she does beautifully. Some of the hardest decisions have included shutting down a Quick Service Restaurant - Matka Junction, and moving from a veg only offering to one that will serves veg and non veg, starting mid-September. People aren't willing to pay a premium for good vegetarian food, as yet. "Food and flavours have no boundaries. We create them', she sums up. She highly recommends reading Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.
🌸 Jaitee Wazalwar 🐉 is the co-founder at Credfino which enables transformational growth for accounting/tax firms through remote staffing and consulting. She believes her highs and lows. revolve around the people she works with, in their victories and setbacks. While building the startup, a lot of disruption happens when moving from one stage to another. They recently let go of a big client that contributed to 45% of their business, while retaining all the people who worked on it. This was hard but needed for the company's growth. Having worked in the manufacturing industry in a previous avatar, she recalls how people would want to talk a man instead of her. One of her female founder mentor shared the hack she used by 'hiring a guy for 15K monthly' so that the suppliers could talk to a guy. Her book recommendations include Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You by John Warrillow, and Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman.
🌸 Nida Sahar is the founder Nife Labs which is Interconnecting Cloud & Edge Infrastructure to help customers deploy, manage and scale applications anytime anywhere. Her brand name has a backstory that's as beautiful as her poetry. Nickel and Ferris form the core of the earth and they'd like to be the core of your cloud, hence Ni + Fe is Nife! She has been a fan of checklist and games ever since she was a teenager. As she gamifies and plans the next set of moves for herself and her startup, she continues to remain inspired by the poem 'On his blindness' by John Milton. She strongly believes in independence and creating a way to achieve what people would like to do and grow. She recommends reading The Startup Owner's Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company by Steve Blank and Bob Dorf.
It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a community to raise a startup.
Grateful to have found eChai Ventures community & Jatin Chaudhary and an incredible network of people who continually inspire me and team at Digipple to push boundaries and strive for more.
As we open the doors to our new office, we’re excited to celebrate this milestone with our Founder Friends & Mentors at an exclusive eChai Marketing Social.
At Digipple, we believe the best is yet to come.
Let's continue to inspire, innovate, and co-rise.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us for this special evening:
Recently, I had the opportunity to pitch at eChai Ventures demo in Surat. Thanks to Manoj for being such a wonderful host and volunteer. Huge shoutout to Jatin for building such an amazing community worldwide!
It was amazing to share what we are building at CalendarFix with everyone. I am glad to have received some great feedback and questions from the event. It was amazing to see what others are building and more importantly at what age!
What was most unexpected was the media coverage it received. Sharing it with you all.
Looking forward to more such events in the future.
P.S.: If you are a business, and want to have your appointment booking system on WhatsApp, ping me or signup using our website calendarfix.com
Building Startup Teams and Company Culture: Insights from Industry Leaders 🚀
Today, I had the pleasure of attending an inspiring event organized by eChai Ventures in collaboration with Urban Vault, focused on one of the most crucial aspects of any startup—building effective teams and fostering a strong company culture. 🌱
The event was beautifully hosted by Radhika Mohta, who brought so much positivity with her million-dollar smile. 😊 The panel featured three incredible leaders:
Ankita Shree: Managing Director of Mamacoco Hospitality Pvt Ltd and an Isha Hatha Yoga Teacher at Isha Foundation, who shared her unique perspective on balancing business with mindfulness. 🧘♀️
Jaitee Wazalwar 🐉: Founder of Incredence and Co-Founder of Credfino, who emphasized the importance of resilience and adaptability in team building. 💪
Nida Sahar: Founder of Nife, who discussed the role of innovation and trust in cultivating a thriving company culture. 🌟
Each of these leaders brought their own experiences and insights, making it a truly enriching session. I walked away with valuable lessons on how to lead with intention, build cohesive teams, and create a culture that not only drives success but also nurtures growth. 💡
Kudos to eChai Ventures for organizing such a wonderful event! 👏
it was indeed entrepreneurial and stimulating and enriching to listen to founder of TorchIt .
torchit works towards empowering the differently abled community using modern tech and giving them independence.( www.mytorchit.com)
Learnings from the founder of Torchit :
_ attendance to networking events helps find mentors and investors ..keep attending. keep meeting lots and lots of people .
_ alignment with your co-founder at skills and belief level is more important than functional alignment. having a co-founder always helps .
_ your purpose and it's clarity triggers the scale up strategy automatically.
_ innovation engine of a start up business is like a popcorn machine where you need to continuously pop up innovative ideas ..how many pop corn machines Can you instill in your start up ?
_ 18 versions of his prototype has made the company product robust to scale. keep on developing prototypes .fail forward .fail fast. iterate . _ you can learn anything .anything .including coding even though you are not a coder professionally . keep aspiring and keep learning. he built his program code himself .
_its good to have multiple mentors for every area of your business where you have concerns .listen to all mentors , use your gut and do what feels to you is good. you as a start up owner may need different styles different nature and different type of mentors as you progress along the business journey .having functionally qualified mentors ( as for example legal experts etc ) is more apt .
_ continuously talking to , interviewing with and observing your target audience is the best way to learn about products and innovation. he learnt that visually impaired clients not give " blunt " and right answers ..they always give good answers .so meeting more and more users, one of the users helped in understanding that his product was not up to the mark .and that thought triggered him to go deeper in their lives. so the founder decided to employ micro blind entrepreneurs who become trainers to their clients for torchit clients.
_ game of start up entrepreneurship is about completing a full cycle of the value chain . once done, and once sorted, your role is now to give the execution of the cycle to your team .your role is to be mentally free. being a innovator your role is not to sit idle, but to create similar such multiple cycles ( new products / new markets / new tech/ new orbits )
_product innovation and business innovation are two sepate types of innovation streams, according to him business innovation is the key trigger for his success
_ community building has been a key success factor for his success.creating a band of micro entrepreneurs who are having partially disability are a key segment for training and marketing their products
Thrilled to have presented Kuberjee at the Global Fintech Festival (GFF)! 🌍💼
The Global Fintech Fest provided an incredible platform to connect with leading investors and fintech innovators from around the world. It was a fantastic opportunity to showcase how Kuberjee - कुबेरजी is transforming rural India by empowering women through digital financial solutions.
Thanks to the Fintech Convergence Council and eChai Ventures for making our pitch happen, and a special thanks to all the regulators whose innovations drive the fintech ecosystem forward.
Our discussions at GFF highlighted the potential of Kuberjee’s model to scale and create even more meaningful change. We are excited about the future and look forward to collaborating with forward-thinking partners who share our vision of financial inclusion and women’s empowerment.
Thank you to everyone who connected with us at GFF—together, we can make a difference!
Currently, he is leading as the Director of Product Management at Paytm , where he heads merchant experience and fulfillment of offline payment devices.
At Paytm, Ashish Singh focuses on enhancing the merchant experience and ensuring the seamless fulfillment of offline payment devices.
At Swiggy, Ashish prioritized enhancing customer satisfaction, especially for high-priority customers. He focused on three key metrics:
✅Customer Lifetime Value: Ensuring long-term value and loyalty. ✅Egregious Issues: Identifying and addressing severe problems quickly. ✅Churn Score: Analyzing past customer experiences to reduce churn.
He has improved the customer experience by reducing cancellations, minimizing order delays, and building solutions for fulfillment exception management. This includes addressing rare but significant issues like delivery executive fraud, such as false delivery cases.
He also worked on improving the retention of the high value customers by creating a differential customer support experience.
At instamart, Ashish played a pivotal role in designing products to boost customer repeat in the nascent quick commerce market, including adoption of Fruits and Vegetables category and initiated personalization of the journeys on the Instamart app.
Personal Insights and Recommendations: Beyond his professional expertise, Ashish is also certified to climb Mount Everest—a testament to his adventurous spirit and perseverance.
His go-to book recommendations: 1. 'The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact' by Chip Heath
2. 'Principles: Life and Work' by Ray Dalio, both of which have shaped his approach to leadership and problem-solving.
Ashish's journey is a testament to the power of tackling ambiguity head-on, identifying the right problems, and delivering impactful solutions.
As a proud Rajasthani, I've always cherished the opportunity to visit my home state (though I have become half Gujarati now!), and this time is extra special - I'm beyond excited to announce that our upcoming Startup Meetup in Jaipur has received an overwhelming response with 400+ registrations!
Growing up in cities like Pali, Jodhpur, Kota, and Jaipur, I've witnessed firsthand the incredible talent and entrepreneurial spirit that thrives here. It's an honor to be able to contribute to this vibrant startup ecosystem, again and again!
This insightful event is tailored for small & medium businesses, providing attendees with deep insights into the potential of WhatsApp for business growth and learning how to get the festive season ready - from Ganesh Chaturthi to New Year!
Our first-ever "Anybody Can AI Socials - Product Manager Edition" was a blast! We brought together brilliant minds from across industries, all eager to infuse AI magic into their products. The room buzzed with interactive discussions, groundbreaking ideas, and the shared excitement of shaping the future of tech.
From AI newbies to seasoned PMs, everyone left inspired and armed with practical knowledge to revolutionize their workflows. Who knew learning about AI could be this fun?
Missed out? Don't worry - this is just the beginning! Stay tuned for more Anybody Can AI Socials. Because in this AI revolution, everybody's invited to the party! 🎉🤖
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting and engaging with incredible minds at the eChai Ventures Ahmedabad event at IIMA Ventures.
As a speaker, I had the opportunity to share my journey of building Cargar, diving into how and why we’re tackling the EV charging problem the way we are. We also explored the life of an entrepreneur, from day zero to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
Looking ahead to 2030, I envision standing in the same place, among the same brilliant individuals, and thanking them for switching to green mobility and thanking them for using Cargar services. The future of green mobility is bright, and together, we’re driving the change.
I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Jatin Chaudhary for founding eChai Ventures and for the incredible work he’s doing. eChai has become a platform that amplifies voices, motivates individuals, and helps many make better career decisions. The impact of this initiative is truly inspiring, and I’m excited to see how it will continue to empower and guide people in their journeys.
🦄 Thank you for joining us in the eChai Ventures Product Growth meetup at Urban Vault Headquarters in HSR, Bengaluru! 🚀
Glimpses -
Aditya Agrawal is a product leader at Cuemath. He left no stone unturned to remind all of us in the room about our math marks and tuition classes from school days! There are over 4,000 tutors on the platform, largely women who consider Cuemath to be a source of income and identity. He believes that the two most important deliverables for a product manager are the value to the customer and the viability to the business. He recommends reading 'Escaping the Build Trap: How Effective Product Management Creates Real Value' by Melissa Perri. Shout out to Amal Mishra for the warm welcome extended to his college senior 😊
Ashish Singh is not just a product leader at Paytm, he is also certified to climb the Mount Everest! He shared titbits from his days at Swiggy sprinkled with buzzwords like customer lifetime value, churn score, priority support and the icing on the cake - customer satisfaction score which witnessed a massive jump during his tenure. He believes that 70% of product management is identifying the right problem and knowing when to solve it. His go-to book recommendations include 'The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact' by Chip Heath, and 'Principles: Life and Work' by Ray Dalio.
Madhurita M. is a product leader at Meesho, a board games enthusiast, F1 fan and a globe trotter who has been to 35+ countries! She shared insights from building her favourite products and activating people on return. She believes it's important to understand your customer really well at the n-th level. The skill to ask the right questions to know what they truly want is critical. This will ensure that the need for iterations and pivots drastically reduces. Whether you are looking to break in to product or get better at it, what gets you anywhere is curiosity! Go through apps from start to finish. Think through why someone would add these features and how that impacts your experience.
Sameer Mandge is a product leader at GoKwik. Recalling his days from Amazon, he says when Amazon launched in India, the default check out option was COD. They went through a journey of introducing changes for the new users and the existing users to eventually reduce COD. While Cash On Delivery is a growth lever, they aimed at reducing it owing to higher return to origin, frequency of purchase and more reasons. Return To Origin is an important step as it adds to merchant cost and operations to bring the undelivered orders back. He believes that customer keeps evolving and so do their needs. It's important to do your customer research well and put a clear persona to your user. He recommends reading 'The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business' by Charles Duhigg and 'The Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you' by Rob Fitzpatrick.
eChai Ventures partners with select brands as their growth partner, helping them expand market reach, drive revenue growth, amplify brand visibility, and strengthen hiring efforts.
