Extending heartfelt thanks to Malav Warke and eChai Ventures for the gracious invitation to join the panel alongside Deepa Bhowmick from Daisy Life at the recent D2C startups meetup in Pune.

It was an incredibly insightful experience, filled with enriching discussions and valuable networking opportunities. Your dedication to cultivating collaboration within the D2C ecosystem is truly inspiring!

Grow Billion Trees

Recently in a eChai Ventures Meetup one of our speakers Dr. Vidhi Bhanushali mentioned a term called Cockroach Startup🪳. Unlike a beautiful and elegant unicorn, a cockroach can survive in the worst of situations, even without a leg or arm! Cockroaches are creatures that have also survived the mass destruction of dinosaurs.

In the mass destruction of funding drought, VC Crisis in USA and bankruptcy news coming out everyday,, startups are increasingly focusing on becoming a cockroach startup than a unicorn 🦄!

How are you preparing your startup to be a cockroach?

Had a lot of fun discussing startups, ideation, journey and possible pitfalls around the corner along with Sudeshna Ashish Nikhitha and Riten (Fueler) at eChai Ventures Banglore startup meet.

The energy and enthusiasm of Bangalore crowd on a Saturday evening was exciting.

Saturday evening spent at this networking hub of startups at eChai Ventures in Pune. Thanks Malav Warke for having me.

I had more to learn than to share, thanks to the wondeful co-panelists Nidhi Thakkar Shikha Pakhide Richa Singh. Breaking away from jargons of marketing strategy to dicussing web 3.0 and Gen AI... it covered whole spectrum of marketing.

Interesting was that the participants opened up about thier apprehensions towards marketing. Marketing is not always big bang budgets. Its understanding your product, your market and your customer deeply.
Choosing channels, means, metrics of mesurement, ROI and attribution are topics which will then follow.

Fantastic startup network meet by @echai.ventures and @meghavermaofficial at Nojoto Creator Hub in Gurugram.

Steps of growing a community on maybe some days is just showing up!

Showing up for talks
Showing up for missing it
Showing up sick
Showing up recovered
Showing up ready for the week
Showing up wanting more rest
Showing up as a starter bee
Showing up needing help

My tip, show up decide later. You can give yourself thousand no but one yes is enough, find that and show up ❤️ because if you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far go together 👏🏼

Today’s breakfast social, bunch of OGs and few newbies introducing

Divya Yadav, Founder DivMade
Meenal Rai Shejwar, Founder Café Amado
Nidhi Khatri, Founder House of Enke
Isha Khosla, Co Founder Itthiha
Vinay Dhok, Co Founder Itthiha
Srijan Sharma, Founder ItsHemp, Co Founder SOQO

Always a pleasure hosting eChai Ventures Breakfast Social, small group candid conversations

After a successful Mumbai tour, I am back in Delhi! This Saturday I will be participating as a speaker at the Gurguram Startup Meetup organised by eChai Ventures. Thanks, Jatin Chaudhary for this opportunity :)

If anyone is attending the event, drop me a DM on Linkedin, let's connect :)

If you would like to attend please visit: https://lnkd.in/gxiZCDK2

🎉 What a lively evening at the Women's Day Startup Social! Surprisingly, the crowd was mostly men, proving that support for women in entrepreneurship knows no bounds!

🙌 And yes, I'm already prepping to shed light on men's struggles come Men's Day - it's only fair, right? 😄💼

Huge thanks to eChai Ventures and Draper Startup House for hosting such an inspiring event! Let's keep lifting each other up! 💪💃

#WomensDay #StartupSocial #EmpowerWomen #Entrepreneurship #Gratitude 🚀👩‍💼

Miracle Me, Ming Xia HO, Charu Dhyani, Pro Zero Carbon, Shruti Rawal , Ewoke Studio, Tejaswini Kidambi, T-Works, Moina Qazi, Venture Catalysts++ | India's 1st Multi-Stage VC,Deeksha Marur,Arpita Soma,Jyoshna Reddy, Anjum Mehta, Sidra Noor, Maitreyee Raje, Srishti Bagaria,Akanksha Rajuri, Sushma Venkatramani, Nell Neemuch, Aksheyaa Akilan, Tenaz Shanice Cardoz, Simrah Munaza Ikram, Olamide Williams, Prachi Rathore, Shaily Rathore, Sanjana Pai, ADITI LOHIA

Join me at 6 PM for a Women's Day Startup Social that promises to be as vibrant as our spirits! Let's gather with eChai Ventures and Draper Startup House Gachibowli to celebrate the brilliance and resilience of women in entrepreneurship.

Get ready for an evening of inspiration, connection, and a sprinkle of cheer! Can't wait to see you there! 💃🥂

Miracle Me, Ming Xia HO, Charu Dhyani, Pro Zero Carbon, Shruti Rawal , Ewoke Studio, Tejaswini Kidambi, T-Works, Moina Qazi, Venture Catalysts++ | India's 1st Multi-Stage VC

It was a pleasure hosting enthusiasts and evangelists of Ahmedabad startup ecosystem at @CricHeroes office. Wouldn’t have been possible without  @jatin10 and @eChaiVentures.

Thank you everyone. Let’s do this more.

You can't miss eChai Ventures social when it's all about cricket, chai, exciting stories from individuals and lots of knowledge sharing.

Special thanks to Abhishek Desai and Kuntal Shah for having us at CricHeroes HQ and sharing interesting insights about the Game of God in India and worldwide with their Growing network and love of cricket.

Thank you Jatin Chaudhary for the wonderful social.

Had a pleasure to meet founder & team of @CricHeroes as part of 

@eChaiVentures Social over Chai with echai community. 

It is fascinating to know #Ahmedabad based company has now foot prints in over 80+ countries.

The mobile 1st platform empowers millions of grassroots cricketers to showcase their talent, get recognition and become better with data.

@abhishekdesai #CricketTwitter #VocalforLocal

Last Saturday, I had the privilege of attending a panel discussion alongside my collegue Sai Trivikram Chintakunta, hosted by eChai Ventures at Draper Startup House. The event, titled "Founders who have made it to Shark Tank India: Hyderabad edition", featured founders of direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands and offered profound insights into the nuances of running a startup.

Here are the key takeaways from the discussion, which revolved around the 4Ps of marketing, though not explicitly mentioned.

Product: To ensure long term success and sustainability of D2C brands, innovation is key. With Gen Alpha emerging as a significant customer base, staying ahead with novel products is crucial.

Price: Pricing strategy plays a pivotal role in profitability. It is advisable to aim at least a 5x markup on the cost of production. If your products are priced at a 3x or 2x markup, it may be time to revisit your pricing strategy to ensure sustainability.

Place: For D2C startups, an offline presence is very advantageous. It significantly reduce customer acquisition costs and facilitates quick feedback integration for new product pilots.

Promotion: Budgeting for marketing is crucial as the promotional cost varies between 25% to 60% of the revenue depending on the product. While getting viral on social media is rare, identifying the most effective promotional channels is key to driving customer acquisition.

Special thanks to Ravi Kabra, Harshvardhan Khemani, and Suraj Pusarla for sharing invaluable insights during the discussion.

Thanks to eChai Ventures, I had the privilege to witness the creativity & dedication of budding entrepreneurs along with the opportunity to engage with influential minds during the inspiring panel at IIMA Ventures.

The conversation between Vishvajit Sonagara & Parin Sanghvi on how they started their own ventures even after coming from strong business families was fascinating. Listening to their stories & experiences from Milapsinh Jadeja on setbacks, necessary pivots and achievements in their respective fields was a great motivation.

Really fortunate to have been a part of this productive session & looking forward to others in the future.

A week that was :)

It started by watching the movie #article370 and learning how the events progressed.

Movies such as Border, Uri, Gadar, Bhagat singh etc always lift that “Patriot” within us. A political thriller that Article 370 is, once again lifted that spirit in me. I was so proud to have such leaders who make things happen. Most of us “”speak” and dont “act”. We like to be on those postions and posts to “show off”. The key is contribution. Giving our 100%.

Gujarat Blockchain summit GIFT City Mehsana startup mahotsav with and eChai Ventures meet at IIMA Ventures, IIM Ahmedabad.

Had a super time with fellow members from the startup ecosystem. From Block chain to a Tier 2/3 city. Startups everywhere ! So Glad to see this evolution in Gujarat and super proud to be a part of this.

🌟 What a weekend! Had the privilege of engaging with amazing audiences on two different stages, discussing startups, brand building, and product marketing.

On Saturday, I shared the stage with esteemed founders Ankita De
and Rapti Gupta at an eChai Ventures event, moderated by the fantastic Penchala Tharun 🚀. We delved into topics ranging from marketing and communities to startups and product marketing, with a special focus on the fintech space. A big thank you to eChai and Jatin Chaudhary for this opportunity! 🙏

Simultaneously, I had the pleasure of interacting with numerous entrepreneurs who are passionately building their own ventures. The insights gathered from diverse industries, from healthcare to the evolving Indian solar market, were truly enlightening. 🙌

On Sunday, the learning journey continued at a MyCaptain event, where I connected with over 80 individuals exploring the intricacies of Product Marketing.

We delved into the different strategies of product marketing, and I had the opportunity to walk them through a real-life campaign from Cashfree Payments, viewed through the lens of product marketing. Witnessing the participants' demos and the depth of insights they brought to the table was inspiring. 🎊

A huge shoutout to everyone who attended and engaged in these discussions. Your enthusiasm and curiosity made these events truly memorable. Special thanks to Tejaswi Vuppula and the entire MyCaptain team for this opportunity. 🙏

Looking forward to more such enriching events and interactions in the future!

It was great fun moderating the panel discussion on 'Blockchain for Banking & Fintech' meetup in Mumbai for eChai Ventures (Jatin Chaudhary) in association with DevX.

Rohan Sharan (Timechain Labs) & Mahesh Jadhav (One UPI) have
👉 Elucidated nuances around Web3.
👉 Use cases that would gain traction in the BFSI space.
👉 Ways inwhich regulated entities can foster adoption of blockchain tech.
👉 Stance of govt on the regulations around blockchain & crypto.
👉 How CBDC can bring the impetus required to Web3 in India.
👉 Hardware and Software requirements for Web3 applications to function at scale.
👉 What theoretical concepts in Web3 as on date can transcend into reality over the next few years.

Neucron Big Blockers Community

An enriching weekend at IIMA Ventures at Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad 🌱

Organised by eChai Ventures Delighted to be part of an insightful meetup featuring candid panel discussions with visionary founders and leaders. Reelo Quicko Iroller Capital Pvt Ltd Vishvajit Sonagara Milapsinh Jadeja Parin Sanghvi ☕️

The meetup showcased the passion and innovation of early-stage founders through inspiring open pitches. The networking session was equally rewarding, connecting with like-minded individuals, sharing experiences, and building valuable connections. 🙋🏻‍♀️

Grateful for the opportunity to be immersed in this dynamic entrepreneurial community!

Exclusive Product Growth Meetup at Draper Startup House in Bengaluru hosted by eChai Ventures🌟.

Thrilled to share that I had the incredible opportunity to participate as a panelist at the meetup delving into the dynamic world of Product Management!

It was a pleasure to join fellow industry experts Sanjeet Kathuria, Harneet Kaur Chhabra and Sanket Bhatt in a riveting discussion on key practices and strategies shaping the field. The turnout was nothing short of amazing with 50+ product and growth folks and even founders showing up for an engaging evening!

Key Highlights from the discussion:

🎯 Being an advocate for customer empathy is fundamental for translating business needs into actionable insights to drive product growth.
🎯 GTM and product development should go hand in hand with a key focus on adopting early design partners and finding distribution channels that work for your startup.
🎯 Experimentation with product features, pricing and positioning can help unfold unforeseen avenues leading to higher customer engagement and business expansion

📖 Book recommendation: Hooked by Nir Eyal

🙌 Huge shoutout to the organizers and host Jatin Chaudhary and Darshan Suthar for extending the invitation and for orchestrating such a successful event for the community.

Some glimpses from the eChai conversations on early stage fundraising held at HSR.

While I shared my learnings and what we look at Warmup Ventures, it was great to learn from

Shubham Jhuria

  about Aeravati Ventures and from

Raeeza Tameez

on Leo Capital.

Spent a dynamic Saturday morning with a group of dedicated entrepreneurs with eChai Ventures, exchanging invaluable insights and strategies for startup success. 🙌

We delved into key takeaways crucial for entrepreneurial success: 📈

1. Importance of Product Marketing: Emphasized the pivotal role of product marketing in effectively communicating the value proposition and benefits of your offering to the target audience.

2. Understanding CAC and LTV: Discussed the significance of Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and Lifetime Value (LTV) metrics in guiding sustainable growth and profitability strategies.

3. PLG and SLG Strategies: Explored the power of Product-Led Growth (PLG) and Sales-Led Growth (SLG) approaches, highlighting their respective advantages and suitability based on business models.

4. Finding Ideal Customer Profile (ICP): Stressed the necessity of identifying the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) to optimize marketing efforts and enhance customer acquisition and retention rates.

5. Achieving Product-Market Fit (PMF): Recognized the importance of attaining Product-Market Fit (PMF) to ensure that your product resonates with the needs and preferences of your target market.

6. Importance of User Research: Underlined the critical role of user research in gaining deep insights into customer behavior, preferences, and pain points to inform product development and marketing strategies.

7. Significance of Customer Interaction and Insights: Highlighted the value of ongoing customer interaction and feedback loops in refining products, enhancing user experience, and fostering long-term customer relationships.

Here's to the power of collaboration and hustle! 💼🚀

Notes from eChai's DeepTech Startups Meetup at Ahmedabad University

How drivebuddyAi started and what drivebuddyAI does?

DBAI is an Automotive AI startup working in the domain of Automotive Aftermarket in the category of ADAS.

What is AI in drivebuddyAI and what are the challenges about Human AI Interactions?
The drivers are usually in touch with our driver trainer team who talks to drivers and comforts them for their better safety and behavioral issues identified by the technology.

How do drivers react to AI alerts and how the resistance is being handled?

The drivers take 10-12 months of efforts to get confidence and comfort with the AI alerts i.e. a typical human psychological phase of accepting a tech in daily work life.

⁠What are the challenges of getting a customer, investors?

DBAI is funded and was raised before Covid in 2020 and since then have progressed towards becoming one of the major players in Indian market.

What are the challenges about hiring talent, building AI models and how it was handled in the case of drivebuddyAI?

Ahmedabad specifically lacks in talent pool required for AI, dbAI has talent pool available in Delhi, Vizag, Pune, Jaipur and all these are mid experience to entry level engineers working under the managent of domain expert AI engineers to solve daily AI challenges.

Typical challenges of building AI involves data collection, data curation, annotations, training, GPUs, model optimization etc. 

The DBAI journey started at a very early stage by using the pre-trained models for perception module to collecting and annotating data for Indian ecosystem when there was no Indian dataset available for building AI on it. The process of annotations, having GPUs for training purpose and managing a complete cycle of the data generation to updating a model with continuious learning is the journey in building AI.

To build AI/deep tech product startups, first one needs to start with whatever is readily available in the market which can give functional accuracy and then building on top of it by the feedback from the users, customers can help building the product focused on a specific domain.

It was such great fun sharing the panel with Ankita De and Varun Trivedi today talking about my favorite things - marketing, community, and founders.

We talked about user research, validating ideas, product marketing, saas market and more. The crowd was brimming with new ideas and entrepreneurial energy.

Thank you Penchala Tharun 🚀 for asking such great engaging questions. I had fun!

Thanks Jatin and eChai Ventures for having me.

For everyone that asked to join HSR Founders Club please dm me. And for anyone that wants to use Bugasura - go right ahead and give it a try.

Dhandha ya Startup?

My recent family visit to Jaipur would have been incomplete without a quick check-in into the start-up ecosystem. A few conversations with Headstarters and a last-minute meet-up with eChai Ventures helped me understand-

1. Jaipur and Rajasthan as a whole believe in business = profit > massive growth
2. Fundraising doesn't take as much precedence as building a sustainable business
3. Some of the most renowned start-ups and businesses like CarDekho Group, Razorpay, DealShare, and even Dexter Ventures have started and been built in Jaipur
4. The community is nascent, close-knit and growing
5. A lot of talent, very good talent is available thanks to the number of colleges and coaching institutes in the region

A shoutout to everyone who made time on short notice to help me get a sneak peek into Jaipur and the Rajasthan ecosystem - Paresh Gupta, Tushar, Prateek Mathur, Vinay Kamal, Chetan Saini, Rahul Singh.
Jatin Chaudhary and Gautham Sivaramakrishnan Headstart Network Foundation always help me find the best people to connect with across the country and the world.

If you have been to or built-in #Rajasthan, I would love to hear your thoughts. Do tag anyone you would like me to meet the next time I'm in Rajasthan.