It was my pleasure to host the eChai Ventures’s startup openhouse in Bangalore yesterday!😊🌟
Huge thank you to Jatin Chaudhary for the opportunity and to all the participants in the echai community for enaging with each other so positively and making extremely helpful contributions!!
For anyone in Bangalore, this event happens every Sunday at Draper Startup House, Koramangala!!
Please check their website to find relevant events in your city!
These personal stories are something you can't read in a novel!!
We shared our challenges and the stories behind them—experiences that can directly or indirectly help us in our work. Honestly, I haven't faced significant challenges as a working woman, but I recognize that others may have different experiences. In the end, the support women need starts with standing up for themselves. Once that foundation is established, everything else will fall into place.
I was truly inspired by the stories shared by women founders; they touched my heart. Of course, not everything you learn can be expressed on LinkedIn. However, one thing remains true: women can do wonders—on their own, together, or with the support of their families. The one thing they truly need is confidence.
When you connect with someone on a personal level, you’re more likely to reach out to them when you need help, whether it's professional or personal.
So, let's pour confidence into the women around us!
Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to meet Mrinal Rai at Draper Startup House during a startup event.
He shared his incredible journey with Intugine and offered valuable insights into the evolving logistics supply chain in India, particularly how IoT is revolutionizing the industry.
So, what exactly is IoT, and how is it solving the challenges in supply chain management?
Let’s imagine you're sending vaccine supplies, either domestically or internationally.
It's essential to maintain the optimal temperature (below 10°C). With IoT, you can access real-time data about the vaccine’s condition and delivery process, ensuring your supply stays within the required temperature range and reaches its destination safely.
This level of visibility and control is what makes IoT a game-changer in logistics.
IoT plays a pivotal role in logistics solutions by providing real-time visibility, data accuracy, and automation across the supply chain like:
✅ Real-Time Tracking ✅Enhanced Visibility Across Modalities ✅e-POD (Electronic Proof of Delivery) ✅Yard Management ✅Smart Locks for Security ✅Operational Efficiency ✅Data Integration with ULIP ✅Reducing Costs and TAT
Intugine’s Overall Business Strategy and Funding Status:
✅Target Audience: Manufacturers, shippers, retailers, and quick-commerce companies in need of comprehensive logistics solutions.
✅Unique Value: Multimodal tracking on a single platform, enhanced by ULIP integration and IoT expertise.
✅Product-Market Fit: Proven by partnerships with 75+ global enterprises solving key logistics pain points.
✅Go-to-Market Strategy: Growth driven by enterprise partnerships, ULIP (Unified Logistics Interface Platform) integration, and scalable SaaS offerings.
✅Revenue Model: Subscription-based SaaS model with additional opportunities in analytics and consulting.
✅Funding Status: According to Inc42, Intugine has raised $2.3 million (INR 19 Cr) in a Pre-Series A funding round led by Mela Ventures.
Achievements: According to Inc42, last year, Intugine claims to have tracked more than 10 million shipments from over 75 customers globally across various sectors, including Flipkart, swiggy Instamart, Mahindra Logistics, GE Healthcare, Titan, Diageo, Ultratech Cement, Bridgestone and Britannia
Last week, we hosted a Round Table in Pune for CallHippo on “The Future of Business Communication.” The room was packed with folks from big call centers and IT giants, all trying their best to look very futuristic 😁 .
The hot topic? AI. And somewhere between the coffee breaks we collectively coined a term: The Fear of the Nokia Fate.
Here’s the gist: Every organization is throwing money at AI like it's a Black Friday sale. Why? FOMO. Everyone’s terrified of missing out on the next big thing, even though most of them don’t have a clue what they’re actually trying to achieve.
Now, here's the kicker: Every time someone in the organization dares to ask, “Hey, should we maybe figure out our goals before burning more money on AI?” another person stands up and dramatically says, “Remember Nokia?” Cue collective gasps.
The Nokia legend goes like this: Nokia didn’t embrace smartphones fast enough and poof!—they vanished into the corporate Bermuda Triangle. Never mind that the story is oversimplified; it’s the mic-drop moment in every AI debate. Nobody argues after the Nokia card is played.
And that’s how we arrived at The Fear of the Nokia Fate—the corporate boogeyman ensuring that AI budgets stay bloated and slightly aimless. Because nobody wants to be the next Nokia.
Here are the people who were there at the round table and contributed to coining this term:
Today, we’re bringing together some of Ahmedabad's top D2C founders to share their journeys.
What does it really take to scale a direct-to-consumer business? How do you build a brand that customers love? And what lessons do founders wish they had learned earlier?
I’ll be hosting eChai's D2C Startups Meetup in Ahmedabad at GVFL, featuring an incredible lineup of speakers:
I was honoured to deliver a speech at an Event organized by Tally Solutions Pvt Ltd. The event theme was Founder's Day. I tried to inspire the fellow entrepreneurs with 5Es of Entrepreneurship.
1. Educate : We educate our clients and our team about what we have been doing, what we can do and what is the best suitable path for them in terms of technology adoption. This approach has established a good relationship between our clients and our team with a clear communication about each other's expectations.
2. Empower : We have been empowering our team to achieve their best so that our clients can get the desired results against their investment in technology. The empowerment is a continuous process where we, our clients and our team all participate equally.
3. Empathy : We are all human beings, we understand the cost of mistakes and we also know that things can be better if appropriate time and resources are applied. Our empathetic approach towards the team and clients have helped us develop sustainable solutions.
4. Execute : Our excellence is the result of our execution. The execution comes with a great responsibility and ground level planning with all resources engaged in the projects.
5. Ethics : Our ethics are our culture, whatever we do in business, the first thing we talk and insist is that is this Ethical? Our relationship with our clients and our team has been stronger and positive because of our ethics in business
What are your thoughts on the Gujarat ecosystem for startups ?
Gujarat is Home to >12000 startups & having studied in Mumbai , worked in Delhi & natively coming from Rajasthan here is my thought on Ahmedabad as a city :
1. Quite economical in terms of rentals & manpower costs for sure 2. Super infra & govt support with places like Ihub by Guj Gov offering coworking starting at just 3k per person which is like 4x in Mumbai. Alongside a lot of fund support also with Schemes like Srujan 3. Very safe & better quality of life (specially Space :)) than both the cities. With the recent new Delhi AQI at dangerous level, I feel Ahmedabad might emerge as a good option (although AQI here is sometimes at dangerous levels too) 4. With the biggest stadium & project like Gift cities some of the best events like Cold play , probably Olympics & recent Diljit show happen here too. For Tea totallers what else would they need :)
Of course there are a lot of challenges in terms of finding the right people to work or also concerns about rapid urbanization but I think Ahmedabad will be able to retain its charm !
If I missed any point do add in comment below 😊
Ps : let's discuss more in depth today in the sessions by one the most active folks in this ecosystem Jatin Chaudhary !
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.
