More about Monica Mehta
Monica leads the Wadhwani Entrepreneur Initiative of the Wadhwani Foundation which focuses on the College program in India, South East Asia and MENA. Prior to joining the Foundation, she was a Director at Omidyar Network, where she led the education/skilling investments as well as grants in India. She has also been the Founding Partner at Kaizen Private equity, India’s only private equity fund focussed on Education. Her experience has spanned across strategy, investments and operations over the past 28 years. She enjoys solving complex problems, especially in early stage businesses where obvious solutions are often lacking. She is drawn to leading teams with diverse skill sets, which she has successfully done both as an entrepreneur and investment professional. She has a particular passion for impact investing in the education/future of work segments, but has experience in financial services and emerging technologies as well.
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Featured speaker at previous eChai events:
Founders and startup folks who joined past eChai startup events
The eChai Effect - In Their Words
"After moving back from the USA, eChai became my go-to space to learn how the Indian startup ecosystem works. It offered direct exposure to startup thinking and a community that openly shares business insights. What stood out was how easy it was to connect, learn, and grow through real conversations. As we built our IT hardware rentals business, eChai helped us find our niche and refine our path. Proud and grateful to be part of this amazing community."
Heet Sheth
Growth and Tech, Sheth Info
“You don’t plan to build a company via eChai. You just keep showing up … and one day, you realize you did.” I’ve known Jatin since 2012, when I was still deciding what kind of second innings I wanted to play as an entrepreneur. Over the years, through events, chai breaks, intros, and seemingly small conversations, eChai helped shape not just Upsquare but also refined the lens through which we see collaboration. At Upsquare, we’ve hired talent, met partners, discovered co-investors, and built lifelong friendships. One of our joint ventures exists today only because a casual eChai memory sparked a deeper trust. Now, as we build House of Starts — our venture builder — eChai continues to fuel our mission: co-creating a shared future. eChai isn’t just a startup network. It’s a trust network. And for business builders like me, that makes all the difference."
Utpal Vaishnav
Founder @ Upsquare & House of Starts • Angel Investor + LP
“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
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.
