Santosh Panda - Co-Founder, Foundership

Santosh Panda

Co-Founder, Foundership

More about Santosh Panda

Hello! 👋 I run Foundership - The Web3 Launcher🚀

We help Web3 startups with Coaching, Capital and Community. Taking Top Web3 Founders into the Next Orbit.
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Find more about Foundership. https://foundershiphq.com/

With my new endeavor Foundership, I'm now on a mission to help/enable Web3 Projects /Startup Folks to succeed & scale.

Before Foundership, I started my Startup journey back in 2007, much before startups were "cool." I built Explara for India - an event ticketing and management platform by developing a SaaS solution while living in London and having a day job. 

I relocated to India in 2011-12 and grew Explara by hustling and bootstrapping to VC funding to $11m in gross revenue. Back in the day, I didn't have the ecosystem to support me or correct my mistakes. But, lucky for you, it's all there today! 

With a shoestring budget, I built a successful business & brand Explara, serving thousands of customers worldwide. Explara was my 3rd Startup that went through years of perseverance to withstand numerous failure and shutdown modes to become profitable in 2019. 

I started 2 businesses in London during 2005 & 06, both failed. Before starting up Explara, I was a software product engineer in eBay UK, BBC iPlayer, William Hill Betting platform and TouchNote. Before that, I was part of several startups during the dotcom era of the 2000s in the USA.

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Featured speaker at previous eChai events:
web3 Builders Meetup in Bangalore
web3 Builders Meetup in Bangalore
web3 Builders Meetup in Ahmedabad
Founders and startup folks who joined past eChai startup events

The eChai Effect - In Their Words

“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
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
Syed Nadeem Jafri
Founder, Hearty Mart
"If there’s one phrase that sums up my journey, it’s truly ‘The eChai Effect.’ Six years ago, I simply walked into my first eChai event, not knowing what to expect. The honest conversations, energy, and inspiration from founders and entrepreneurs struck a chord within me. That eChai spark became the catalyst for everything to follow. I proudly say: my entrepreneurship journey started—and keeps evolving—because of eChai. Redicine Medsol’s story is integrally linked to this community. I’ve gained so much, not just as a founder but as a forever volunteer and grateful member of the eChai family. With all my heart, thank you Jatin Bhai and everyone at eChai for shaping, guiding, and supporting my dreams. The eChai Effect will always be a part of my story."
Kush Prajapati - Founder, Redicine Medsol
Kush Prajapati
Founder, Redicine Medsol

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.