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.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
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.
We help Web3 startups with Coaching, Capital and Community. Taking Top Web3 Founders into the Next Orbit.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
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:
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
"eChai has played a truly pivotal role in HummingBird’s journey — even before Day Zero. From ideation to establishment and into growth, it’s been a constant source of support. It connected me with incredible people who’ve become more than just friends. One of the biggest reasons I chose to stay in Ahmedabad is because of the eChai community. It has shaped my growth — both personally and professionally — in ways that are hard to articulate. Honestly, words fall short when I try to express what eChai means to me. I’m deeply thankful and forever grateful to eChai for being such an integral part of my journey."
Harsha Bhurani
Founder, HummingBird Consulting Group
"eChai isn’t just a startup community … it’s a mindset . eChai has been one of the most impactful communities in my entrepreneurial journey. It’s been a turning point . In a world where building something can often feel isolating, eChai gave me a sense of belonging. I’ve found mentors, collaborators, and friends here — people who genuinely want to see you succeed. It’s a space where ideas are challenged, actions are celebrated, and founders grow not just in scale, but in clarity and confidence. From late-night ideas to early-morning pitches, this community has quietly but powerfully shaped the way I build, think, and dream. I’ll always be grateful for the way eChai creates spaces where founders don’t just grow businesses — they grow together."
Koumal Kalantry
Founder, Bignano Ventures
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.
