U T Rao - Associate Professor & Entrepreneurship Initiatives, MICA

U T Rao

Associate Professor & Entrepreneurship Initiatives, MICA

More about U T Rao

Pracdemic ! Associate Professor , Entrepreneurship Initiatives at MICA , Angel Investor, Start Up Mentor and Movie Producer

Dr. U T Rao is truly a Pracdemic, a rare combination of practice and academics . He is an Associate Professor at MICA , was Chair of MICA Incubator and now leads Entrepreneurial Initiatives at MICA , Entrepreneur , Angel Investor and Board Member of several start up enablers and has been on several Govt committees for promotion of entrepreneurship in India, 

As an Entrepreneur , he has co- founded Shrey Multispecialty Hospital , Shubham General Hospital , Solitaire Remedies , Sunset Boulevard Cinemagic and Openfuel Foundation Currently focusing on Innovation through collaboration at 100xstories.com . He also produced the award winning gujarati film “Mara Papa Superhero” directed by Dr Darshan Ashwin Trivedi ,elected in several prestigious international film festivals like San Diego International Kids Film Festival , Kids First Film Festival, USA , 34th International Film Festival for Children and Youth, Iran ,London Indian Film Festival , DYTIATKO International Children’s Media Festival, Ukraine, Indian Film Festival of Melbourne , Bollywood Film Festival of Norway and more ..

He has been board members of several organizations and start up enablers like ISBA (Indian STEP and Business Incubator Association) , Spinta Global Accelerator (US) , Innovify (UK) , TiE Ahmedabad etc 

Loves to interact with today’s youth and imparts training in Entrepreneurship related courses across some of India’sbest educational institutions as well as internationally as visiting and guest faculty. In the last few years he has taught at the Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley, University Sains Malayasia ,Univers,ity of Waikato , Several IIT’s and IIM’s , NID ,DAIICT , TISS apart from MICA . 

Awards and honours include Start Up Gujarat – Start Up Gujarat Award , Visionary Incubation Leader , eChai Pioneer Award ,Entrepreneurship Education Excellence award etc .

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Featured speaker at previous eChai events:
eChai Fundraising Social
eChai Startup Demo Day @ MICA
Founders and startup folks who joined past eChai startup events

The eChai Effect - In Their Words

"I attended my first eChai event 3 yrs back, and no one knew me in the market. Over the next three years, eChai didn’t only help me with knowledge or networking, but it gave me an identity from being unknown to now being recognized by a group of inspirational entrepreneurs connected with eChai, who have been gracious enough to acknowledge me and Digipple."
Viraj Rajani - Co-Founder, Digipple
Viraj Rajani
Co-Founder, Digipple
"At DevX.Work, we’ve greatly benefited from our association with eChai. Their events and networking forums have connected us with high-potential startups, ecosystem leaders, and innovation-driven professionals — many of whom have become valuable partners, collaborators, and even clients. What stands out most is the openness and accessibility of the community — whether you're an early-stage founder or an experienced entrepreneur, eChai provides a welcoming space to learn, collaborate, and grow. It's more than just a network — it's a catalyst for real, collaborative growth. We’re proud to be part of the eChai community. Highly recommended for any organization aiming to grow within the startup space."
Umesh Uttamchandani - Co-Founder, DevX
Umesh Uttamchandani
Co-Founder, DevX
“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

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