Access, sales & scenarios

Accelerators, mentors, and selling to government and enterprise.

What founders use for access, sales & scenarios, ranked by how many answers lean on it.

  1. The authoritative, government-hosted explanation of exactly what a DPIIT-recognised startup gets in public procurement. If you... startupindia.gov.in Article · single-page policy explainer Procurement by Government, Public Procurement Benefits for DPIIT Startups Startup India (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce & Industry In 12 answers
  2. The authoritative handbook on founder-led sales, written for technical/first-time sellers building B2B SaaS. Readable free... foundingsales.com Book · book (~400 pages) Founding Sales: The Early Stage Go-to-Market Handbook Peter Kazanjy In 8 answers
  3. A 25-year-old, university-anchored incubator that runs distinct tracks by stage and by founder type, including strong... NSRCEL / IIM Bangalore Article · Program directory site NSRCEL, Incubation Centre, IIM Bangalore NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore In 4 answers
  4. Finding an advisor is only half the job; extracting value is the harder, less-discussed half. This piece is a concrete tactical... First Round Review Article · medium 7 Tactics to Get the Most Out of Your Startup's Advisors First Round Review In 4 answers
  5. The global playbooks assume a US-style buying process; this one is written for the Indian enterprise reality, where the sale... Blume Ventures Article · 25 min read The Rough Guide to Building an Enterprise SaaS Dhandha in India Blume Ventures (with Aakrit Vaish, Haptik) In 4 answers
  6. A tactical follow-on covering the channels and motions top B2B startups scale after the first ten. Grounds distribution... Lenny's Newsletter Article · ~15 min read How to win your first 10 B2B customers Lenny Rachitsky In 3 answers
  7. A YC partner who has read thousands of applications tells you plainly what separates the founders who get in from the ones who... YC Startup Library Essay · Long-form essay / talk How to Apply and Succeed at Y Combinator Dalton Caldwell In 3 answers
  8. AICs are India's flagship government-backed incubation network, deliberately spread across the country so founders outside the... AIM / Government of India Article · Program overview page Atal Incubation Centres, Atal Innovation Mission Atal Innovation Mission (NITI Aayog) In 3 answers
  9. A globally-branded accelerator with an India-based program, giving founders a clear, concrete reference point for the classic... Techstars Article · Program page Techstars Bangalore Accelerator Techstars In 3 answers
  10. First Round Review is a primary, canonical startup-operations source, and this is a tactical playbook on landing high-caliber... First Round Review Article · long Snag the Best Advisors for Your Startup, from Best-selling Authors to Fortune 500 CEOs First Round Review In 3 answers
  11. Most mentorship advice is vibes; this is evidence, First Round analyzed 100 real matches and distilled what separated the... First Round Review Article · long We Studied 100 Mentor-Mentee Matches, Here's What Makes Mentorship Work First Round Review In 3 answers
  12. The definitive research-backed case for 'give before you ask', Grant shows that generous givers, not takers, build the biggest... adamgrant.net Book · long Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success Adam Grant In 3 answers
  13. The uncomfortable truth of enterprise sales in one line: the shorter the sales cycle, the likelier the win, and this piece... First Round Review Article · ~20 min read The Most Surefire Way I've Found to Win Enterprise Deals Anand Chopra-McGowan In 3 answers
  14. A16z's framing of how modern enterprise software is sold: bottom-up product adoption layered with top-down sales, using... Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) Essay · ~15 min read Growth+Sales: The New Era of Enterprise Go-to-Market Peter Lauten & Martin Casado In 3 answers
  15. The most practical guide to investor updates, from a company that exists purely to help founders send them. Concrete structure... Visible.vc Article · 15 min read How to Write the Perfect Investor Update (Tips and Templates) Visible.vc In 2 answers
  16. This is the canonical, primary source for how the world's most influential accelerator actually works, deadlines, batch... Y Combinator Article · Application page + FAQ Apply to Y Combinator Y Combinator In 2 answers
  17. India's most prominent early-stage cohort investor and the pioneer of the founder-friendly India SAFE (iSAFE) note, a clean... 100X.VC Article · Program / portfolio site 100X.VC, Funding Simplified, Mentoring Unlimited 100X.VC In 2 answers
  18. The definitive essay on why place shapes ambition and what a startup hub actually gives you, 'an audience, and a funnel for... paulgraham.com Essay · medium Cities and Ambition Paul Graham In 2 answers
  19. The official source for the procurement quotas and price preferences that tilt government buying toward small firms. Combined... msme.gov.in Article · policy page MSME Public Procurement Policy, 25% Purchase Mandate & Price Preference Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises In 2 answers
  20. The frame that defuses the fight: on the big decisive calls, tell your investor their job is to be a sparring partner, not the... First Round Review Article · 15 min read You Aren't Getting the Most Out of Your Investors, This is How to Start Paul Arnold In 2 answers
  21. This is the money-and-clock reality check. It itemizes the cost (roughly USD 15,000 to 50,000, i.e. 12.5 to 42 lakh, plus USD... IncorpX Article · 18 min read Indian SaaS Flip Structure: Why Founders Move HQ to US and Tax Implications IncorpX (India cross-border compliance firm) In 2 answers
  22. This is the explainer that reframes government as the biggest buyer in India and shows procurement as real non-dilutive money,... Invest India Article · 10 min read Easing Public Procurement for Startups Invest India In 2 answers
  23. The official source for DPIIT recognition, the free registration that unlocks tax benefits, self-certification, and scheme... startupindia.gov.in Article · Official portal page DPIIT Startup Recognition & Tax Exemption (Startup India) Startup India / DPIIT
  24. Freshworks sold its first customer (a school in Australia) four days after launch and grew to a NASDAQ IPO without a US sales... Freshworks, The Works Article · ~12 min read 7 Lessons from Building an India-Based Global SaaS Business Girish Mathrubootham (Freshworks) via The Works

Show the next 24

The questions

Incubators, accelerators & competitions 21

Get in, get funded, get connected.

Should I join an incubator or an accelerator, and which one? 3 → My college has an E-Cell and an incubator, how do I actually use them? 2 → Which incubators and accelerators give grant money, not just space and mentorship? 4 → How do I get into YC or a top accelerator, what do they actually look for? 3 → Is the equity an accelerator takes worth it? 3 → All 21 questions in Incubators, accelerators & competitions →
Selling to government 21

GeM, tenders, and the public-sector playbook.

How do I actually sell to the government, where do I find the buyers? 3 → What is GeM and how do I get my product listed on it? 2 → How do government tenders and procurement actually work for a tiny startup? 3 → Do I need certifications or empanelment to sell to a ministry? 2 → I'm a DPIIT-recognised startup, what procurement relaxations do I actually get? 3 → All 21 questions in Selling to government →
Selling to enterprises (B2B) 21

Land your first big logo.

How do I land my first enterprise customer when nobody has heard of us? 3 → How long is a B2B sales cycle and how do I not run out of money waiting? 3 → Who do I actually sell to inside a big company, and how do I find the decision-maker? 3 → They want a free pilot, should I do it? 3 → Should I use design partners, and how do I structure the deal? 3 → All 21 questions in Selling to enterprises (B2B) →
Mentors, advisors & network 21

Find the people who accelerate you.

My network is all corporate colleagues, how do I actually meet founders and investors? 3 → Can I build a serious startup from outside the big startup hubs, or do I have to move to Bangalore? 3 → How do I find a mentor or advisor who will actually help me, not just add a logo to my deck? 2 → How much equity should I give a startup advisor? 1 → How do I actually ask someone to mentor or advise me without it being awkward? 2 → All 21 questions in Mentors, advisors & network →
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →