We plan to bring eChai across 100 cities in India. It starts with eChai Startup Demo Day on 26 September, all in person. 13 cities confirmed, 698 founders registered. Any city that reaches 20 interested founders is on too. See your city

Co-founders, team & legal

IP, licenses & regulatory

Protect your idea, stay legal to sell.

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How do I check if my brand name is free, and how do I trademark it in India? Before you print a single business card, run your name through the free IP India public trademark search to see if it's already claimed in your cla... Intermediate 2 resources → I'm DPIIT-recognised, what IP benefits does Startup India actually give me? Real, usable money: an 80% rebate on patent filing fees, a 50% rebate on trademark filing, and a government-empanelled facilitator whose profession... Intermediate 2 resources → What licenses and registrations do I legally need before I can start selling? There's no single 'business license' in India, it depends on what you sell and where. Almost everyone needs GST registration once they cross the tu... Intermediate 2 resources → I'm a doctor with a clinic idea, do I need regulatory licenses before I open? Yes, healthcare is one of the most regulated things you can start, and you can't ship first and fix it later. A clinic typically needs registration... Intermediate 2 resources → I'm building a food business, what FSSAI licence do I need to sell legally? Every food business in India needs an FSSAI number, no exceptions, from a home cloud kitchen to a packaged-goods brand. Which tier depends on turno... Intermediate 2 resources → Who legally owns the code and design if I hired a freelancer or agency to build my product? By default, the freelancer or agency owns the IP they create, not you, and paying the invoice does not transfer copyright automatically. You need a... Intermediate 3 resources → Do I need employment contracts and IP assignment from my co-founders and first employees, or is a handshake fine? A handshake means your co-founder can legally walk with a chunk of the IP and equity, so never operate on trust alone here. Every founder and emplo... Intermediate 2 resources → As a solo founder, which legal and compliance filings will actually bite me if I ignore them? The killers are the recurring, boring ones: GST returns, TDS, ROC annual filings for your company, and professional tax, because missing these rack... Intermediate 3 resources →

eChai Partner Brands The partnership →