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, 697 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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Who's asking Everyone Aspiring Founder Idea-Stage Founder Builder Launcher Grower Technical Solo Founder Non-Technical Founder Domain Expert Women Founder Anywhere Founder Corporate Switcher Repeat Founder

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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 → Do I need to register a company before I can legally sell, or can I start as a sole proprietor? You can legally start selling as a sole proprietor or a GST-registered individual, and for a first paid experiment that is perfectly fine and cheap... Beginner 2 resources → When do I actually need to register for GST, and what happens if I sell without it? You must register for GST once you cross the turnover threshold (broadly 40 lakh for goods, 20 lakh for services, lower in some states), but you ne... Beginner 3 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 →
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