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, 675 founders registered. Any city that reaches 20 interested founders is on too. See your city

Money, pricing & model

Startup finance & accounting

Keep the books, watch the runway.

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What financial basics does every founder need to understand? Know your cash balance, monthly burn, runway, and gross margin cold, these four numbers decide whether you live or die. You don't need an accountin... Beginner 3 resources → How should I manage cash flow so my startup doesn't run out of money? Take your profit (and taxes) off the top before you touch the rest, invoice fast, and collect faster, cash timing kills more startups than lack of ... Intermediate 3 resources → Do I need an accountant and proper bookkeeping from day one? Yes, set up clean bookkeeping and a separate business bank account from day one, even if it's just simple software plus a good CA. Messy early book... Beginner 3 resources → What taxes and compliance do I need to handle as an Indian startup? At minimum: register the entity correctly, get GST registration once you cross the threshold, deduct and deposit TDS, and file income tax and ROC r... Intermediate 2 resources → How do I read a P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow statement? The P&L shows if you're profitable over a period, the balance sheet is a snapshot of what you own and owe, and the cash flow statement shows money ... Intermediate 3 resources → Should I open a separate business bank account before I even register the company, or use my personal account for now? Mixing personal and business money is the first accounting mistake most first-time founders make, and it costs you when tax season or fundraising a... Beginner 3 resources → What's the difference between revenue, profit, and cash in the bank, and why did my accountant say I'm profitable when my account is nearly empty? Profit is an accounting statement (revenue minus expenses on paper), while cash is what's actually in your account right now, and they diverge when... Beginner 3 resources → When should I move from a spreadsheet to actual accounting software, and which one fits an early Indian startup? A spreadsheet is genuinely fine until you have GST filings, payroll, or more than a handful of invoices a month, at which point manual books start ... Beginner 2 resources → How do I build a simple financial model for a pitch deck without pretending I can predict revenue three years out? Investors know your five-year forecast is fiction; what they're really testing is whether you understand your own drivers, so build the model botto... Intermediate 3 resources →

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