Starting Up

The resources founders actually use.

Every essay, video, podcast, book and tool behind 1,046 answered founder questions, in one place, each with a note on why it is here.

What founders use most, ranked by how many answers lean on it.

  1. This is the benchmark to hold any private accelerator against. Under SISFS the government routes money to you THROUGH... Startup India (Seed Fund portal) Tool · portal About the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) DPIIT, Government of India
  2. This is the government's own live map of 73 BIRAC-backed bioincubators, the exact specialized programs a biotech, healthtech,... BIRAC (Government of India) Tool · browse BIRAC BioNEST: Directory of India's Bioincubators Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC)
  3. Once you know you want a specialized program, this is where you filter for it: a live India directory of accelerators and... Startup Grants India Tool · browse Startup Grants India: Accelerator and Incubator Directory by Sector Startup Grants India
  4. This is the technical compliance matrix craft laid out concretely: read the tender line by line, flag every 'shall/must/will'... Responsive Template · 15 min read Proposal Compliance Matrix Guide: Tips, Template & Examples Responsive (formerly RFPIO)
  5. This is the live portal for the single best state-startup buying channel in India, and it is proof of the state-first thesis: a... Kerala Startup Mission Tool · 20 min explore Government as a Marketplace, Kerala Startup Mission Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM)
  6. This is the free base layer for central tenders, not a blog about it. Every central ministry, department, and CPSE tender worth... Central Public Procurement Portal, Government of India Tool · portal, set up in one sitting Central Public Procurement Portal (eprocure.gov.in): search, save, and track central tenders National Informatics Centre
  7. Your answer says to give the deal a mutual close plan with dates and named owners, and this is the concrete artifact for it: a... Dock Template · 12 min read Mutual Action Plans 101: Tips, Tools, and Templates (with free template) Dock
  8. This is the rare guide that hands you the exact copy you need, not just theory: a 'quote kit' email with the subject line... Do What Matter Template · 15 min read B2B Case Study Template: Proof That Sells (with a quote kit and permission email) Do What Matter editorial team
  9. Most privacy policy generators are US-shaped (GDPR or CCPA) and bolt India on as an afterthought. PriView is built India-first... IDfy Tool · 15 min to generate PriView: Free Privacy Notice Generator (by DSCI and Privy/IDfy) DSCI and Privy by IDfy
  10. This is the template to start from instead of copy-pasting a big-company policy. It walks all 13 sections a DPDP-compliant... DPDPA.com Template · 25 min read How to Draft a DPDPA-Compliant Privacy Policy: Template and Section-by-Section Guide DPDPA.com editorial
  11. A second, lighter India-specific template if the DPDPA.com one feels heavy for a v1. It is a ready-to-adapt privacy policy... Arohana Legal Template · 15 min read Startup Privacy Policy: Elements and Template Arohana Legal
  12. This is the actual filing portal, not a summary of it. India joined the Madrid System in 2013, so from your existing Indian... WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) Tool · 20 min read The Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks WIPO
  13. Real, downloadable license agreements from one of the most active tech-transfer offices in the world, including both an... Harvard OTD Template · reference Sample Licensing Agreements (Exclusive and Non-Exclusive) Harvard Office of Technology Development
  14. You connect your Gmail and Signal maps your invisible network against 3M+ founder to VC connections, so you can see which of... NFX Tool · 30 min to set up Signal: the free network map that reveals your intro paths to specific VCs NFX
  15. India-founded (Bengaluru) and thick with Indian operators who solved your exact problem recently: growth leads, founder-led... Topmate Tool · tool Topmate: book 1:1 time with operators and functional experts Ankit Agarwal and Dinesh Singh
  16. Where FAST is the one-pager, this spells out the exit mechanics in plain clause language you can lift: either party terminates... Promise Legal Template · copy-paste template + notes Startup Advisor Agreement Template (FAST-Style, 2025) Promise Legal
  17. The clearest example of a globally networked program you can join from India without moving: a 6-month residency in Bengaluru... South Park Commons Tool · 6 min read South Park Commons India South Park Commons
  18. A ready-to-use set of interview scripts (discovery, validation, and jobs-to-be-done) with probing questions built in, so you... CleverX Template · 1 to 2 pages User Interview Script Template CleverX
  19. A discovery-focused interview template that keeps questions on behaviours and experiences rather than reactions to your... Great Question Template · 1 to 2 pages Customer Discovery Interview Template Great Question
  20. Often your first product does not need code, and a shared Notion page or database can stand in as the whole thing while you... notion.com Tool Notion notion.com
  21. A structured, free program that reverse-engineers how B2B startups actually find product-market fit, built from patterns across... First Round Course · multi-part guide The PMF Method First Round
  22. A structured how-to you can follow, covering when to run a Wizard of Oz test, the steps, the tools, and the pros and cons.... Learning Loop Template Wizard of Oz Experiment (play) Learning Loop
  23. This entry frames the Wizard of Oz test as one experiment in a wider validation toolkit, with clear guidance on cost, evidence... Kromatic (The Real Startup Book) Template Wizard of Oz (The Real Startup Book) Kromatic (The Real Startup Book)
  24. A ready to use script for interviewing a recent customer about why they switched, built entirely around past behaviour and... Deploy Empathy Template · script Customer Interview Script Template: The JTBD Switch Interview Michele Hansen

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Playbooks

A goal, and the route through it a step at a time.

Find an idea worth pursuing Spot problems worth solving and find the one that actually fits you. 4 steps Validate before you build Get real evidence people want it before you write a line of code. 4 steps Understand your customers Talk to real users, define who you're for, and read the market clearly. 4 steps From idea to first customers The idea-stage spine: find a problem, prove it, talk to customers, and land the first ten. 4 steps Build an MVP without code Ship a first version with no-code tools before you hire anyone. 4 steps Build and launch your first product Turn a validated idea into something real people can use. 6 steps Find and work with developers Hire, brief, and work with builders without getting burned. 4 steps Name and brand your startup Name it, design an identity, and say what it does in a line. 3 steps Build a landing page that converts A page that loads fast, earns trust, and turns visitors into signups. 4 steps Get your first customers The scrappy, unscalable work of going from zero to your first paying users. 5 steps Sell it yourself, founder-led Reach out, run the conversation, and close before you have a sales team. 4 steps Grow with content and SEO Compound reach with content, search, and a founder audience. 3 steps Grow with paid ads Spend that returns: the channels, metrics, and loops behind it. 4 steps Price and package your product Charge for value, package it right, and check the numbers work. 3 steps Bootstrap instead of raising Fund growth from revenue, and keep control of your company. 4 steps Raise your first round Understand the game before you pitch: whether to raise, from whom, and on what terms. 5 steps Find a co-founder, split equity Find the right partner and split equity without regret. 3 steps Set up the company right Incorporate, split equity, protect your IP, and make your first hires. 4 steps Survive founder life Mindset, burnout, the leap, and the parts nobody warns you about. 5 steps Build in India The India-specific playbook: schemes, government, enterprise, and the local market. 5 steps

The questions founders start with

I want to start a startup but I don't have an idea. Where do I even begin? Stop hunting for a billion-dollar idea and start collecting problems. The best ideas come from noticing things that annoy you or people around you ... Beginner 19 resources → What does 'validating an idea' actually mean? Validation is gathering real-world evidence that a specific group of people has a painful problem AND will change their behaviour (pay, sign up, sw... Beginner 20 resources → Do I actually need a co-founder, or can I go solo? You don't strictly need one, but the data says teams outlast solos: complementary skills, shared load, and someone to argue you out of bad calls al... Beginner 3 resources → What actually counts as an MVP, and what's the smallest one I can get away with? An MVP is the least you can build (or fake) to test your single riskiest assumption, not a shrunken version of your dream product. Ask 'what's the ... Beginner 20 resources → How do I talk to customers without them just telling me what I want to hear? Stop pitching and start interrogating their past. Ask about what they actually did last time the problem hit, what it cost them, and what they trie... Beginner 23 resources → How do I actually get my first 10 customers when nobody has heard of me? You go get them by hand, one at a time, email people you already know, people your investors/friends know, and strangers in the exact niche you're ... Beginner 19 resources → How do I decide how much to charge for my product? Stop guessing and stop pricing off your costs, price off the value the customer gets and their willingness to pay. Talk to customers about pricing,... Beginner 3 resources → Should I raise venture capital or bootstrap my startup? Raise VC only if your business needs a big pile of cash to reach escape velocity before someone else does, and if a 10x-in-a-few-years outcome is g... Beginner 3 resources →

Questions for your situation

The Aspiring Founder The Idea-Stage Founder The Builder The Launcher The Grower The Student Founder The Indie Hacker The Technical Solo Founder The Non-Technical Founder The Domain Expert The Women Founder The Anywhere Founder The Corporate Switcher The Repeat Founder
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