Starting Up

The resources founders actually use.

Every essay, video, podcast, book and tool behind 1,327 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.

Customs' own e-commerce gateway where shipping bills and bills of entry are filed and tracked, and where an exporter or... icegate.gov.in Tool · Official portal ICEGATE (Indian Customs e-filing) Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs
The DGFT's page for the Foreign Trade Policy 2023 and its Handbook of Procedures, which set what can be exported or imported... dgft.gov.in Article · Official policy Foreign Trade Policy (DGFT) Directorate General of Foreign Trade
Explains the four ways an exporter gets paid, from cash in advance (no credit risk) to letters of credit, documentary... sell.amazon.in Article · Guide Payment terms in export: a guide to international payment methods Amazon Global Selling
The government-owned export credit agency under the Ministry of Commerce, which insures exporters against an overseas buyer not... ecgc.in Tool · Official site ECGC Limited (export credit insurance) ECGC Limited
SEBI's own announcement of the rules every private fund in India is registered under: three categories of Alternative... sebi.gov.in Article · Press release SEBI notifies SEBI (Alternative Investment Funds) Regulations, 2012 Securities and Exchange Board of India
A law firm's question-by-question guide to forming a fund under SEBI's AIF rules: the categories, Rs 20 crore minimum corpus... ksandk.com Article · Guide PE and VC fund formation in India: AIF legal FAQ guide King Stubb & Kasiva
Where an Alternative Investment Fund, portfolio manager or investment adviser applies to SEBI for registration and files... siportal.sebi.gov.in Tool · Official portal SEBI intermediary registration portal Securities and Exchange Board of India
SEBI's own data on commitments raised and investments made by AIFs, by category. It shows the scale of the market a new fund... sebi.gov.in Article · Data Alternative Investment Funds: statistics (SEBI) Securities and Exchange Board of India
The regulator for GIFT City's international financial services centre, which registers fund management entities and funds aimed... ifsca.gov.in Article · Official site International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) IFSCA
Airbnb's own page on what it charges. Under the split fee most hosts pay 3% and guests pay 14.1% to 16.5%; Airbnb is moving... airbnb.co.in Article · Help page Airbnb service fees Airbnb
The Ministry of Tourism's national standards for classifying a B&B or homestay: from 1 to 6 lettable bedrooms (12 beds), with... nidhi.tourism.gov.in Article · PDF guidelines Incredible India Bed and Breakfast and Homestay classification guidelines Ministry of Tourism
Swiggy's restaurant partner sign-up and app, where a kitchen lists its menu and manages orders and payouts. swiggy.com Tool · Signup page Swiggy partner (restaurants) Swiggy
The Ministry of Women and Child Development's standard for a creche, issued in 2018 under the Maternity Benefit Act (this copy... aiu.ac.in Article · PDF guidelines National minimum guidelines for setting up and running creches Ministry of Women and Child Development
A law firm's summary of why employers need creches: the 2017 amendment to the Maternity Benefit Act made a creche mandatory for... khaitanco.com Article · Article Ministry of Women and Child Development issues guidelines for setting up creche facilities Khaitan & Co
NCERT's national curriculum for children aged 3 to 8, written under NEP 2020. It is what a preschool's play-based programme... ncert.nic.in Article · PDF framework National Curriculum Framework for the Foundational Stage 2022 NCERT
A legal explainer of the creche guidelines and what employers must provide, useful when you are writing a corporate daycare... livelaw.in Article · Article National guidelines for creches set up under the Maternity Benefit Act LiveLaw
BIS's hub for gold and silver hallmarking: the Hallmarking Regulations, the Mandatory Hallmarking Order and its amendments, the... bis.gov.in Article · Official page Hallmarking overview (Bureau of Indian Standards) Bureau of Indian Standards
BIS's online system where a jeweller registers and manages hallmarking with assaying and hallmarking centres. manakonline.in Tool · Official portal Manak Online (BIS portal) Bureau of Indian Standards
The export promotion council for gems and jewellery, which exporters join and which runs the trade shows where buyers are met. gjepc.org Article · Official site Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) GJEPC
MahaRERA's guidance for anyone who brings buyers and sellers together for a fee: under the RERA Act that person is a real... maharera.maharashtra.gov.in Article · Official page Guidance for agents (MahaRERA) Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority
MahaRERA's page on the training and exam an agent takes in Maharashtra, with the list of training institutes and exam... maharera.maharashtra.gov.in Article · Official page Agent training (MahaRERA) Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority
Public search of every agent registered with MahaRERA, which is how buyers and developers will check you. maharera.maharashtra.gov.in Tool · Official search Registered agents search (MahaRERA) Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority
Karnataka's RERA portal, with project and agent registration and the authority's circulars, including its circular on... rera.karnataka.gov.in Tool · Official portal Karnataka RERA Karnataka Real Estate Regulatory Authority
A clear summary of the Ministry of Power's 2024 guidelines: setting up and running a charging station is a de-licensed activity... mercomindia.com Article · Article Ministry of Power releases EV charging infrastructure guidelines Mercom India

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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

What are good startup ideas in India right now? The ideas Indian investors are backing in 2026 sit in a few places: AI built into one industry's daily work (vertical AI for B2B, where software fu... Beginner 5 resources → How do I find product-market fit? Narrow until a small group cannot do without you, then widen. Pick the segment where usage is strongest, talk to those people every week, and chang... Intermediate 9 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 → How do I build an MVP for my startup, step by step? Write down the one assumption that kills the idea if it is wrong, then build the cheapest thing that tests it and get it to real users within weeks... Beginner 9 resources → Which tool should I use to analyse qualitative data like interview notes? For a founder with a dozen interviews, Gemini Notebook, which is free, or Claude, free or $20 a month on Pro: load the transcripts, ask for the rec... Beginner 6 resources → How do I get my first client as a freelancer? Your first client is most likely someone who already knows you or someone they know, so start there before marketplaces. 1) Pick one service for on... Beginner 6 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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