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.

  1. An Indian hiring platform focused on technology roles, which describes itself as India's top platform for tech talent and is... cutshort.io Tool · Hiring platform Cutshort: hire tech talent in India Cutshort
  2. The government's national mentorship platform for startups, run by DPIIT. A startup registers, is matched to mentors by sector,... maarg.startupindia.gov.in Tool · Official portal MAARG: Startup India's mentorship portal DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  3. A global mentoring platform where you can book sessions with operators in product, design, engineering and growth. Free to... adplist.org Tool · Mentor marketplace ADPList ADPList
  4. A daily Indian startup and tech news site covering funding, policy, companies and data reports, with a paid Plus tier for... inc42.com Article · Daily news site Inc42 Inc42 Media
  5. India's long-running startup publication, with founder stories, funding news and coverage of smaller cities and women founders. yourstory.com Article · Daily news site YourStory YourStory
  6. Indian startup news focused on funding rounds and company financials, with a weekly report of funding and acquisitions in... entrackr.com Article · Daily news site Entrackr Entrackr
  7. Moneycontrol's startup section, covering funding, IPO-bound startups and company results from a markets-focused newsroom. moneycontrol.com Article · News section Moneycontrol: startup news Moneycontrol
  8. A subscription publication of long reported stories and newsletters on Indian startups, markets, technology and policy. A... themorningcontext.com Article · Subscription publication The Morning Context The Morning Context
  9. The global technology press's startup coverage: funding rounds, launches and the companies Indian founders compete with or sell... techcrunch.com Article · News section TechCrunch: startups TechCrunch
  10. A comparison of free email marketing plans by a team that opens accounts and tests the tools, updated in October 2026. Useful... emailtooltester.com Article · 20 min read The Best Free Email Marketing Services (EmailTooltester) EmailTooltester
  11. A tested comparison of the tools people move to from Mailchimp, each with what it does better (MailerLite on price, Brevo on... emailtooltester.com Article · 25 min read Mailchimp Alternatives: Better and Cheaper Options (EmailTooltester) EmailTooltester
  12. Zapier's hands-on roundup of Mailchimp replacements by use case (creators, ecommerce, CRM, transactional email, solopreneurs),... zapier.com Article · 15 min read The best Mailchimp alternatives (Zapier) Zapier
  13. Substack's own explanation of its model: free to publish, and when you charge readers, writers keep 90% of revenue minus card... substack.com Tool Going paid on Substack Substack
  14. Ghost's managed hosting plans: a website plus newsletter with members and paid subscriptions, Starter at $15 a month billed... ghost.org Tool Ghost(Pro) pricing Ghost Foundation
  15. A tested comparison of newsletter platforms (beehiiv, Kit, Substack, Ghost and others) on growth tools and monetisation,... emailtooltester.com Article · 15 min read The Best Newsletter Platforms for Creators (EmailTooltester) EmailTooltester
  16. A head-to-head of the two most common choices for a new newsletter, on fees, discovery, design and ads, updated October 2026. emailtooltester.com Article · 12 min read Beehiiv vs Substack: Which is Best for Monetizing Your Newsletter? EmailTooltester
  17. Zapier's tested roundup of newsletter tools, updated February 2026, with a pick per use case. zapier.com Article · 15 min read The best email newsletter software (Zapier) Zapier
  18. Zoho's social media scheduler, priced in rupees from India: a Free plan, Standard at ₹600 a month billed yearly (₹900 monthly)... zoho.com Tool Zoho Social pricing Zoho
  19. Metricool's plan page: a Free plan, Starter from $20 a month for up to 5 brands, and Advanced from $53 a month, combining... metricool.com Tool Metricool pricing Metricool
  20. Hootsuite's plan page: Standard at $99 per user a month, Professional at $199 and up to $399, billed annually, with a 14-day... hootsuite.com Tool Hootsuite plans Hootsuite
  21. Zapier's hands-on review of social media schedulers, updated May 2026, naming a tool for each need: scheduling, a full team... zapier.com Article · 19 min read The best social media management tools (Zapier) Zapier
  22. Linktree's plan page: Free with unlimited basic links and email and phone sign-ups, then Starter, Pro and Premium adding... linktr.ee Tool Linktree pricing Linktree
  23. A link-in-bio store built for Indian creators: free forever for a store, lead magnets and Instagram auto-DMs, with its Creator... superprofile.bio Tool SuperProfile for creators in India SuperProfile
  24. Beacons' plan page: a Free plan with a link in bio, media kit and store at 9% seller fees, Creator at $10 a month ($8.33 billed... beacons.ai Tool Beacons pricing Beacons

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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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