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. A B2B marketplace where small retailers order stock from brands and wholesalers with delivery to the shop, an alternative or... udaan.com Tool · App and site Udaan (B2B buying for retailers) Udaan In 2 answers
  2. The government's Invoice Registration Portal, where businesses above the e-invoicing threshold report B2B invoices and get an... gst.gov.in Tool · Government portal e-Invoice System (Invoice Registration Portal) GSTN / NIC In 2 answers
  3. Linear's plans: Free for unlimited members with 2 teams and 250 issues, Basic at $10 per user a month and Business at $16 per... linear.app Tool · Pricing page Linear pricing Linear In 2 answers
  4. EPFO's own FAQ on the wage ceiling rising from ₹15,000 to ₹25,000 a month from 17 September 2026 under the Code on Social... epfindia.gov.in Article · PDF FAQ EPFO FAQs: Revision of the Statutory Wage Ceiling to ₹25,000 EPFO In 2 answers
  5. ESIC's page on who must register: non-seasonal factories and, by state extension, shops, hotels, restaurants and other... esic.gov.in Article · Short read ESIC Coverage ESIC In 2 answers
  6. Startup India's directory of each state's and union territory's startup policy and the incentives it offers: funding,... startupindia.gov.in Tool · Directory States' and UTs' Startup Policies Startup India (DPIIT) In 2 answers
  7. Gujarat's startup portal for state support under its startup policy. startup.gujarat.gov.in Tool · State portal Startup Gujarat Government of Gujarat In 2 answers
  8. The department's page on which return a proprietor or professional files: ITR-3 for regular business income, ITR-4 (Sugam) for... incometax.gov.in Article · Help page Individual having Income from Business or Profession (AY 2026-27) Income Tax Department In 2 answers
  9. The official manual for filing ITR-4 on the e-filing portal with pre-filled data, including prerequisites like a PAN linked to... incometax.gov.in Article · Step-by-step manual File ITR-4 (Sugam) Online: User Manual Income Tax Department In 2 answers
  10. The IRS page for applying for an EIN: free, issued immediately online for applicants with a US principal place of business and... irs.gov Tool · Government page Get an Employer Identification Number Internal Revenue Service In 2 answers
  11. Razorpay's incorporation service for a private limited company, priced at Rs 1,499 plus government fees with DSCs, DIN, name... razorpay.com Tool Private Limited Company Registration (Razorpay Rize) Razorpay In 2 answers
  12. The public broadcaster's report of CBDT Circular 07/2026: for AY 2026-27 the return deadline for taxpayers under audit, which... newsonair.gov.in Article CBDT extends I-T return filing deadline for audit cases to November 21 News On AIR (All India Radio) In 2 answers
  13. A walk through ITR-6 schedule by schedule, including the rule that a company's return must be filed electronically under a... cleartax.in Article ITR-6: Who Should File and How to File ClearTax In 2 answers
  14. The official TAN service run for the Income Tax Department: what TAN is under section 397 of the Income-tax Act 2025, how to... tinpan.proteantech.in Tool TAN: introduction, how to apply and fee (Protean) Protean eGov Technologies In 2 answers
  15. The Income Tax Department's TDS system, where a deductor downloads TDS certificates for payees, checks defaults and files... tdscpc.gov.in Tool TRACES: TDS Reconciliation Analysis and Correction Enabling System Income Tax Department In 2 answers
  16. Step-by-step registration of a TAN holder on the income tax e-filing portal, which links to TRACES and is needed to file and... incometax.gov.in Article Tax deductor and collector: registration on the e-filing portal Income Tax Department In 2 answers
  17. The portal where returns, audit reports and option forms are filed and verified; its notices carry the year's due-date... incometax.gov.in Tool Income Tax e-Filing portal Income Tax Department In 2 answers
  18. The portal where a micro or small enterprise with Udyam registration files against a buyer who has not paid within 45 days of... samadhaan.msme.gov.in Tool MSME Samadhaan: delayed payment monitoring Ministry of MSME In 2 answers
  19. The official e-filing system where Form TM-A is filed and paid for online. ipindiaonline.gov.in Tool Trade Marks e-filing (IP India) Office of the CGPDTM In 2 answers
  20. What a DPIIT startup pays in statutory IP fees today, and the note that the SIPP professional-fee scheme expired on 31 March... intepat.com Article Startup IP Costs in India: Statutory Fees Intepat In 2 answers
  21. A filing service for founders who want someone to draft and file: from Rs 1,199 plus government fees, with an express option at... vakilsearch.com Tool Online Trademark Registration (Vakilsearch) Vakilsearch In 2 answers
  22. Carta's March 2026 data on how founders' ownership falls through each round and how teams split equity: the median founding... carta.com Article · Report 2026 Founder Ownership Report Carta In 2 answers
  23. The site of the trust set up by the MSME Ministry and SIDBI that guarantees collateral-free and third-party-guarantee-free... cgtmse.in Tool · Website CGTMSE: collateral-free credit for MSEs CGTMSE In 2 answers
  24. An April 2026 worked example, with a tax expert, of how the Labour Codes' uniform definition of wages (basic, DA and retaining... businesstoday.in Article · ~6 min read Earning Rs 6 lakh a year? Your in-hand salary after the new labour codes Business Today In 2 answers

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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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