Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of joining ABHISHEK from Naapbooks Limited, Swati from Mantras2Success.com, Ravi from Univia and Nirav from WOGOM on a panel to discuss 'Growth Stories' organised by eChai Ventures and moderated by Aditya from Cibos Techno Solutions Pvt Ltd
Here are some notes:
๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐จ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐: One of the interesting conversations was around how to align/retrain people who have taken the company from zero to one and have them effectively contribute in the company's journey from one to hundred. This is required because it takes very different people to bring something to life vs people who take something that is alive and take it to scale. One of the things we do at Momentum91 is to build a 'New Initiatives' team. This is our 'zero to one' team and it always works on the frontier. Things that have not yet been figured out completely yet. This team builds solutions on those lines. This way, once they have charted the path, the rest of the team comes in and makes the path more 'followable' through processes, frameworks and templates.
๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ-๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ซ ๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ข๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ-๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ: I am of the opinion that starting a company is like entering a haunted house that might have a treasure buried inside. I would not go in alone. I need someone to keep me honest, be sad when we have lost, share joy when we have won. I need someone to fight, debate and argue with. It's a personal and arguable choice. Some folks are comfortable going at it alone as well. If you are like me, consider finding a co-founder who has complimentary skill sets. A person whose thought process is different than yours and a person you fully trust.
๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ฉ: Almost everyone on the panel had degrees in things that were drastically different from the nature of the company they were running, including myself. It's important to understand that half of running any company is the same - whatever one builds, they still have to build a team, figure out marketing, learn sales, read balance sheets and keep the company compliant - things that are not taught. A good way to look at education is to think of that as 'time allotted to build an approach' - an approach of problem solving. If one is able to build that approach, most things get easier.
It was fun listening to other people's stories around recruiting their first 5 team members, journey of meeting their co-founders and approach towards making difficult decisions under uncertain circumstances with less than accurate data.
Thank you Jatin for the opportunity. Until next time.
Here are some notes:
๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐จ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐: One of the interesting conversations was around how to align/retrain people who have taken the company from zero to one and have them effectively contribute in the company's journey from one to hundred. This is required because it takes very different people to bring something to life vs people who take something that is alive and take it to scale. One of the things we do at Momentum91 is to build a 'New Initiatives' team. This is our 'zero to one' team and it always works on the frontier. Things that have not yet been figured out completely yet. This team builds solutions on those lines. This way, once they have charted the path, the rest of the team comes in and makes the path more 'followable' through processes, frameworks and templates.
๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ-๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ซ ๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ข๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ-๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ: I am of the opinion that starting a company is like entering a haunted house that might have a treasure buried inside. I would not go in alone. I need someone to keep me honest, be sad when we have lost, share joy when we have won. I need someone to fight, debate and argue with. It's a personal and arguable choice. Some folks are comfortable going at it alone as well. If you are like me, consider finding a co-founder who has complimentary skill sets. A person whose thought process is different than yours and a person you fully trust.
๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ฉ: Almost everyone on the panel had degrees in things that were drastically different from the nature of the company they were running, including myself. It's important to understand that half of running any company is the same - whatever one builds, they still have to build a team, figure out marketing, learn sales, read balance sheets and keep the company compliant - things that are not taught. A good way to look at education is to think of that as 'time allotted to build an approach' - an approach of problem solving. If one is able to build that approach, most things get easier.
It was fun listening to other people's stories around recruiting their first 5 team members, journey of meeting their co-founders and approach towards making difficult decisions under uncertain circumstances with less than accurate data.
Thank you Jatin for the opportunity. Until next time.
The eChai Effect - In Their Words
โYou donโt plan to build a company via eChai. You just keep showing up โฆ and one day, you realize you did.โ Iโve known Jatin since 2012, when I was still deciding what kind of second innings I wanted to play as an entrepreneur. Over the years, through events, chai breaks, intros, and seemingly small conversations, eChai helped shape not just Upsquare but also refined the lens through which we see collaboration. At Upsquare, weโve hired talent, met partners, discovered co-investors, and built lifelong friendships. One of our joint ventures exists today only because a casual eChai memory sparked a deeper trust. Now, as we build House of Starts โ our venture builder โ eChai continues to fuel our mission: co-creating a shared future. eChai isnโt just a startup network. Itโs a trust network. And for business builders like me, that makes all the difference."
Utpal Vaishnav
Founder @ Upsquare & House of Starts โข Angel Investor + LP
"For me, eChai is a second home. I've been associated with it since the early days, when it was already setting a different tone for how startup communities could work.ย As a traditional business owner entering the new-age D2C space, eChai supported me in every direction.ย Over the years, it became my window to the startup world โ and also gave me lifelong friends who continue to show up, for business and beyond."
Pankaj Bhimani
Founder, 58miles
"If thereโs one phrase that sums up my journey, itโs truly โThe eChai Effect.โ Six years ago, I simply walked into my first eChai event, not knowing what to expect. The honest conversations, energy, and inspiration from founders and entrepreneurs struck a chord within me. That eChai spark became the catalyst for everything to follow. I proudly say: my entrepreneurship journey startedโand keeps evolvingโbecause of eChai. Redicine Medsolโs story is integrally linked to this community. Iโve gained so much, not just as a founder but as a forever volunteer and grateful member of the eChai family. With all my heart, thank you Jatin Bhai and everyone at eChai for shaping, guiding, and supporting my dreams. The eChai Effect will always be a part of my story."
Kush Prajapati
Founder, Redicine Medsol
eChai Partner Brands
eChai Ventures partners with select brands as their growth partner - working together to explore new ideas, open doors, and build momentum across the startup ecosystem.
