🦄 Thank you for joining us in the eChai Ventures Fundraising for Startups meetup at Draper Startup House Koramangala, Bengaluru! 🚀

I'm glad that Jatin Chaudhary was onboard when I said I'd curate and moderate a women-only panel for this subject. It wasn't a women-only event. Everyone was welcome. But the fact that I had these amazing women speakers from the world of venture capital spend their Saturday evening with us made it a wholesome gathering!

Sharing some snippets here -

Aditi Sinha believes she and her team at IndiaQuotient don't just invest in a startup but marry them! They grow together, brainstorm, pivot if need be and go beyond the boardrooms to show up in the journey.
💰Heavy on India SaaS owing to the growth potential
💰 Highlighted portfolio company FRND for their tightly knit tech team and immense learnings on consumer behaviour and power users
💰Interesting investments this year include Utsav App in the spiritual tech space and kim.cc
💰Recommends listening to The 20-minute VC by Harry Stebbings
💰Hiring: For founder office roles in Series A and Series C startups in her portfolio companies

Ashna Agarwal believes growing up in a Marwari family fuelled her curiosity since childhood. So she'd not just visit a restaurant for a family outing but also ask questions around how'd they make money to run that business.
💰In her work at Jungle Ventures, they invest in seasoned entrepreneurs and write a cheque size that's relatively bigger at that funding stage
💰Interesting investments this year include NIC Icecreams and Atomberg Technologies
💰Recommends reading The Economic Times and Inc42 Media that covers a large chunk of news without burning a hole in your pocket with all the paid subscriptions
💰Hiring: For a D2C startup in her portfolio company - Brand marketer with 7+ years of work experience

Vaishvi Bansal and her friends ran a Shark Tank style competition in college. From conceptualisation to execution, it was a three-month long rigorous learning that led to a total of eight startups raising around 25 Lacs! That was her first taste of what it takes to raise funds and "once you taste the blood, it's difficult to not go back to it", she quips.
💰 In her work at Marwari Catalysts, they are mostly the first ones to write a cheque for the startups and bring co-investors with them
💰Just the way founders look for a product market fit, they look for a founder market fit to ascertain that it's a good match!
💰Highlighted her portfolio company Turms (Bigphi Technologies Pvt. Ltd.) which has MS Dhoni promoting it
💰Hiring: Her portfolio companies are hiring. You can visit the company's website for details

We ❤️ the elevator pitches from founders along with some thoughtful questions from the audience!

Sunday Cheer: Share a picture with your pet in the Comments! The last pic has Nivin Joseph's Paris 🐶 

The eChai Effect - In Their Words

"I attended my first eChai event 3 yrs back, and no one knew me in the market. Over the next three years, eChai didn’t only help me with knowledge or networking, but it gave me an identity from being unknown to now being recognized by a group of inspirational entrepreneurs connected with eChai, who have been gracious enough to acknowledge me and Digipple."
Viraj Rajani - Co-Founder, Digipple
Viraj Rajani
Co-Founder, Digipple
“I have no hesitation in saying that my association with eChai has been a gateway into the startup ecosystem. Through this platform, I’ve had the opportunity to connect with many young and dynamic entrepreneurs. These interactions have been immensely enriching - I’ve learned a great deal and have always tried to offer guidance whenever approached. It’s a truly symbiotic relationship that I deeply value, and it wouldn’t have been possible without eChai.”
Syed Nadeem Jafri - Founder, Hearty Mart
Syed Nadeem Jafri
Founder, Hearty Mart
"The eChai platform has been super valuable for me - it has helped me gain a deeper understanding of domains in the startup and tech ecosystem. What stands out most is the celebration of knowledge, professional growth, and entrepreneurship - it’s one of the best for the Indian ecosystem. Along the way, I’ve also been fortunate to make some great friendships and connections too."
Shalin (Shawn) Parikh - Founder, MyCPE One
Shalin (Shawn) Parikh
Founder, MyCPE One

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.