Top 11 resources we used & would recommend to every early stage startups.

1) How to get your first 1,000 users (for consumer startups) - http://surl.li/ltcnrw

2) How to get started with a consumer startup - http://surl.li/yifihg

3) How startups die from their addiction to paid marketing by Andrew Chen- http://surl.li/wrbiis

4) Must-have document templates for every startup: pitch deck, financial model, one-pager, and advisor agreement - http://surl.li/tgjdmv

5) 95 Ways to find your first customers for customer development or your first sale - http://surl.li/bvxpxz

6) Discounts and credits for startups - https://www.f6s.com/deals

7) Find your co-founder- https://lnkd.in/d8SRPSgn or https://www.antler.co/ or attend eChai Ventures meetups

8) How Superhuman engineered product-market fit - http://surl.li/jdqckj

9)Wharton's Entrepreneurship Specialization on Coursera - http://surl.li/lgfqvi

10) Y Combinator Startup School - http://surl.li/rghpgi

11) Check balance sheet, revenues & expenses of your competitors for free - https://lnkd.in/dxMgm_ad

12) Bonus - if you wish to hire pre-vetted interns or freshers for your early team, use Beep - https://lnkd.in/de7NKVRx
Considering every startup confronts this question at some point, I was surprised by how little has been written about it. Particularly anything actionable. So I decided to do my own digging. I spent the past month personally reaching out to founders, scouring interviews, and tapping the Twitterverse. Below, you’ll find first-hand accounts of how essentially every major consumer app acquired their earliest users, including Tinder, Uber, Superhuman, TikTok, Product Hunt, Yelp, and over a dozen more. Enjoy!

The eChai Effect - In Their Words

"I have evolved from role of Community Builder to Startup Consultant to Startup Ecosystem Enabler to Angel Investor and now launching a Venture Studio and eChai has been a catalyst in my overall journey as Startup Evangelist since 13 years."
Mehul Shah - Co-Founder at Counselvise & Ivy Growth
Mehul Shah
Co-Founder at Counselvise & Ivy Growth
"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
“You don’t plan to build a company via eChai. You just keep showing up … and one day, you realize you did.” I’ve 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, we’ve 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 — our venture builder — eChai continues to fuel our mission: co-creating a shared future. eChai isn’t just a startup network. It’s a trust network. And for business builders like me, that makes all the difference."
Utpal Vaishnav - Founder @ Upsquare & House of Starts • Angel Investor + LP
Utpal Vaishnav
Founder @ Upsquare & House of Starts • Angel Investor + LP

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