Attended a sesion organised by #iimaventures and #echai on " scaling star ups " .
#growthmindset
it was indeed entrepreneurial and stimulating and enriching to listen to
founder of TorchIt .
torchit works towards empowering the differently abled community using modern tech and giving them independence.( www.mytorchit.com)
Learnings from the founder of Torchit :
_ attendance to networking events helps find mentors and investors ..keep attending. keep meeting lots and lots of people .
_ alignment with your co-founder at skills and belief level is more important than functional alignment. having a co-founder always helps .
_ your purpose and it's clarity triggers the scale up strategy automatically.
_ innovation engine of a start up business is like a popcorn machine where you need to continuously pop up innovative ideas ..how many pop corn machines Can you instill in your start up ?
_ 18 versions of his prototype has made the company product robust to scale. keep on developing prototypes .fail forward .fail fast. iterate .
_ you can learn anything .anything .including coding even though you are not a coder professionally . keep aspiring and keep learning. he built his program code himself .
_its good to have multiple mentors for every area of your business where you have concerns .listen to all mentors , use your gut and do what feels to you is good. you as a start up owner may need different styles different nature and different type of mentors as you progress along the business journey .having functionally qualified mentors ( as for example legal experts etc ) is more apt .
_ continuously talking to , interviewing with and observing your target audience is the best way to learn about products and innovation. he learnt that visually impaired clients not give " blunt " and right answers ..they always give good answers .so meeting more and more users, one of the users helped in understanding that his product was not up to the mark .and that thought triggered him to go deeper in their lives.
so the founder decided to employ micro blind entrepreneurs who become trainers to their clients for torchit clients.
_ game of start up entrepreneurship is about completing a full cycle of the value chain . once done, and once sorted, your role is now to give the execution of the cycle to your team .your role is to be mentally free. being a innovator your role is not to sit idle, but to create similar such multiple cycles ( new products / new markets / new tech/ new orbits )
_product innovation and business innovation are two sepate types of innovation streams, according to him business innovation is the key trigger for his success
_ community building has been a key success factor for his success.creating a band of micro entrepreneurs who are having partially disability are a key segment for training and marketing their products
Anay Mashruwala
#growthmindset
it was indeed entrepreneurial and stimulating and enriching to listen to
founder of TorchIt .
torchit works towards empowering the differently abled community using modern tech and giving them independence.( www.mytorchit.com)
Learnings from the founder of Torchit :
_ attendance to networking events helps find mentors and investors ..keep attending. keep meeting lots and lots of people .
_ alignment with your co-founder at skills and belief level is more important than functional alignment. having a co-founder always helps .
_ your purpose and it's clarity triggers the scale up strategy automatically.
_ innovation engine of a start up business is like a popcorn machine where you need to continuously pop up innovative ideas ..how many pop corn machines Can you instill in your start up ?
_ 18 versions of his prototype has made the company product robust to scale. keep on developing prototypes .fail forward .fail fast. iterate .
_ you can learn anything .anything .including coding even though you are not a coder professionally . keep aspiring and keep learning. he built his program code himself .
_its good to have multiple mentors for every area of your business where you have concerns .listen to all mentors , use your gut and do what feels to you is good. you as a start up owner may need different styles different nature and different type of mentors as you progress along the business journey .having functionally qualified mentors ( as for example legal experts etc ) is more apt .
_ continuously talking to , interviewing with and observing your target audience is the best way to learn about products and innovation. he learnt that visually impaired clients not give " blunt " and right answers ..they always give good answers .so meeting more and more users, one of the users helped in understanding that his product was not up to the mark .and that thought triggered him to go deeper in their lives.
so the founder decided to employ micro blind entrepreneurs who become trainers to their clients for torchit clients.
_ game of start up entrepreneurship is about completing a full cycle of the value chain . once done, and once sorted, your role is now to give the execution of the cycle to your team .your role is to be mentally free. being a innovator your role is not to sit idle, but to create similar such multiple cycles ( new products / new markets / new tech/ new orbits )
_product innovation and business innovation are two sepate types of innovation streams, according to him business innovation is the key trigger for his success
_ community building has been a key success factor for his success.creating a band of micro entrepreneurs who are having partially disability are a key segment for training and marketing their products
Anay Mashruwala
The eChai Effect - In Their Words
"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. As a traditional business owner entering the new-age D2C space, eChai supported me in every direction. Over the years, it became my window to the startup world — and also gave me lifelong friends who continue to show up, for business and beyond."
Pankaj Bhimani
Founder, 58miles
“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
“When we launched LegalWiz.in back in 2016, concept of procuring legal and compliance services through a digital commerce platform wasn't as prominent in India. eChai played a significant role in providing the early adopters, and building significant positioning in the startup fraternity. Overtime, eChai grew to be a massive network of like-minded entrepreneurs and extended that benefit to all the members in a true "co-rise" spirit. I personally love to attend eChai events, learn from subject matter experts who share relatable and actionable insights and experiences. For startup journeys, it is so important to be surrounded by people who can add relevance, perspective, and push you to do better. Most importantly a group of people where you aren't being judged about things going right or wrong, but be a motivational force that keeps you going, yet keeping you in check. eChai is that place for me!”
Shrijay Sheth
Founder at LegalWiz.in and Hire4Higher Consulting
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.
