Bootstrapping Success & Retention Strategies
Last Saturday, I had the privilege of moderating a stellar panel on Bootstrapping at Draper Startup House in collaboration with eChai Ventures – and it was truly a session to remember.
I was thrilled to host some of the most inspiring and talented founders:
Amal Mishra, Co-founder of Urban Vault, who shared his remarkable journey of bootstrapping to 57 managed workspaces in Bangalore. His story of overcoming asset-heavy challenges by leveraging his furnishing business showed us the power of strategic thinking.
Vikas Bardia, CFA, Co-founder of Shoffr, captivated the audience with how he led one of India’s first customer-led funding rounds, raising $1.1M from 110 customers! He bootstrapped to 57 cars, and post-funding, has now scaled to 110 cars. His insights on maintaining a bootstrapped mentality while growing were incredibly valuable. As he put it, “The service inside the car is broken, not the app.”
Jeevan Gnanam, from Sri Lanka’s Hatch Works – one of Asia’s top coworking spaces – and co-founder of SpectrifyAI, shared key insights on scaling businesses while managing multiple ventures. His focus on hiring champions who help you grow was a game changer.
Rishav Agarwal, founder of Picxele™ and angel investor in 60 startups (including Zypp electric & Crib), gave a masterclass on what angel investors look for in founders and the red flags to avoid.
Despite the rain, we had a full house with 82+ attendees – a testament to the energy and passion of the startup community.
Don't miss out! This Saturday, we’re back with an amazing VC panel to dive into fundraising strategies and expert insights from the best in the game.
Last Saturday, I had the privilege of moderating a stellar panel on Bootstrapping at Draper Startup House in collaboration with eChai Ventures – and it was truly a session to remember.
I was thrilled to host some of the most inspiring and talented founders:
Amal Mishra, Co-founder of Urban Vault, who shared his remarkable journey of bootstrapping to 57 managed workspaces in Bangalore. His story of overcoming asset-heavy challenges by leveraging his furnishing business showed us the power of strategic thinking.
Vikas Bardia, CFA, Co-founder of Shoffr, captivated the audience with how he led one of India’s first customer-led funding rounds, raising $1.1M from 110 customers! He bootstrapped to 57 cars, and post-funding, has now scaled to 110 cars. His insights on maintaining a bootstrapped mentality while growing were incredibly valuable. As he put it, “The service inside the car is broken, not the app.”
Jeevan Gnanam, from Sri Lanka’s Hatch Works – one of Asia’s top coworking spaces – and co-founder of SpectrifyAI, shared key insights on scaling businesses while managing multiple ventures. His focus on hiring champions who help you grow was a game changer.
Rishav Agarwal, founder of Picxele™ and angel investor in 60 startups (including Zypp electric & Crib), gave a masterclass on what angel investors look for in founders and the red flags to avoid.
Despite the rain, we had a full house with 82+ attendees – a testament to the energy and passion of the startup community.
Don't miss out! This Saturday, we’re back with an amazing VC panel to dive into fundraising strategies and expert insights from the best in the game.
The eChai Effect - In Their Words
"eChai has been a game changer in my journey. It connected me with real people, real support and real opportunities. From building HMMBiz to launching Mindalcove, eChai has played a key role at every step. Grateful to be part of a community that truly believes in growing together."
Hardik Manwani
CTO, Mind Alcove
"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
"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
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.
.jpg "Digipple - We drive growth for brands with strategic, creative, and tech-enabled solutions.")