That’s a wrap on the D2C Mixer!

What an incredible evening of insights, connections, and real conversations with Akshay Gulati (Slikk), Srinivas Sarkar (Coupl® (YC S22)), and Nischal Sharma (Minicult.in)! A big thank you to our speakers for their candid sharing.

Thank you eChai Ventures and Jatin Chaudhary for co-hosting the mixer.

Key takeaways from our power-packed evening:
🔸 You can’t hire rockstars every day, but you can build processes that help average people create extraordinary results
🔸 Build what customers want, not what you think they want
🔸 Master one niche before expanding to others
🔸 Don’t raise capital just because you can - look for strategic value
🔸 Own customer relationships, even on marketplaces
🔸 Partner strategically - understand both user and buyer
🔸 Women drive shared purchase decisions for Coupl - crucial for D2C targeting
🔸 Focus on processes that make success repeatable
🔸 Create frameworks where anyone can deliver quality

Thank you Vishnu Chowdhary 🔥 (D2C Simplified) for being a part of this and keeping it super engaging!

Special shoutout to our community partners: Razorpay Rize, Recur Club, Entrepreneur's Cafe, The Ecosystem Community

Stay tuned for more such events!




The eChai Effect - In Their Words

"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
“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
"eChai has been a game-changer for Hungrito, providing us with invaluable connections, insights, and opportunities that have significantly fueled our growth. eChai has introduced us to a global network of entrepreneurs and experts, fueling our growth and opening doors to new opportunities from Ahmedabad to Dubai. The community has become like a second family to us, providing support, guidance, and valuable insights as startup entrepreneurs."
Sahil Shah - Founder- Hungrito & Netsavvies. Digital Marketing Evangelist
Sahil Shah
Founder- Hungrito & Netsavvies. Digital Marketing Evangelist

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