Anand M A: This Saturday at Draper Startup House India , we discussed about

This Saturday at Draper Startup House India , we discussed about Building Startup teams and culture. Mohit Sharma spoke about an ai powered automated food making device that chops cuts sautes weighs boils steams and cooks all in one with step by step procedure with video guidance!! by upliance.ai. we debated about “jain briyani” No we wont tell you what is it, ask Ashfin Francis if want to know 😋

I am super impressed with the composed passionate and sincere founder in Mrinal Rai who was very kind and humble with every soul who meets him !! he felt like a dream founder to me and loved to know the culture they strive to build in his company Intugine - Logistics through Innovation , that makes supply chain movements predictable and has latest updates at all times and effectively improve gdp itself if implemented at country level!! massive respect to the startup. he talked about the importance of PMF ( product market fit )

His advice
- treat first customers as team members, they offer a lot
- Team and problem statement is important
- Market pulls product out of the starup rather than startups pushing them ( they do push a bit initially)
- No Super star engineers needed, bad for company in long run

and the mystery Satya Bar , i didnt know until today 😀

the session was well hosted by Wanderfly.in founder Penchala Tharun 🚀

this is the first session i was fully attentive without active effort as it was super entertaining, the host and the guests were super entertaining!!

thank you eChai Ventures

January 16, 2025 11:23am

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

"eChai has played a truly pivotal role in HummingBird’s journey — even before Day Zero. From ideation to establishment and into growth, it’s been a constant source of support. It connected me with incredible people who’ve become more than just friends. One of the biggest reasons I chose to stay in Ahmedabad is because of the eChai community. It has shaped my growth — both personally and professionally — in ways that are hard to articulate. Honestly, words fall short when I try to express what eChai means to me. I’m deeply thankful and forever grateful to eChai for being such an integral part of my journey."

Harsha Bhurani

Founder, HummingBird Consulting Group

"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

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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.

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