The "Fundraising for Startups: Panel Conversation" event held in at Ahmedabad University in association with Venture Studio, on November 24, 2023, featured a diverse group of speakers.
Key participants included Jatin Chaudhary from eChai Ventures as host; Yash Shah, Co-Founder of Clientjoy; Mrunali SN Parikh, Senior Investment Analyst at Tanas Capital; Sushil Agrawal, Founder & CEO of Saarthi Pedagogy; Rishit Shah, Chief Product & Technology Officer at Kinetiq, and several other notable figures from the startup and investment sectors.
The panel of speakers provided valuable insights on the do's and don'ts of raising funds for startups.
There are no permanent ‘No’s. When an investor passed on your deal, ask for permission to keep them updated every quarter and then enrol them into a list to which you send out a quarterly update across your product, team and growth. You never know when interest in your startup might peak.
Fundraising is a full-time activity for 1 founder. Pitch to as many people as you can. Pitch, Ask for feedback, improve, repeat.
At early stages, valuation is more of an art than a science. Ultimately, when you are at the negotiating table - everything falls back to how desperate you are to raise and how convinced they are to invest in you.
1. It is crucial to meticulously select a list of venture capitalists whose interests align with those of your company. This strategic alignment ensures that both parties are working towards common goals, thereby fostering a more fruitful and synergistic partnership.
2. View funding primarily as a catalyst for growth. Often, funds raised merely for the purpose of survival can lead a company into a detrimental cycle. Instead, focus on utilizing capital to accelerate development and expansion, thereby enhancing the company's long-term viability and success.
3. Be aware that certain aspects of your business may raise concerns or 'red flags' from an investor's perspective. It is imperative to continuously strengthen the 'green flags' or positive aspects of your venture. By reinforcing these strengths, you can effectively mitigate the impact of any potential red flags and present your business in a more favourable light to potential investors.
1) It is very important to know/understand when is the right time to raise funds. Don’t raise at the last minute else you won’t have any leverage. Also consider there may be multiple ways to increase your company’s cash including debt options
2) In the struggle between balancing funds and growing customers, try to focus on growing customers using any means necessary. Remember if there is growth, funds will follow.
3) During the process of raising funds, anything could go wrong. Don’t rest just because you have a signed term sheet. It’s never over until the funds are in your bank account.
4) Having some kind of leverage is the most important thing while raising funds.
You can have leverage if,
a) your growth is strong b) multiple VCs are interested in putting money creating competitive situations c) founders have a history of building successful companies before
- You should have a clear plan for atleast next 12 months that can be seen on excel sheet, which clearly shows, what this fund raise is going to achieve for you.
- Start the process 4-6 months before you actually need the funds
- Get an understanding of funds portfolio/thesis/decision making process by reaching their portfolio companies prior to pitching.
Don'ts
- Try not to mention about valuations untill explicitly asked. Do not become rigid on a number, try to negotiate and substantiate your number.
- Don't keep high hopes from 1 single investor, keep talking to multiple people at the time. But at same time be transparent about the options to them, whenever you start doing serious conversations on terms and stuff
- Do not mess your cap table with number of people, keep it as clean as possible, it makes your life much much more easy when raising next rounds!
“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
"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
"After moving back from the USA, eChai became my go-to space to learn how the Indian startup ecosystem works. It offered direct exposure to startup thinking and a community that openly shares business insights. What stood out was how easy it was to connect, learn, and grow through real conversations. As we built our IT hardware rentals business, eChai helped us find our niche and refine our path. Proud and grateful to be part of this amazing community."
Heet Sheth
Growth and Tech, Sheth Info
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.
