On May 17, 2025, we hosted the first edition of Meet the Founders Behind Ahmedabad’s Breakout Startups — a new series by eChai Ventures and i-Hub Gujarat. The idea is simple: no pitches, no presentations, just real conversations with founders who are building from the ground up.
The format is intentionally stripped down. Two founders, one moderator, and a room full of curious peers.
For this first session, we had:
Vishvajit Sonagara, founder of Quicko, a tax infra platform used by over 2 million people
Eela Dubey, co-founder of EduFund, helping families across India plan and invest for higher education
“How do you design financial products around family conversations?”
That’s what EduFund is solving. Eela shared how her own experience with education financing shaped the product vision. EduFund helps parents across India plan for higher education through SIPs, mutual funds, loans, and personalized guidance.
The work isn’t just technical — it’s emotional. Especially in smaller cities, where the idea of saving for a child’s future still feels unfamiliar. EduFund has raised $3.5M+ and now partners with Tata AMC, ICICI, DSP, and HDFC Credila. But the real focus is building a brand families trust.
“What if your product is seasonal, regulated, and invisible — and still needs to grow?”
That’s the everyday challenge at Quicko. Vishvajit spoke about building infrastructure for India’s complex tax system — not to chase visibility, but to earn trust and simplify compliance at scale. Since 2015, Quicko has stayed bootstrapped while becoming a backend layer for tax professionals, salaried individuals, and fintech platforms alike.
Most of the company’s work happens behind the scenes — but it powers millions of filings every year. The product is built for clarity, not virality.
“What happens when you remove the pitch deck?”
That’s what this format hopes to answer. The room stayed engaged — not because of high production, but because of how grounded the conversation was. We talked about early hires, product pivots, and the quiet uncertainty that comes with building long-term. Many in the room were going through the same thing — and that created the most valuable kind of connection.
No scripts. Just stories.
“Where does this go from here?”
We’ll continue hosting Meet the Founders sessions every few weeks. Each one will feature two builders from Ahmedabad’s startup ecosystem — across sectors like SaaS, climate, healthtech, fintech, and consumer. The goal is to keep showing what building really looks like, one conversation at a time.
And alongside these events, we’ll be publishing deeper, chapter-style stories on the featured startups — starting soon with full-length profiles on Quicko and EduFund.
You’ll find those on eChai Startup Stream.
More stories on eChai
The eChai Effect - In Their Words
"At DevX.Work, we’ve greatly benefited from our association with eChai. Their events and networking forums have connected us with high-potential startups, ecosystem leaders, and innovation-driven professionals — many of whom have become valuable partners, collaborators, and even clients. What stands out most is the openness and accessibility of the community — whether you're an early-stage founder or an experienced entrepreneur, eChai provides a welcoming space to learn, collaborate, and grow. It's more than just a network — it's a catalyst for real, collaborative growth. We’re proud to be part of the eChai community. Highly recommended for any organization aiming to grow within the startup space."
Umesh Uttamchandani
Co-Founder, DevX
"We found eChai to be a force multiplier throughout our startup journey. Through it, we connected with folks from DevX, Allevents, Plutomen, and more - many of whom became friends of IndiaBizForSale.com and even part of our clientele."
Bhavin S Bhagat
Co-founder of Indiabizforsale and IBGrid, TiE Ahmedabad President
“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
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