The Hard Truths of Startup Team Building — As Told by Founders at the eChai x VentureStudio Event at Ahmedabad University

The heart of any startup is its people. They’re the ones who bring a startup to life, infusing it with energy, values, and character. Founders can only go so far without a solid team behind them.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending “Building Startup Teams and Company Culture,” an event organized by eChai Ventures at Ahmedabad University. The panel featured some amazing voices from the startup ecosystem in the city: Abhishek Acharya, Aenik Shah, Dr. Purav Gandhi, Shalin (Shawn) Parikh, Shrijay Sheth, and of course, Jatin Chaudhary.

It was a power-packed discussion filled with fresh perspectives on building and nurturing teams — covering everything from first hires to off-boarding. What struck me the most was how each founder had a unique approach, yet the principles guiding those decisions had a lot in common.

One of the most powerful moments was a story shared by Shalin, about resolving a team conflict — a brilliant reminder of how real leadership is tested not in planning, but in the messy human moments.

Another thing I really admire about eChai events is how open and generous the speakers are with their learnings. There's no gatekeeping — just a room full of people who genuinely want to help each other grow. As a relatively new founder, that kind of environment is rare and energizing.

Here are my 5 key takeaways:

1. Be crystal clear on who you're hiring — even for early roles.
2. Hiring no one is better than hiring the wrong person.
3. Don't try to clone your personality across the team. Let the team evolve its own culture.
4. In conflicts, defuse tension first. Only then begin the conversation.
5. Every team is different. The hiring process must reflect that.

It is easy to find help for tech for any founder, but there are very few conversations happening around the non-technical aspects of a startup. Grateful to be part of conversations like these. There's always something new to learn when founders share openly.