When You Keep Showing Up, Things Start Showing Up for You

I still remember the first message Manoj sent me on LinkedIn back in 2021. It was short, warm, and thoughtful. He had recently moved back from Singapore after several years at Barclays and was looking to connect with the startup community in Surat. He mentioned that he hadn’t come across many events and said he’d be happy to help if something was being planned. 

At that time, eChai Surat had slowed down. The community had many founders who cared, but it needed someone to bring people together again. Manoj joined those efforts with patience and intent. He started reaching out to founders, helping host meetups, and creating spaces where people could share what they were building. Gradually, the gatherings found new life.

Founders who attended once began returning. New faces joined in. Conversations that began casually turned into collaborations. Manoj became a familiar presence in Surat’s founder circle, someone who helped keep the community connected through consistent effort. The people he met during those sessions often stayed in touch, and many of those connections grew into lasting friendships and collaborations.

As his involvement grew, so did his reach. Manoj went on to host eChai meetups in Singapore, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Bengaluru, and met founders during his visit to Vienna. Wherever he went, he carried the same spirit of community, listening, connecting, and helping founders share their stories.

During this period, Manoj was also shaping his professional path. After nearly a decade in technology and risk roles at Barclays Singapore, he started Bizsomia to explore the startup world more closely. Building on that experience, he joined hands with Vipul Jain to lead Growth at WebOsmotic, where he continues to work with teams on digital products and partnerships.

In parallel, Manoj co-founded Narad.io, an AI-driven platform that helps companies respond to information-security and compliance assessments quickly and accurately. The venture brings together his background in risk management and his understanding of how businesses navigate operational challenges.

Alongside his work, Manoj launched Vaani with Adwani, a podcast that captures stories of founders from emerging startup hubs. Many of the people he met through eChai became guests on the show. The stories he once heard in Surat’s meetups now reach a wider audience.He also began producing content on Instagram about startup life, about growth, about what happens when you choose to stay. That creator side showed a different layer: that he wasn’t just helping others build; he was helping others see what building really looked like.

Beyond eChai, Manoj continues to stay deeply involved in other founder communities, supporting local Surat initiatives and actively contributing to groups like GrowthX and SaaSBoomi that help founders learn, share, and grow together.

Some people grow because of communities. Some grow outside them. A few grow with them. Manoj is one of those people. He shows up, listens, connects, and helps things continue. And maybe that’s the quiet truth about building something that lasts, when you keep showing up, things start showing up for you.