Some days remind you exactly why you chose this path.
At MIT University, Pune, I found myself in three completely different rooms, each showing a different side of Bignano’s journey. In the expo hall, curious students surrounded our cattle early detection kit, asking sharp questions and offering fresh ideas. In the investor room, I spoke to a group I had never approached before, and their enthusiasm for our work left me energised. In a closed-door session with young founders, I shared the backstory of building this product, watching their eyes light up as they connected it to their own journeys.
The settings were different, but the theme was the same, genuine curiosity and belief in what we are building. Even the podcast interview and the crowded food stalls outside felt like part of the same current running through the day.
It was a reminder that sometimes the best days are when every conversation, whether with students, investors, or fellow entrepreneurs, reinforces the same truth: you are building something that matters.
Almost 8 years in Canada, and now back in India for the past 8 months.
I call this the ultimate reset, starting everything from zero.
There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t question if I made the right decision. Reverse culture shock is real.
So is building something that doesn’t exist — and maybe won’t, unless I do it. I want to say I love it.
But I also hate it at the same time. This new journey comes with a weird fog.
You feel like you’re doing something wrong, just because you don’t see anyone around you on the same path.
No like-minded people. No similar shoes. Just you, jumping without a parachute.
When I moved back, I didn’t want to do it alone. I wanted to start a community, not just a product. A crew of people inside the ecosystem who were also figuring it out from scratch.
That’s when I found eChai Ventures and Jatin Chaudhary What they’ve built over more than a decade is impossible to replicate. It’s the kind of force that holds together the chaos of India’s startup system. And the more I spent time around them, the more I realized: their impact is bigger than you can see upfront.
They’ve been part of people’s journeys for so long, they see things the rest of us miss. Insights you won’t get anywhere, not even if you’re paying.
I started going to their events. They do a lot of them.
Not just across India. Globally.
They made the ecosystem feel less like a club and more like a campfire.
From weekly box cricket to being in the rooms where real AI conversations happen at Upsquare®.
It was a true honour to speak at the "Sales Masterclass for Startups : Ahmedabad Edition" organized by eChai Ventures yesterday,
A massive thank you to Jatin Chaudhary and the entire eChai Ventures team for creating such an impactful platform for startup founders. It was a privilege to share the stage with another insightful speaker, Yash Shah (Co-founder, Momentum. Ex Clientjoy), and delve deep into how founders can truly leverage sales strategies for early-stage success.
I had the fantastic opportunity to discuss critical aspects including:
- Getting Customers in the Early Stages: Practical approaches to land those crucial first deals and build initial traction.
- Mastering the Pitch: Crafting compelling narratives to effectively present to prospects and turn rejections into valuable relationships.
- Defining a Winning Pricing Strategy: Insights into setting prices that reflect value and drive growth.
The energy and engagement from all the attendees were incredible. Your insightful questions and active participation made the session truly interactive and rewarding. I hope the frameworks and real-world stories shared will provide actionable strategies for your entrepreneurial journeys.
Looking forward to more such enriching discussions!
This Sunday, from 3 to 6 pm, a group of rebels gathered ... not for gyaan, but for AI-first workflow rewiring.
We didn’t talk about “what AI can do.” We showed what we are doing ... with it.
From rocket .new to Claude.code agents, ChatGPT + Gemini to granola .ai, lovable, hume, emergent ... each tool had a champion. Each workflow, a story. Each person, a perspective.
We explored:
→ Why Business Process Reengineering is no longer a Six Sigma luxury—it’s survival. → Why AI Horror Stories start with blind use, not bold use. → Why Full-Stack Thinking beats tool-stacking.
No slides. No spectators. Just hands-on demos. Laughter. A few “oh damn” moments.
We didn’t leave with answers. We left with upgrades ... mindset, skillset, drive... and toolsets to execute next.
Most tech founders obsess over speed. Bill Gates, it turns out, obsesses over clarity.
Whether he’s scaling Microsoft or reinventing sanitation, Inside Bill’s Brain shows us a mind wired not just for ambition — but for deep, structured thinking.
What This Watch Is
Directed by Davis Guggenheim, this 3-part Netflix doc explores how Gates works through massive challenges — from building software that changed the world to tackling polio, nuclear energy, and toilet tech. It’s part biography, part systems thinking masterclass.
Why It Matters Now
For founders navigating complex products, ambiguous markets, or long feedback loops, this is a crash course in mental modeling. Gates doesn’t just move fast — he moves deliberately, with frameworks that stretch across decades. His ability to absorb, abstract, and act is something most of us try to mimic, but rarely see up close.
Key Takeaways
– Bill protects deep focus like it’s oxygen. He schedules “Think Weeks” where reading and reflection are the only agenda.
– He treats hard problems like engineering puzzles — even in public health. That mindset shift is powerful.
– Decision-making isn’t rushed. He gathers, questions, rewrites the problem, and only then commits.
– The documentary also shows emotional complexity — how he processes loss, legacy, and imperfection.
Why I’m Recommending It
It reminded me that systems outlast sprints. That intensity is nothing without insight. And that founders aren’t just builders — we’re problem framers first. Watching Gates reframe challenges with almost mechanical patience helped me reconsider how I approach product strategy at Upsquare.
If you’re building something ambitious — and want to sharpen how you think, not just what you do — this one’s worth your time.
"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
"eChai has been a game-changer for Hungrito, providing us with invaluable connections, insights, and opportunities that have significantly fueled our growth. eChai has introduced us to a global network of entrepreneurs and experts, fueling our growth and opening doors to new opportunities from Ahmedabad to Dubai. The community has become like a second family to us, providing support, guidance, and valuable insights as startup entrepreneurs."
Sahil Shah
Founder- Hungrito & Netsavvies. Digital Marketing Evangelist
"eChai is playing biggest role in my personal and professional life together. Its a community where i meet like minded people to share idea and learn from their idea. Even while playing cricket i learn something and i implement something new from that learning. Its my entry point for building network in different countries where my base is not established yet. Personally my only fun activity day in a week is eChai cricket and social."
yash shah
Chairman, ES Group of Companies
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.
