Gujarat
eChai Surat
eChai's home for Surat founders. Free and open.
Surat's startup DNA is unlike any other Indian city's because it was written by two of the most cash-rich, risk-hungry trading communities on the planet: the diamond-cutters of Varachha and Katargam, and the man-made-textile barons of Sachin, Pandesara and Udhna.
Meanwhile, across eChai
Nareshkumar Patel, Chetankumar Vaghasia (approx; verify)
Manufacturer of advanced pharma/API intermediates and new-chemical-entity intermediates, serving clinical and commercial pharma production. Headquartered in Surat, Gujarat (founder names not fully verified h...
Solar-energy solutions provider (rooftop/commercial solar) based in Surat aiming to cut electricity bills. Headquartered in Surat, Gujarat.
Ketan Zota
Pharma formulations company (Zota Healthcare) whose Davaindia brand runs India's largest dedicated generic-medicine pharmacy franchise chain making affordable generics mainstream. Headquartered in Surat, Guj...
Vishal Virani, Rahul Shingala, Deepak Dhanak
No-code AI platform that generates full-stack web and mobile apps from prompts. Born and built in Surat; HQ relocated to Palo Alto, California in Sep 2025 upon AI-first pivot.
Yogesh Kabra, Siddhartha Gondal
D2C men's innerwear and comfort-wear brand known for premium, quirky-design briefs, vests and loungewear; sells via own site, Amazon, Flipkart and offline retail. Headquartered in Surat, Gujarat.
AI-powered business platform (Surat startup community listing).
Mohamadadil Asif Malkani (Adil Qadri), Asif Kadarbhai Malkani
D2C luxury attar and perfume brand modernizing traditional Indian fragrance for younger buyers; sells via own site, Amazon, Flipkart and 15+ stores in India and Dubai. Born in Bilimora/Navsari area (South Gu...
Vibhor Agarwal, Vinita Agarwal, Siddhant Agarwal, R.K. Choudhary, Shakuntala Devi Choudhary, Ambica Agarwal
D2C modern-Ayurveda hair and skincare brand; flagship hair oil originated from a family formulation to treat hair fall, now multi-category hair/skincare online brand. Headquartered in Surat, Gujarat.
Karan Juneja (co-founder)
Surat-based consumer/fashion lifestyle brand (part of the eChai Surat founder community).
Sector-agnostic; cleantech, edtech, agritech, EV & mobility, D2C, logistics, fintech, Web3, gaming. Seed to pre-Series A / early growth. BluSmart, DrinkPrime, Zappfresh, Rupeek, Zypp Electric, EMotorad, Trainman (exited to Adani). ~85+ s...
Sector-agnostic; agritech, cleantech, generative AI, fintech, consumer brands, SaaS. Post-seed / pre-Series A. Launched May 2024 by IVY Growth founders (IVY Growth is an LP); target corpus INR 250 Cr, INR 100 Cr first close. Deploys into...
Sector-agnostic. Seed to pre-Series A (pitch platform). Flagship annual Surat summit run by IVY Growth (Season 5 held 13-14 June 2026 at Avadh Utopia). Convenes 500+ angels, 60+ VCs, family offices; national/global investors (100X.VC, Bl...
Sector-agnostic; deeptech, robotics, biotech, industrial, consumer, EV, hardware, SaaS. Seed to Series C (primarily early stage). ~9 portfolio companies (Apr 2026): Neuralzome, Magma, devX, Ivana (lab-grown diamond jewelry), Green Banana...
Sector-agnostic consumer, D2C, EV, fintech, agritech. Seed / early stage (angel + EvolveX accelerator). 120+ startups: Zypp Electric, BluSmart, Anveshan, Hesa, Oben EV, Vidyakul, AyushPay, Kazam, YPay. Not Surat-HQ but the anchor sponsor...
Sector-agnostic; consumer, healthtech, nutrition, coworking, Tier-II focus. Idea to early stage (Scalerator accelerator). Provyz Co-working, Inovace/Inovace Nutrition, YesMindy (mental health). Founded 2018 by Kashyap Pandya (past Presid...
Connecting 200+ global startups with investors, VCs, angel networks; making Surat a global startup hub. Summit/expo, startup exhibition stalls, investor pitch/fundraising, industry-leader sessions; not a cohort incubator. Multi-season fl...
Early-stage and scaling startups across sectors; AgriTech/FoodTech, hardware/electronics, student entrepreneurship & IP commercialization, AI (via BrahmVeda). Acceleration/incubation programs (Syncoro Scalerator, Idea Lab, GTM Bootcamp, ...
Building South Gujarat startup ecosystem across sectors; mentorship, funding, women/student/young entrepreneurs. TiE Nurture equity-free accelerator (powered by TiE Pune), TiE University, TiE Young Entrepreneurs, TiE India Angels investm...
Engineering & technology commercialization across all disciplines; energy, environment, manufacturing; also non-tech startups. Pre-incubation + incubation programs, Proof-of-Concept (PoC) support, ~26-seat co-working space, labs, mentors...
Student innovators/entrepreneurs across engineering & other disciplines; PoC, prototype, patents. SSIP grant support (SCET reported ~Rs 50 lakh/year state grant; Sarvajanik University received SSIP 2.0 grant 2023), mentorship, prototypin...
Student & alumni innovation projects, patents, employment-oriented ventures. SSIP funding to students/alumni, mentorship, innovation cell support
Vesu ~22 seats; Ikigai ~6,500 sq ft with open workspace, private cabins, terrace; startup/freelancer community vibe. Event spaces with AV, conference/meeting rooms, dedicated desks, private offices, refreshments, workshop/events area, op...
Up to ~207 members; community-focused, pet-friendly, young-entrepreneur energy, 24/7 access. In-house cafe, RFID/biometric access, library, chill-out/locker zones, meeting rooms, parking (2/4 wheeler), power backup, WiFi, security. Runs ...
Business-centre style; professional SME/corporate tenant base, long-tenure clients. Reception support, courier management, coworking desks, private cabins, meeting/conference rooms, training room, cafeteria, virtual office plans. One of ...
7,000+ sq ft, 111 desks, up to ~111 members; startup-oriented, well-regarded design. Private cabins, meeting/conference/seminar halls, dining, dedicated parking (2/4 wheeler), pantry, power backup, WiFi, security, printer. Frequently pra...
Up to ~300 members; premium, design-forward, transit-friendly; startup and SME mix. Managed/private offices, dedicated desks, meeting rooms, professional decor, supportive on-site staff; some reviewers note certain facilities below expec...
Modern ergonomic workstations; startups, freelancers, aspiring entrepreneurs; Sunday community events. Flexi/dedicated desks, conference room, high-speed WiFi, storage, parking, event space, community programming. Among the most affordab...
Fostering entrepreneurship in South Gujarat via mentoring, incubation, networking and funding. TiE Nurture equity-free accelerator (powered by TiE Pune), TiE Women Global Pitch, TiE University (college students), TiE Young Entrepreneurs ...
Bringing startup ecosystem resources (incubators, coworking, mentors, investors) under one roof for aspiring and early-stage founders. Startup Saturday open-house meetups, networking, panels; co-hosts events with eChai, iKoVerk, Innocity...
Innovation, startup incubation, trade facilitation and skill development; sector focus Healthcare, IoT, ICT, AI, E-Commerce, plus textile/diamond Industry 4.0. Startup incubation and mentorship, 120-seat coworking + cabins + labs/worksho...
Commercialization of R&D and student/faculty startups across engineering disciplines (Energy, Environment, Manufacturing); pre-incubation under Gujarat SSIP. Incubation (capacity ~26 startups on campus), labs, seminar/meeting rooms, offi...
Promoting entrepreneurial culture among SVNIT students. Student entrepreneurship activities, events; operates under Dean (Resource Generation). Active (student body); specific event cadence unknown
Google developer technologies - AI/ML, Cloud, Android, Flutter, Web, plus startups. Talks, hands-on workshops, hackathons, code sprints, networking; annual DevFest with multiple speakers. Active. Annual DevFest (DevFest 2022, 2023; DevFe...
casual; group hangouts; budget meetings
Adajan outlet of the Surat-HQ Coffee King chain
solo deep work; reading/quiet focus; casual catch-ups
Specialty cold brews; extensive in-cafe book collection; on Vogue's 'most beautiful cafes in India' list
solo work; casual; 1:1 meetings
Coffee + food; strong 4.8 rating
casual; light meetings
Casual offshoot of The Commoner's Kitchen (burgers/comfort food)
1:1 meetings; casual; dinner meets
Gourmet burgers/pizza, Mediterranean/Western; sister brand 'Homeboy'
Answers about the Surat startup scene
What does the startup ecosystem in Surat look like?
Surat's ecosystem is strongest in SaaS, D2C and Consumer brands, with a growing bench of companies building across the map. The Founder Circuit and vertical pages above list who is building what, filterable by vertical.
Where do founders network in Surat?
Mostly at community meetups rather than conferences, clustered around hubs like Vesu. eChai runs free, open founder meetups in Surat, alongside the vertical communities listed below. The simplest first step is to RSVP to an upcoming event.
How do I find a co-founder in Surat?
Go where founders already gather. Most pairings start informally at meetups, not on platforms. Come to a few eChai events in Surat, meet people building adjacent things, and the conversations tend to find their own way to co-founder fit.
How do I join the startup community in Surat?
eChai is free and open: pick an upcoming Surat event above, RSVP, and walk in. There is no application or membership fee, and the meetups are built so first time founders and seasoned operators end up in the same conversation.
Which are the top startup verticals in Surat?
SaaS, D2C and Consumer brands lead, with active clusters in several more. Use the vertical chips above to browse the companies in each, or open a vertical page to see the names rising in that category.
Who are the active investors and VCs in Surat?
Surat has a working layer of VCs, micro VCs, family offices and angel networks. The investors section below lists the firms and networks active here, grouped by type.
Which incubators and accelerators are in Surat?
The city has a mix of university and institutional incubators, government backed programs and private accelerators. The incubators section below lists them, alongside the coworking spaces where early teams set up.
What are the best startup events and meetups in Surat?
The upcoming events block above is live: RSVP to the next Surat meetup. eChai's events are free and open, and the communities section lists the other vertical meetups and conferences worth following.
New to Surat's startup scene? Start here.
eChai runs free, open founder meetups in Surat. No membership, no fee, just show up. RSVP to the next one and meet the people building the city.
See upcoming Surat events