eChai Wall of Love

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.

Marketing for Startups ≠ Big Budgets. It’s about Big Clarity.

At the #AhmedabadStartupDay hosted by eChai Ventures and @iHubGujarat , our panel on "Marketing" dived deep into what marketing truly means for startups & or anyone interested in taking "business to a brand".

Some golden nuggets from our speakers :

1. Choose your medium wisely. Tools don’t replace thinking, clarity does. Get feedback from audience and keep improving.

2. Great marketing isn’t about selling a product. It’s about telling a compelling story. Build resonance, not just reach.

3. If you’re talking to everyone, you’re talking to nobody. Peel the onion, define your real market, and speak to them with relevance.

4. Behaviour before branding. Understand your audience’s motivations, fears, and desires. Anchor your storytelling in their reality.

5. “Does your brand even need a voice?” Maybe it needs empathy first.

6. Embrace AI tools, tinker with it, learn and experiment. The rules of the game are changing, so dont get caught on the wrong foot in the market.

7. Marketing is a bridge between real value and real people. And no, your distribution strategy can’t be an afterthought, content needs proper distribution. Just creating a content piece is not the end but a beginning of your marketing effort.

Thanks to all the brilliant minds and marketeers who joined the discussion.
NEHA SINGH Shrijay Sheth Vani Herlekar Priyanka Challa Kudos to Jatin Chaudhary & @Kunal 
Let’s continue making marketing smarter, not just louder.

O7 panels 
25+investors 
35+speakers 
350+startup founders & enthusiast & insane energy. 

We honestly didn’t know how it would go.

The first Echai Women Entrepreneurs Meet in Jaipur was a let’s try and see moment.

But what happened last evening blew us away.

The event wasn’t just successful, it was deeply interactive.

The audience had endless questions. The panelists were vulnerable, raw, and bold.

We had funny moments, inspiring stories, and so many nods from the audience that said, “Yes, I feel that too.”

Alpana ma’am called her son back from his job in Bangalore to build Nuskha with her.

prabjyot is raising 2 sons, 7 and 14 years old and managing her startup like a pro.

CS Radhika Balasaria left Kolkata at the peak of her career, locked herself in a room for 6 months after moving to Jaipur, and now she’s absolutely killing it.

My biggest takeaways

→ You need to have deep passion for your startup. Your customers should feel it.
→ Talk to your customers. Every single day.
→ Decide your priorities daily—some days it's family, some days it's work.
→ Don’t give up. Ever.

Also so happy to see more women in the audience this time. That made my day.

This was just the beginning. Jaipur has so many powerful women building quietly, we’re here to make more noise now.

Until next time!

J Startup House l  eChai Ventures l Jatin Chaudhary

10 Years of Legalwiz and a decade of meaningful connections.

Note : AI se nahi dil se likhta hu ...

Big congratulations to Shrijay Sheth and the entire LegalWiz.in team for completing 10 amazing years.

I have seen this journey very closely and been inspired all the time, not only business but the clarity and values Shrijay brings with him.

But todays celebration is more then just legalwiz but also about eChai Ventures, a community which is connecting people even before networking was a cool word. Almost a 10 years ago when I came across eChai and met Jatin Chaudhary at a Chai ki tapri in pure raw form of startup scene in city. And I met some amazing people through eChai , and Shrijay is one such gem of a person I met in an eChai event.

and in eChai , I have not only met founders and business but friends for lifetime, friends who play cricket together , party together , travel together.

It's incredible how one small communiy first idea by Jatin Chaudhary has connected so many of us and kept going on and on across the globe.

so Here's to Shrijay Sheth for 10 years of strength and leadership and to Jatin Chaudhary , kya bolu Jatin, bhai tu to OG hai .... 

“There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.” - Michelle Obama
The Women in AI – SF Edition was one of those rare evenings that left us all a little more inspired, a little more hopeful, and a lot more connected.

Curated with deep intention and powered by Zoom Developers and eChai Ventures, we brought together powerhouse of women leaders from Meta , NVIDIA, Zoom, and Walmart to share their journeys—not just in building with AI, but in navigating leadership, responsibility, and community.

Each of these women brought their own light:
Sathiya Panneer (Engineering Lead, Zoom) grounded the conversation with her warm, no-fluff answers. Her realism and quiet strength reminded us that you can lead with empathy and impact.

Syamla Bandla (Senior Director, Production Engineering, Meta) shared details at a scale that made us pause and say: “Whoa.” Her clarity and calm as she spoke about infrastructure and engineering depth was simply masterful.

Rupali Deshpande (AI Learning Specialist, NVIDIA) brought laughter and learning together—sharing how she educates partners on GenAI while keeping the human context alive. (P.S. Don't forget your promise about NVIDIA stocks 😉)

Mamta Suri (Sr. Engineering Leader & AI Evangelist, Walmart) made us reflect deeply. Her concern about the long-term impact of AI on future generations was raw and real. She also dropped wisdom from her recent podcast on ethics and AI that still lingers in my mind.

💜 But beyond the panel, what made the evening unforgettable was the room — filled with women (and allies!) who showed up, supported, and sparked real conversations.

It wasn’t just an event. It was a mirror of what we’re capable of when we choose community over competition.

Huge thanks to eChai Ventures and Jatin Chaudhary for powering this powerhouse.

And to every person who showed up, asked a question, or just listened with intent — thank you. You made this evening truly magical.

Let’s keep showing up for each other. Let’s keep building. Together.

P.S. The last photo says it all — we’re still debating who actually won the “Chai with Khyati” rapid fire round. But honestly, we all walked away with the best prize: each other’s energy. ☕ 💞