What's being posted about eChai.

I spoke on a panel at the AI Builders Forum this week about a question I’ve seen play out firsthand:

What does it really cost to do AI well?

At a packed meetup of AI founders and builders, my main point was simple: moving AI from prototype to production requires earning trust first.

I shared a lesson from one of my AI initiatives. Engineering wanted to move fast, but operations needed confidence that the AI recommendations wouldn’t create more work. Instead of rushing to scale, we prioritized precision and validation first.

That focus paid off. When users see accurate results early, adoption follows. Skip that foundation, and you may pay twice - once to build the technology and again to rebuild trust.

I also enjoyed the fireside chat, the other panel discussions, and meeting so many thoughtful people across the AI ecosystem.

Thank you to Khyati B. from eChai Ventures, PMI - San Francisco Bay Area Chapter, and AI Foundry for bringing us together!

I had a really good time at the eChai Ventures Women Founders Initiative in Bengaluru.

It was a great session with women founders from different backgrounds and industries. We spoke about the challenges of being a woman entrepreneur, building and growing businesses, AI and how it is changing the way we work, fashion, technology and a lot more.

What I enjoyed most was the openness of the conversations. Everyone brought a different perspective, and there was something interesting to take away from each discussion.

As a founder, I always enjoy meeting people outside my usual circle. Sometimes a simple conversation can give you a completely different perspective on a problem you’ve been thinking about.

A special thank you to Koral Jain for making everything so easy and comfortable and for bringing us all together. Really appreciate the effort behind putting these conversations together.

Wonderful meeting Sunita V Vandana Jain madhu chellam Adhunika Premkumar Vageesha Daga

Looking forward to more such conversations.

#WomenFounders #WomenEntrepreneurs #Entrepreneurship #AI #Technology #Bengaluru #eChai

This is one of those moments I know I will never forget in my lifetime.

Very recently, I hosted two incredible women on the podcast "Baatein Startup Ki" by eChai Ventures and Radio LJ, Koumal Kalantry, Founder of Bignano Ventures and Dr Aradhana Gupta, Founder of Airmed Pathology Private Limited and Usmanpura Imaging Centre.

There were multiple moments during that one hour when I genuinely had goosebumps. The strength, resilience and willingness to create an impact in the world that both these women carry was powerful.

Koumal spoke about her journey with Bignano, from the early days of doing everything from the ground up, navigating the struggling phases, to witnessing some incredibly proud moments, including being felicitated by the President of India. Hearing her talk about the journey behind those achievements made me see Big Nanno's story from a completely different perspective.

Dr. Aradhana shared her journey of taking the decision with Dr. Amit Gupta to move back to India, with a strong thought of doing more in healthcare, contributing through modern technologies, and serving more people. Her journey, the challenges, the decisions, and everything they have built since then were commendable.

I have known both of them for years. They are not just very good friends, but people I deeply admire. Yet, that day, I got to know them in a completely different way, from their very initial days and struggles to their failures, learnings and back-to-back victories.

It reminded me once again how important it is to be surrounded by the right people. The people around you shape your thoughts, your courage and, in many ways, the impact you choose to create.

I can probably keep writing about both of them because they are among the women entrepreneurs I look up to the most. I feel incredibly blessed to have such inspiring people in my personal and professional life. And trust me, it is very important to have such people in your life.

This conversation reminded me once again why spaces like the eChai Women Founders Initiative matter. When women share their real stories, not just the achievements but also the struggles behind them, it inspires so many others to keep going.

A big thank you to Jatin Chaudhary for starting the "Startup Ki Baatein" series and creating a platform that is impacting so many people.

Big shoutout to eChai Ventures and the entire team at Radio LJ 90.8 FM for making this conversation possible.

You can listen to the full podcast here:
https://lnkd.in/dQerTQRY

🚀 Stepping into Pune’s Startup Ecosystem!
Had an amazing opportunity to attend two eChai Ventures meetups in Pune — the Startup Growth Social Meetup and the AI X SaaS Startup Meetup.
What made these experiences truly valuable was being surrounded by founders, mentors, developers, and fellow builders who are actively working on ideas, products, and businesses.
For me, this was more than just attending a meetup. It was an opportunity to step outside my usual environment, start conversations, exchange ideas, ask questions, and learn directly from people who are building in the real world.
One of the highlights was getting the opportunity to discuss FINNIS — the Gen Z-focused finance platform I’m building — with people from the startup ecosystem and receive valuable feedback and perspectives on the idea. Those conversations gave me new ways to think about the product, its users, and the problem I’m trying to solve.
It also reminded me of something important:
Building something is not just about having an idea. It’s about putting that idea out there, listening to people, challenging your assumptions, and continuously improving.
Some conversations reinforce what you already know.
The right conversations make you rethink what you thought you knew.
And that’s exactly what I’m taking away from these meetups — new perspectives, meaningful connections, valuable feedback, and even more motivation to keep building. 🚀
A big thank you to eChai Ventures for creating spaces where students, founders, mentors, developers, and aspiring entrepreneurs can come together, learn from each other, and be part of the larger startup ecosystem. 🤝
The journey of FINNIS continues. 💜🚀
#FINNIS #eChai #StartupEcosystem #Startups #Entrepreneurship #SaaS #FinTech #ProductManagement #Networking #Pune #StartupJourney #Innovation #GenZ #BuildingInPublic

🚀 Had a great time at eChai Ventures Open House – Hyderabad!

It was a great opportunity to meet founders, entrepreneurs, builders, and like-minded people from the startup ecosystem.

One of the fun parts of the meetup was the team activity. The entire group was divided into teams, and each team was given a Marvel superhero. There were 7 of us in our team, and we were Team Batman! 🦇

It was a simple but fun activity that helped us break the ice, interact with people we had just met, and work together as a team.

Beyond the activity, I really enjoyed the conversations and hearing different startup journeys, ideas, challenges, and experiences.

A few takeaways from the meetup:

💡 Good ideas become better when you discuss them with the right people.
🤝 Networking is about building genuine relationships.
🚀 Hyderabad has a growing and exciting startup ecosystem.
📚 Every conversation gives you something new to learn.

Glad to be part of this meetup and looking forward to more such events, conversations, and collaborations.

🦇 Team Batman!

#eChai #StartupOpenHouse #HyderabadStartups #StartupEcosystem #Entrepreneurship #Networking #Startups #Innovation #Hyderabad

🚀 3 things I learned at an AI x SaaS meetup that most founders get wrong
Spent Saturday evening at the AI x SaaS Startup Meetup Pune, hosted by eChai Ventures at Ideas to Impacts, Baner.

Surrounded by founders, developers, and builders shipping real products — not just chasing hype. A few things stuck with me 👇

🧠 AI isn't the product, it's the leverage
The founders getting traction aren't the ones with the flashiest AI feature. They're the ones using AI to move faster on problems that were already validated.
⚡ Speed of iteration > perfection of code
Almost every founder I spoke to echoed the same thing: ship, watch users break it, fix it. Nobody's waiting for "done."
🤝 Networking beats pitching
The best conversations weren't during the panel. They happened after - in the open networking hour, when people dropped the pitch-deck voice and just talked shop.

As someone building with AI-assisted tools myself, it was validating to see this isn't a shortcut - it's becoming the default way founders operate now.

🙏 Big thanks to eChai Ventures for putting together such a well-organized, high-energy session - and to everyone I met and exchanged notes with. Great meeting you all, let's stay in touch!

💭 For the founders/builders here - are you optimizing for speed or perfection right now?
—
#Startups #SaaS #ArtificialIntelligence #Pune #BuildInPublic #eChaiVentures #StartupCommunity #ProductDevelopment

Attended “How Founders Use AI Tools – Pune Edition” by eChai Ventures, held at DevX, Baner, Pune 🚀

As a second-year student, walking into a room filled with founders, CEOs, and startup leaders was a completely different experience for me.

What stood out was seeing how founders are actually using AI — not just talking about it as a trend, but applying it to solve real problems, move faster, experiment, and build smarter.

A few things I took away from the meetup:

→ AI becomes powerful when it's applied to a real problem.
→ Small teams can use AI to execute much faster.
→ There is no single “perfect” AI tool — experimenting and finding what works matters.
→ Conversations with people actually building startups can teach you things you won't always find in a classroom.

Being one of the younger people in the room also made me realize something:

You don't have to wait until graduation to enter the startup ecosystem.

Show up. Listen. Ask questions. Meet people. Keep learning.

Grateful to eChai Ventures, DevX, and all the founders and startup leaders who shared their experiences and insights.

A lot more to learn — and hopefully, a lot to build. 🚀

#eChaiVentures #DevX #Pune #AI #Startups #Entrepreneurship #ArtificialIntelligence DevX

3 Days Later, But Still Thinking About It !!!

On 22nd August, I attended “𝐆𝐓𝐌 & 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐬: 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧” by eChai Ventures .

It was not just about GTM theory. What I really liked was learning how 𝐆𝐓𝐌 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 at the ground level, how 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬, build 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, use 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, create 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝, and turn free users into 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬.

A few things I took away:
• Start with the customer, not just the product.
• Use education and value to build trust.
• Networking can become a strong distribution channel.
• Test paid + organic channels and see what actually works.
• For B2B, understand the use case and teach the customer how to use your product.
• Keep multiple touchpoints before expecting a conversion.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞: "A good product is only half the game. Distribution and GTM decide how far it can actually go."

Thanks to the 𝐞𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐢 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 (Vishal Chopra, Chintan P. & Yash Agarwal) For sharing such amazing insights that make any founder or GTM person think twice while creating a strategy for their product or startup! 🙌

#GTM #Startups #Distribution #Entrepreneurship #eChai #Surat #StartupIndia #B2B #Growth #GTMStrategy #GoToMarket #TechStrategy #B2BSaaS #StartupGrowth

30 minutes. 7 people. Completely different backgrounds. One problem to solve.

This Saturday, I attended the eChai Founders Meet, and honestly, one of the most fun networking experiences I’ve had so far!

We were divided into groups of 6–7 and given just 30 minutes to:
Identify a real-world problem
Build a feasible solution
Think about branding & marketing strategies
Create a brand name & logo
Decide potential funding sources and justify why

Our group chose a problem that really caught my attention:

“If the Indian government is providing subsidies for EVs, then why are many people still hesitant to switch to electric vehicles?”

We identified two major pain points:
Range anxiety- people worry about running out of charge during travel.
Charging time- long waiting times at charging stations make EVs less convenient than conventional vehicles.

From there, we brainstormed a solution, worked on the positioning, branding, marketing strategy, funding approach and finally pitched our idea in front of everyone.

But what made the experience truly special was the people I got to collaborate with.

Our group brought together people from completely different generations and professional backgrounds from Gen Z to experienced professionals, including founders, IITians, AI professionals, real estate professionals, advocates and more.

Different experiences → different perspectives → better ideas.

It was a reminder that great ideas don't always come from knowing the most; they come from bringing different ways of thinking to the same table.

Already looking forward to the next one!

#eChai #FoundersMeet #Entrepreneurship #Networking #ElectricVehicles #EV #Innovation #ProblemSolving #Marketing #Branding #Collaboration

After a great evening at Urban Vault, by eChai Ventures that I attended along with Nitish Reddy and Lokesh Yarramallu, discussing the challenges around GTM, sales, and building in today’s market.
I got to meet quite a few interesting people, hear different perspectives, and learn a lot from their experiences.

GTM is not just about having a great product, it’s about understanding who actually needs it, why they need it, and when they’re ready to buy.

Distribution can be as important as the product itself. A strong product without the right channel, positioning, or customer access can struggle to find its market.

Overall, an awesome session with some great conversations and valuable perspectives.
Looking forward to attending more sessions like this and learning from more people building, selling, and solving real problems.

I just wrapped up an incredible E-Cell workshop at International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIITH) with Kiran Babu at eChai Ventures, and it completely shifted my perspective on building and scaling startups.

Here are the top 7 takeaways I brought back with me:

1. Shift from MVP to MVD (Minimum Viable Distribution)
Building is only half the battle. If you don't solve for distribution early, your product dies in silence.

2. Boring problems build massive businesses
Especially in B2B. If you solve an unglamorous problem that saves time or boosts productivity, value follows.

3. Think like a CFO, not just a CEO
Instead of asking "Can we build this?", ask "Why would someone actually pay for this?"

4. Positioning > Product
The product gets you into the room: how you frame, price, and sell it determines if you close the deal.

5. Listen more than you pitch
The sharper your customer conversations, the clearer the actual problem becomes. Stop leading the dialogue—let the customer talk.

6. Your customer is the hero; you’re just the guide
Make the story about solving their problem, not about how impressive your tech is.

7. Map the Decision-Making Unit (DMU)
A great pitch to the wrong stakeholder is a wasted pitch. Always know who holds the budget.

The ultimate lesson? Don’t just build to build. Build something that saves time, increases productivity, or creates undeniable, measurable value.

#Entrepreneurship #Startups #IIITHyderabad

This Saturday, I attended an amazing meetup by eChai Ventures on “How Founders Use AI.”

As a developer, it genuinely expanded my horizon beyond just Copilot, Claude, Cursor, and AI agents.

I got the opportunity to meet people solving real-world problems across completely different industries — from marketing and sales automation to aerospace engineering and cloud infrastructure.

What fascinated me most was seeing how differently people think about AI when they are focused on solving a specific business or industry problem.

I was humbled by the knowledge and experience shared by the people I met. Events like these remind me that there is so much more to learn when you step outside your usual tech bubble.

For me, meetups like this trigger curiosity — and that's exactly what I'm looking for.

Looking forward to attending more meetups, meeting more builders, and understanding how people are using AI to solve real problems, not just write code faster.

If you're building something interesting with AI, I'd love to learn from you.

Thanks Chaitanya Badave for hosting this meetup.

#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Startups #Founders #Pune #TechCommunity #BuildInPublic #AIBuilders #Networking

"I... I... I aaaam Harshithaa...aaaa
I am a post graduate turned founder,

I provide personal branding services and content marketing for biotech founders

I have 4k followers on LinkedIn,

sooo. yeah!!.looking forward to connect"

this was my exact pitch, holding mike in eChai Ventures front of 70-80 people

people are building,
exploring,
experimenting ,
looking for investors and
growth partners

the aura itself speaks a lot!!

I was stammering, hesitating and recollecting my words but blabbered out anyway

long way to go

If you're looking to connect with like minded people, looking for guidance mentorship in building something that solve real world problems.

Feel free to reach out eChai Ventures

Let's meet you there

Another great Saturday evening with the Bengaluru startup ecosystem at eChai Ventures Ventures’ Bengaluru Startup Meetup! 🚀

It was a great opportunity to meet founders, operators, and startup enthusiasts building across different sectors. What I enjoyed most were the open conversations — hearing what people are building, the challenges they are solving, exchanging perspectives, and making meaningful new connections.

Events like these remind me that some of the best learning in the startup ecosystem happens through conversations with people who are actually building and experimenting every day.

A big kudos to Koral Jain for being an awesome host and making the conversation engaging and interactive! 👏

And a special shoutout to Jatin Chaudhary — eChai consistently brings together a fresh and diverse group of founders, operators, and ecosystem folks. Building such a community city by city takes consistency, and it’s great to see the network continue to grow.

Kudos to the entire eChai Ventures team for creating spaces where people can connect, learn, exchange ideas, and build meaningful relationships.

Looking forward to many more conversations and connections! 🚀
venue: Urban Vault 477, HSR Layout , Bengaluru

#eChaiVentures #BengaluruStartups #fintech #StartupEcosystem #Founders #Networking #Entrepreneurship #Bengaluru #Startups #Startupcommunity

Our recent ASCENT Ahmedabad Huddle, organized by GUSEC in collaboration with the ASCENT Foundation, was one such experience.

We were honoured to host Dr. Piruz Khambatta, Chairman, Rasna Group, who shared decades of entrepreneurial wisdom with founders, innovators, and business leaders.

Some powerful takeaways from the session:

• Believe in your own vision before expecting investors to believe in it.

• Integrity isn't a business strategy—it's a way of building trust.

• Startups have a unique advantage: they can innovate without the baggage of legacy systems.

• Enduring businesses are built with patience, purpose, and values.

The highlight of the evening was an engaging Q&A session, where entrepreneurs had the opportunity to interact directly with Dr. Khambatta, making the discussion as valuable as the keynote itself.

A heartfelt thank you to the ASCENT Foundation, eChai Ventures, and everyone who joined us in making this Huddle a meaningful platform for learning, collaboration, and entrepreneurial growth.

#GUSEC #ASCENTAhmedabad #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #StartupEcosystem #Innovation

Most startup founders and entrepreneurs think about GTM and distribution in very different ways. And often, the right questions only emerge when you start discussing real-world scenarios.

At latest eChai Ventures session, we had a great conversation around exactly that exploring different GTM and distribution challenges, answering questions, and sharing perspectives.

It was great discussing these with Balkrishna Agarwal from Teziapp, Vikas Mundhra from Magenta Insights, and everyone who joined us.

Really enjoyed meeting and learning from everyone.

And a big thanks to Jatin Chaudhary for continuously organizing such conversations and creating spaces that genuinely help the startup community grow. 🙌

GTM is probably the most misunderstood part of building a startup.

We often talk about GTM as running ads, building a sales team, or launching in a new market. But while building Clozzet, we’ve realised it is much simpler, and much harder. It’s about figuring out where your customers are, what makes them trust you, and what gives them a reason to come back.

At eChai’s GTM & Distribution for Startups Ahmedabad Edition, I got the opportunity to share some of our GTM experiments at Clozzet, what worked, what didn’t, and how we’ve approached distribution while building in a highly fragmented offline market.

The most valuable part was hearing how other founders and operators are solving the same problem across completely different businesses.

One takeaway I’m taking back:
GTM isn’t a launch.
It’s a constant need for a startup, and you discover it by doing.

Thank you eChai Ventures Jatin Chaudhary for bringing together such a thoughtful room of builders.
And thank you Balkrishna Agarwal, Anil Salvi, and Vikas Mundhra for sharing your experiences and making the conversation genuinely practical.

Back to building.

#GTM #Distribution #Startups #Founders #Clozzet

World Entrepreneurship Day: A New Perspective on What It Means to Be an Entrepreneur

What comes to your mind when you hear the word Entrepreneurship?

Being a visionary.
Having problem-solving skills.
Being a decision-maker.
Taking risks.
Building something from scratch.

But today, on World Entrepreneurship Day, my entire perspective towards entrepreneurship changed.

As an Alumni, Entrepreneur and Community Builder, I was honoured to be invited to Startup Igniters 4.0 by Alumni Entrepreneurs _SCAC Symbiosis College of Arts & Commerce and Dr. Sharayu Bhakarey

The speakers and students at the event truly ignited ideas, shaped our ideals and lit up everyone present with the spirit of becoming a better version of ourselves.

🌱 Speaker 1: Disha Shah

Founder of Gofig , an Indian sustainability-driven marketplace and surplus inventory distribution platform in Pune, and a Shark Tank-featured entrepreneur.

Her insights went far beyond entrepreneurship being about ideas and innovation.

She spoke about:
• Leaving your comfort zone
• Hard work
• Patience
• Being ready for the grunt work
• Learning anything and everything as an entrepreneur

But what truly blew my mind was her public speaking and presentation skills.

It reminded me that whether you are presenting yourself to a crowd, investors, a panel or students, every little detail matters.

Thank you, Disha, for those beautiful insights. 🙏

🚀 Speaker 2: Nahush Gulawani

Founder of Wit & Chai media pvt ltd a marketing agency in Pune.

His session was an incredibly interactive conversation with the students and everyone present.

His journey from being a CA to becoming a Marketeer felt like a rollercoaster — full of adventures, ups, downs and unexpected turns.

What he made us understand today wasn't just another motivational or inspirational speech.

It was about how the real world actually works.

How to be confident and strong-headed while approaching brands.

How cold calls and LinkedIn outreach can create opportunities.

How having the hunger, confidence and a great pitch can make someone believe in your potential.

Today, I realised how two sides of the same coin can look completely different.

Two entrepreneurs.
Two journeys.
Two visions.
Yet both creating a greater and bigger impact.

And perhaps that is what entrepreneurship truly is — there is no single formula.

I was also honoured to be a part of Symbipreneur 7.0 – Turning Point, a book featuring stories of entrepreneurs, where my journey with Pratikrut Collective and my experience of building the eChai Women Entrepreneurs Meetup Community has been published.

Feeling deeply grateful to the teachers, students, mentors and organisers who made me a part of this beautiful experience. 🙏

Today, I don't just see entrepreneurs as risk-takers or visionaries.

I see them as learners, storytellers, problem-solvers, hustlers and people constantly evolving into better versions of themselves.

Happy World Entrepreneurship Day! 🌱✨