Piyush Bhatt

🌟 Startup Spotlight - 5: Chaayos Industry: Food & Beverage, #QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) Founded: 2012 Founders: Nitin Saluja, Raghav verma Valuation: Estimated $240 Million+ Milestones: Over 100+ outlets across India, serving millions of customers with customized chai options. 🚀 Brief: Chaayos has redefined the chai experience in India by bringing a modern twist to the country's most beloved beverage. As a pioneer in the organized chai café segment, Chaayos blends traditional flavors with contemporary tastes, operating like a billion-dollar startup that’s set to revolutionize the QSR landscape in India. 🌟 Positive Points: - ☕ Customizable Chai: Chaayos offers over 80,000 different ways to customize your chai, catering to individual preferences and creating a unique experience for every customer. - 📈 Rapid Expansion: With more than 100 outlets in key cities across India, Chaayos is rapidly expanding its footprint, tapping into the massive market for tea lovers. - 💡 Tech-Driven Operations: #Incorporates technology through its Chaayos app, which allows for seamless ordering, loyalty rewards, and personalized recommendations based on customer preferences. - 🏆 Brand Loyalty: Strong focus on customer experience has resulted in high repeat customer rates and robust brand loyalty, making Chaayos a go-to destination for chai enthusiasts. - 🌱 Health-Conscious Options: In response to growing health trends, Chaayos offers a range of healthy snacks and beverages, including sugar-free chai options and herbal infusions. ⚠️ Challenges: - 🏗️ Operational Complexity: Managing consistency in quality and service across multiple outlets presents significant operational challenges as the brand scales. - 🛍️ Competition: Faces intense competition from both traditional chai vendors and new-age café chains like ChaibPoint and Starbucks, which are also expanding aggressively. - 💰 Cost Management: Balancing the costs of premium locations, high-quality ingredients, and technology integration while maintaining affordability for customers. 📊 Current Status: - 🏆 Market Position: Chaayos is a leader in the organized chai café market, recognized for its innovative approach to traditional chai, with a growing presence in major Indian cities. - 📅 Recent Developments: Raised $53 million in Series C funding to accelerate its expansion, enhance technology integration, and introduce new products. - 🔮 Future Outlook: Positioned for significant growth with plans to expand to new markets within India and possibly internationally, while continuing to innovate with new chai and food offerings. #FoodAndBeverage #QSR #ChaiLovers #Chaayos #StartupIndia #Innovation #TechInFood #CustomerExperience #99DayChallenge #IndianTea #Entrepreneurship #CaféCulture #GrowthStartups #5

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🌟 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲 at Pulse 🌟 I'm delighted to announce that we’ve raised 𝗨𝗦𝗗 𝟭.𝟰 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴, led by Endiya Partners and supported by some incredible angel investors. This funding is more than just capital - it’s a testament to our commitment to helping SaaS and Technology companies prioritise customer needs and build meaningful features and products that truly add value. Our journey has always been about amplifying the voice of customers, cutting through feedback noise from multiple sources, and driving impactful product outcomes. We’re here to lighten the load for Product Managers and Owners, reducing the manual work of analysis and documentation, and this funding empowers us to push forward and innovate our Agentic AI-powered platform even further. A huge thank you to Sateesh Andra and Endiya Partners for believing in our vision from the start and guiding us to where we are today. And a special thanks to Medha Kannapally for unwavering support since day zero. Grateful for our incredible advisors and angel investors who trusted and backed us: Raja Kumar, Sridhar Gadhi, Raghu Ravinutala, Jaya Kishore Reddy Gollareddy, Rashid Khan, Ritish Reddy, Chaithanya Yambari, Sethu Meenakshisundaram, Aayush Ghosh Choudhury, Kashyap Deorah, Kaushik Iska, Ria Kapila, Ankit Garg & Vasudev Karthik Chatti. With this momentum, we’re ready to scale Pulse into an industry-defining platform that sets a new standard in AI-First Product Management, empowering Product Managers globally to make faster, smarter decisions that transform customer data into action. Alok Thatikunta | Vatsal Singhal #PulseAI #FundingAnnouncement #PulseforPM #BuildingPulse #VoiceOfCustomers #ProductManagement #SaaS #AgenticAI

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Startups fret, targets unmet, funding winter puts jobs at threat Even the well-funded aren't immune. Startups are seeing layoffs, some due to missteps, others taking a cautious approach to weather the funding winter. Unfortunately, the Edtech sector, which saw the most funding, has been hit the hardest, with the highest number of layoffs. Other sectors have also seen significant reductions in staff, with an average of 14% to 18% being let go. Personally, I feel that the two main reasons for this are poor management driving unsustainable scale ups and preparations to sustain during the slow down. The question remains: is this a sign of a troubled economy or a chance to build leaner, stronger teams? #startup #edtech #jobloss #firing #layoffs

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Exciting Developments in the Indian Budget 2024 for the Startup Ecosystem! 🚀 The Indian Budget 2024 has unveiled several groundbreaking measures that reflect a strong commitment to economic stability, growth, and innovation. Here’s a quick overview of the key highlights: ✅️ ₹5000 Crore Innovation Fund: A substantial new fund has been introduced to support innovative startups and extend tax benefits, providing a significant boost to the entrepreneurial ecosystem. ✅️ ₹1000 Crore Venture Capital Fund for Space Economy: The establishment of this fund demonstrates India’s forward-looking vision and positions the country as a leader in the emerging space sector. ✅️ Angel Tax Abolished: The removal of angel tax is a major step forward, eliminating a significant barrier for startups and investors. ✅️ Long-Term Capital Gains Tax Reduced to 12.5%: The new rate of 12.5% on long-term capital gains will enhance investment attractiveness and encourage more funding into startups. These measures are set to invigorate the startup landscape, drive innovation, and support long-term growth. As an entrepreneur and angel investor, I’m excited about the opportunities these initiatives will unlock for the startup ecosystem! For a deeper dive into these developments and their implications, check out my views in a detailed article in the Economic Times https://lnkd.in/g_znAT9r #IndianBudget2024 #StartupEcosystem #Innovation #EconomicGrowth #SpaceEconomy #VentureCapital #AngelTax #CapitalGains #Faad Aditya Arora Dr.Dinesh Singh Harshika Paliwal Shivani Khare Neha Mourya Vatsal Lunawat Abhilash Gupta Samarth Gupta Sanyam Jain

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I am happy to announce that Pepsales has closed pre-seed funding led by Chiratae Ventures 🙌 🙌 🙌 As a founder, you’re often told that it’s a lonely road—filled with long days, tough calls, and countless challenges. But with the right people, it doesn’t have to be like that. Throughout my career, I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with visionary leaders who believed in me before I even believed in myself. Along the way, I’ve been inspired by teammates from around the world who pushed me to do better every day. But when it comes to building a company, that’s a whole different game. It’s about embracing uncertainty and hoping you’ll find the right partners who share your vision. When Abhinandan Sahgal and I started Pepsales just six months ago, in a challenging macroeconomic climate, finding those partners felt like an uphill climb. Then one day, Venkatesh Peddi, Naimil Shah and the team at Chiratae Ventures came along. Their conviction in us was truly a game-changer. Every conversation with them has been insightful, and when they offered to invest in Pepsales, it was one of those “pinch me” moments that founders dream about. But let me be clear—this is Day 0. The road ahead is long, and we’ve barely scratched the surface. We’re laser-focused on continuing our mission to empower sales teams with AI that transforms how they sell. There’s so much more to build, more problems to solve, and more milestones to hit. That said, the right partners make all the difference. Whether it’s brainstorming ideas or navigating the challenges of scaling a company, having that support is invaluable. Here is to everyone who believed in us—thank you. We’re beyond grateful, and even more excited for what’s ahead. This is just the beginning. And now, a shameless plug: if you’re a B2B SaaS company looking to empower your sales team to drive and deliver a world-class experience with every demo—without the hassle of digging through mountains of data to find that one key insight—we’d love to have a conversation. We’re here to help you add real value to your sales funnel. #FounderJourney #SaaS #AI #Pepsales #Gratitude #DayZero #B2BSales Link to our announcement - https://lnkd.in/g5V7j2Nh

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Most people might think, “₹10,000? That’s nothing.” But for me? It was everything. When we launched AY Ventures, we started from scratch—bootstrapped with just ₹3000 in hand. No fancy offices, no funding, no safety nets. It was all grit and late nights. So, when that first client paid us ₹10,000, it wasn’t just money. It was proof. Proof that our model worked. Proof that our efforts were paying off. Proof that we were on the right track. It was a small victory, but one we celebrated like we had hit the jackpot. Here’s why: • Every startup journey is an emotional rollercoaster. • Small wins keep you going during tough times. • That first revenue is more than just money. The joy of that first revenue is irreplaceable. It’s not about the amount—it’s about the energy it gives you. Because once you’ve tasted that first victory? It drives you to reach for more. To all the founders out there: Celebrate every milestone, no matter how small. That’s how success is built—one step at a time. P.S. What was your first revenue you made in your startup? And how did you feel? If you are a busy founder struggling to raise funds, fill the form in my featured section to get help.

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To my fellow startup founders: this is honestly the best article on PMF I have ever come across: https://lnkd.in/d-ABgq2e Thanks again for reminding me of this gem Melinda Elmborg!

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𝟗𝟗.𝟓% 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥 Here is an opportunity to learn from the founders of the top 1% which didn’t. We are organising a highly curated event where the founders of Sharechat, Apps for Bharat and Elo Elo will be having a focused discussion on ‘Building Consumer Tech for India’ Building for India is difficult- most apps are far from India’s realities. For example, they fail to optimise for low-bandwidth scenarios and lower-end devices to cater to a broader audience. This is important because 88% of users stop using or delete apps because of performance issues. 𝐈𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬: 1. Successful strategies for user acquisition, retention and monetization. 2. Understanding your target audience and building a strong brand in India.  3. How companies are leveraging AI/ML to understand consumer behaviour and improve personalization. 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: - Expected traction at each stage of fundraising. - Key things investors look for in a deck - Unique Insights from successful and unsuccessful investments - Challenges a founder can face during a round and the potential impact of that on your day-to-day operations. So, if you are building in the consumer tech space in India, I would love to see you in Bangalore at the event. The link to apply/sign up is in the comments below. Saurabh Pandey , Prashant Sachan , Farid Ahsan Kushal Bhagia, Simran Patel, Ansh Pratap Singh #founders #startups

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The Indian term Indicorns are the true measure of success in India’s startup ecosystem. The new term propounded by the Kunal Bahal, Titan Capital. An alternative to 'unicorns', they represent profitable companies that have shot past the ₹100 crore revenue milestone as of FY 2023. Founded within the last 15 years, these startups exemplify remarkable growth and innovation—whether bootstrapped, acquired, or publicly listed. Here's a look at the diverse sectors where indicorns are showcasing the best of Indian innovation and entrepreneurial excellence.

🚀 🚀 🚀 Zepto Bags $665 Million in Funding, Doubling Valuation to $3.6 Billion: Quick Commerce Battle Intensifies 🚀 🚀 🚀 Zepto has recently secured a whopping $665 million in a new funding round, more than doubling its valuation to $3.6 billion post-money. This significant influx of capital sets the stage for an intensifying battle in the quick commerce sector, with Zepto poised to go head-to-head with formidable rivals such as Zomato -owned Blinkit , the public-markets-bound Swiggy Instamart, and Tata Digital – owned bigbasket.com , all of which are aggressively scaling their operations. In a recent CNBC-TV18 Interview Aadit Palicha, Co-Founder & CEO of Zepto, delved into their growth blueprint and future plans. ✒️ Key Takeaways from the interview: 1️⃣ Strategic Investments: The new funding will be strategically deployed to enhance Zepto’s technological capabilities, expand its geographic footprint, and streamline its delivery infrastructure to offer even faster and more reliable services to customers. 2️⃣ Competitive Edge: Palicha emphasized Zepto’s focus on innovation and customer satisfaction as the core pillars driving their rapid growth. By leveraging advanced analytics and a robust supply chain network, Zepto aims to stay ahead of the competition in the highly competitive quick commerce market. 3️⃣ Future Outlook: Looking ahead, Zepto is committed to continually improving its service offerings, expanding into new markets, and maintaining its growth trajectory. The company’s strategic roadmap includes further investment in cutting-edge technology and partnerships to enhance operational efficiency and customer experience. #QuickCommerceWars #FundingFrenzy #BillionDollarValuation #BattleOfTheGiants #IntenseCompetition #ScalingUpFast #MarketDisruption #TechInvestments #EvolvingEcosystem

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Years of learning from investors and WHAT TRULY MATTERS Raising external capital is always stressful and becomes overwhelming real quick. After raising capital myself and now investing small tickets into other startups, I believe I understand both sides of the story. Key metrics that matter - 1. CAC - I used to believe that organic growth was more important than paid acquisition until an investor explained its importance to me. From an investor perspective, CAC is crucial in determining one complete side of the business and is deeper than just "how many customers will you have if you spend £X?". 2. Churn - Once I understood the value of CAC,  churn was a no-brainer. Helps determine customer stickiness. 3. MAU - Monthly Active Users and trends around MAU are hugely beneficial in communicating the growth and demand of the business. There are other metrics such as market size and stuff but a lot of times these are assumptions or cherry-picked data from various sources. It’s better to focus on the depth of the problem and actual metrics.

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Now that's some NEWS - Bold and Impactful 📌 As your mentor, this is a Proud Moment. Hearty congratulations team Padverse, Yuvraj K, Manish Sagar Ramarapu on the major milestone. Knowing you from the first innovation session in 2nd year at INSTITUTE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, where all our association started, to now it has been very encouraging to see your growth. The commendable part of yours being the self updates, while being grounded, to rise to the requirement and delivering on par. The thorough follow up, process and documentation oriented, never give-up attitude are some of the qualities, I believe, is helping you achieve higher places. The complimentary skill set you as a team possess is another added advantage. The startup development is also breaking so many taboo's, preconceived notions, self-doubts: a) Menstrual hygiene is off topic for boys and men - The more we talk, the taboos will be cleared. b) Tier 2,3 college students cannot think or do innovation and entrepreneurship - Yes, it is possible, need not have to be from premier institutes. May not be easy, but certainly possible. Commit yourself. c) While pursuing studies cannot work on entrepreneurship - Yes, it is possible, effective use of 24 hours is required d) Students do not get ecosystem support. There is enough support available, reach out, explore. Multiple organizations across India are supporting Padverse in getting the required support and hand-holding. Continue to build the solution with even more vigor, the required support will always be available. As path is getting laid, keep slogging and God speed be with you.

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While firms like Trifecta Capital are stepping up with a new ₹2,000 Crore fund to back startups, but startups need more than that .... Over the past month, I've interviewed over 20 candidates for various positions. Shockingly, only one, I repeat only ONE stood out. The rest? ❌ Didn't bother to learn about our organization or the work we do. ❌ Lacked proper self-introduction skills. ❌ CVs filled with random, unverifiable information. ❌ Despite reputed colleges, cognitive abilities around 3-4 on a scale of 10. ❌ I don't know how but all CV's looks same. For a startup to reach new heights, many elements need to align: marketing, product, timing, funding, pricing, and more. But at the core of it all are people. This isn't a complaint; it's a wake-up call. We live in an incredibly competitive world. Let's buckle up and rise to the challenge. We can all do better. 🚀

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🚀 Swiggy Set to Make Waves with ₹11,300 Crore IPO: Key Details and Market Implications 🌐 Swiggy, India's food delivery giant, is set to go public with an IPO launching on November 6, 2024, aiming to raise around ₹11,327 crore (~$1.35B). Shares will be priced at ₹371-₹390 each (around $4.64), with trading expected to start on November 13, 2024. IPO Highlights: Price Range: ₹371-₹390 per share Funds Allocation: Expanding logistics and quick commerce operations This IPO is launching amidst rising tech-driven competition in India’s market. By securing capital, Swiggy plans to advance its quick commerce capabilities, aiming to gain a strategic edge over competitors like Zomato. Market Impact: Swiggy’s IPO offers a unique investment opportunity with strong growth potential, balancing between established dominance in food delivery and quick commerce expansion. Investor Insight: With a grey market premium around ₹25, sentiment is optimistic. As Swiggy steps into the public sphere, it's poised to redefine India's fast-paced delivery ecosystem. #IPO #SwiggyIPO #Investment https://lnkd.in/eyHRRPXh

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To be honest, most VCs in India have not found product market fit (PMF) yet. I believe, you have hit PMF as a VC when you have – 1. Top 1% founders are coming to pitch to you, 2. The founder is willing to take your money at a lower price than the market might give him/her. 3. You have built capabilities to pick the founder and market you want to invest in and the confidence to pass on deals that don’t align with your vision. Best example of this is YC , ~4.5% of the startups that have gone through Y Combinator since 2010 have become billion-dollar companies.  Founders don’t just take their money—they choose YC’s standard terms even after raising at a higher price from other VCs. That’s true PMF for a VC. #VC #PMF #funding

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🚀 Is your startup losing time and money due to operational inefficiencies? I recently worked with an Indian footwear startup that’s creating eco-friendly, handmade shoes. What was their challenge? 👉 Production delays and missed deliveries caused by disorganized workflows. 💡 Solution: We identified inefficiencies in their process, aligned their team, and introduced simple tools to track progress and reduce errors. 🎯 Result: - Faster production timelines. - Improved customer satisfaction. - More bandwidth for the founders to focus on growth. The lesson? Efficient operations drive sustainable growth. —-------- Here are 3 frameworks to streamline operations in early-stage startups: 🔍 1. Analyze Your Workflows Start by understanding how each process works. Identify bottlenecks, repetitive tasks, and steps that add no value. Eliminate what isn’t essential. 💡 Tip: Create a visual map of your processes to clearly see where changes can have the most impact. —----------- 📋 2. Improve Team Communication Misalignment leads to delays. Regular updates, clear responsibilities, and open channels for feedback ensure everyone stays on the same page. 💡 Tip: A simple weekly check-in meeting can uncover issues before they snowball. —----------- 🤖 3. Leverage Technology to Save Time Use basic tools to handle inventory, track tasks, and manage deadlines. Automation reduces human error and frees up time for high-priority work. 💡 Tip: Start small with tools your team is comfortable with and expand as you grow. —----------- 💡 This is the 7th of 8 articles in my Startup Success series. Next, I'll be discussing "Building Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) from the Ground Up." ------------- Hi, I’m Abhimanyu Gargesh and I mentor start-up founders to help them build efficient, scalable systems that support their growth journeys. 🤔 What’s the biggest operational challenge holding your startup back? Share it in the comments—I’d love to brainstorm solutions! #StartupWhisperer #Startups #Mentor #Operations #ProcessImprovement #BusinessChallenges

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Summer is just around the corner so founders have started hearing about bad times to fundraise. Let me extend on this common advice and give my own... Whenever you go out, you should plan for a 3-month process with no interruptions, so look for a time window within the following trouble zones: • Jun thru August - this is the summer slow down. vacations with family keep VCs out of pocket and hard to reach • Sept - Labor day and back to school so this is a hectic month for VCs • Oct - Halloween and parent teacher conferences mess up october. No one will take your fundraise seriously when thinking about how to dress themselves or kids up in costumes • Nov thru Dec - this is the dreaded Thanksgiving to Christmas to NYE Bermuda Triangle of holiday fundraising. Start raising here at your own peril • Jan thru Feb - holiday hangover and ski season for VCs make this a no go ⛷️ • March - spring break ❌ • April - April is pretty clear • May - end of the school year, final exams make this a stressful time for investors with kids. VCs without families are already mentally checking out prepping for the summer If you just avoid these, you should be good to go Hope that clears things up for everyone 🙏🤪

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After hosting 150+ founders in Mumbai, we are back in Namma ‘luru to host 400+ founders in a single day. Yes, you heard that right - 400+ founders under a single venue👇🏼 As we try to impact 1,000 founders outside the GrowthX community this year, the revenue impact on their companies is insane - a single day of masterclass plus panel discussion setting has an extremely high ROI for founders solving pure DHANDA. So what should you expect? 1/ Intense learning session (120 mins) You will design a low CAC distribution channel for your product. Followed by a session where you will learn how to build, retain and run growth teams & attract top talent. 2/ Founder focused fireside chat (60 mins) Growing revenue is a lonely battle, hear from Saurabh, Sudarshan, Arvind & Rasik who’ve overcome the struggle and built a sustainable revenue pipeline for their respective companies. Listen to their wins, losses & exchange notes in this in-person episode of "Off the record" 3/ Founder exclusive networking mixer. Speak to a diverse selection of Seed to Series B+ founders. Learn how they are cracking revenue led growth and exchange notes on actionable frameworks that have worked for them. Get priceless advice from founders who have been in the trenches & tried things. If you are a founder struggling to plan the revenue roadmap for the next 1 year, don’t miss out on this one. This is going to be a game changer. Link to register is in the comments 👇🏼 #startups #founders #revenue #growth

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