724th 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable Recording

You can listen to the recording here:

Roundtable Recap: April 23 – You Cannot Build Too Many Things in One Startup

During this week’s roundtable, we had a heated argument with one of the entrepreneurs. I told him that he’s doing too many things and it isn’t possible to build a successful startup with so many agendas right at the beginning. Unfortunately, I see this flawed thinking fairly often in entrepreneurs.

MarketKrystal

As for the pitches, first we had Shiv Shukla from Noida, India, pitch MarketKrystal, which requires a thorough competitive analysis and market validation.

Uttar Pradesh (UP), India’s most populous state, is a growing startup hub, with key cities like Noida driving innovation in SaaS, fintech, e-commerce, health-tech, and agritech. The ecosystem benefits from proximity to Delhi NCR, strong industrial clusters, and a large talent pool from universities and technical institutes. Read: Uttar Pradesh Startup Accelerator Ecosystem

QuantVerify

Then, Saurabh Singh from Singapore, pitched QuantVerify, an interesting solution for counterfeit verification for Pharma, FMCG, etc.

Singapore, the so-called “Little Red Dot,” has long cultivated a reputation as a startup hub. With its stable government, robust infrastructure, and access to capital, it has successfully attracted global talent and a dense network of incubators and accelerators. This has created a vibrant, but ultimately flawed, ecosystem. Read: Startup Singapore: The Accelerator Conundrum

LoopNote

Next, Chaitanya Patankar from Mumbai, India, pitched LoopNote, a website analytics tool.

Mumbai is one of India’s most active entrepreneurial hubs, with founders building startups across fintech, SaaS, media, marketplaces, logistics, and consumer technology. Entrepreneurs in the city have access to a wide range of accelerator programs, both local and global, that support different stages of the startup journey. Read: An Overview of Startup Accelerators in Mumbai

MyPursu

Then Kesava Grandhi and Ravi Racharla from Fremont, California, pitched MyPursu, a payment, marketplace and services business all rolled into one.

Positioning Before Venture Capital

Many startups fail not because the product is weak, but because customers do not get  the positioning. When founders raise venture capital before resolving this, they lock in an unvalidated story, confuse investor signals with real market demand, and scale messaging that is not yet proven. The result is often wasted capital, fragmented execution, and reduced ability to iterate on what actually works.

The key takeaway is simple: strong positioning must come before capital. Without clarity on problem definition, target customer, segmentation, and differentiated value, funding only amplifies confusion rather than fixing it. Read the full analysis here: Risks of Raising Venture Capital Too Early When Your Positioning Is Unclear  

You can listen to the recording here:

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April 23 – 724th 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable for Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs are invited to the 724th FREE online 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable on Thursday, April 23, 2026, at 8 a.m. PDT / 11 a.m. EDT / 5 p.m. CEST / 8:30 p.m. India IST.

If you are a serious entrepreneur, register to Pitch and sell your business idea. You’ll receive straightforward feedback from Sramana Mitra, advice on next steps, and answers to any of your questions. Others can register to Attend to watch and learn.

You can learn more here and REGISTER TO PITCH OR ATTEND HERE. Please share with any entrepreneurs in your circle who may be Interested.

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723rd 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable Recording

In case you missed it, you can listen to the recording here:

Roundtable Recap: April 16 – Real Customers, Real Revenues MATTER

During this week’s roundtable, I was thrilled to discuss a business from Nigeria and a business that straddles India, the Middle East, and the US – each with revenue. Not huge revenue. Not exponential growth. But, real revenue. Real customers.

And THAT is encouraging.

With THAT, we can build a business.

April 16 – 723rd 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable for Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs are invited to the 723rd FREE online 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable on Thursday, April 16, 2026, at 8 a.m. PDT / 11 a.m. EDT / 5 p.m. CEST / 8:30 p.m. India IST.

If you are a serious entrepreneur, register to Pitch and sell your business idea. You’ll receive straightforward feedback from Sramana Mitra, advice on next steps, and answers to any of your questions. Others can register to Attend to watch and learn.

You can learn more here and REGISTER TO PITCH OR ATTEND HERE. Please share with any entrepreneurs in your circle who may be Interested.

>>>

722nd 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable Recording

In case you missed it, you can listen to the roundtable recording here:

Roundtable Recap: April 9 – Bootstrapping with a Paycheck is Highly Recommended to Hedge Against Layoffs

Folks, please start bootstrapping a startup with your paycheck if your firm has announced layoffs. In fact, ALL tech industry workers are at risk right now. 

You must create a Plan B before layoffs touch you.

CleanBin

As for our entrepreneur pitches, first, Preeti Dawane from Thane, India, pitched CleanBin, a physical product for wet waste management.

Crizzen

Then, Raghav Vohra from Mumbai, India, pitched Crizzen, an AI services venture.