Sustainable Startups: Ahmedabad Founders on Growth, Funding & Focus

A shift toward sustainable growth and a focus on solving overlooked problems is gaining momentum within India’s startup ecosystem, according to entrepreneurs speaking at the first ASCENT Ahmedabad Huddle. Kuntal Shah, co-founder of CricHeroes, and Darshan Shah, co-founder of NewsReach, detailed their experiences navigating the challenges of building businesses beyond the pursuit of rapid, hype-driven expansion.

The Huddle, organized by the ASCENT Foundation – an organization founded by Harsh Mariwala, Chairman of Marico Limited and Founder of Kaya – brought together over 1300 entrepreneurs from 45 cities and 65 industries, fostering a space for peer-to-peer learning and experience sharing. ASCENT aims to create a supportive community where entrepreneurs can openly discuss their journeys, according to information released by the organization.

Shah, whose company CricHeroes focuses on amateur cricket, described a decade spent running a services business before attempting to create a consumer product. Multiple initial ideas failed to gain traction. CricHeroes emerged from identifying a gap in the market: the lack of structured data for amateur cricket, a segment largely ignored by the mainstream industry. “Funding new ideas through an existing core business dilutes attention and hampers growth,” Shah said, emphasizing the importance of dedicated resources. “Separating the new venture with independent funding helped us scale with clarity.”

Darshan Shah, a former lawyer, recounted the failure of his first startup and the crucial lesson he learned: the necessity of proving demand before investing heavily in technology. “Clarity of problem-solving and the ability to sell the idea are more critical than building complex infrastructure in the early stages,” he stated. “Technology should follow once the business shows it can scale.” NewsReach, his current venture, provides public relations services to small businesses and startups, particularly those outside major metropolitan areas like Mumbai and Delhi, a market often underserved by established PR firms.

Both founders highlighted a common theme: significant opportunities often lie in addressing the needs of neglected segments. CricHeroes targeted amateur cricketers, whereas NewsReach focused on businesses lacking access to traditional PR support. “Large opportunities often lie in segments overlooked by traditional players,” Shah explained.

Monetization strategies also came under scrutiny. Kuntal Shah acknowledged that prioritizing user acquisition over revenue generation had been a mistake, and CricHeroes is now actively implementing a sustainable revenue model by charging users and reducing reliance on discounts. “Excessive discounting creates dependency rather than long-term value,” he said. He also noted a change in investor attitudes, with a greater emphasis on unit economics than in previous years.

CricHeroes declined partnership offers from fantasy gaming and betting platforms, despite the potential for quick revenue gains. “We chose to prioritize user trust and long-term vision over short-term gains,” Shah said.

Darshan Shah challenged the conventional wisdom that scaling necessitates a large workforce. NewsReach has intentionally maintained a small team, leveraging advancements in technology and artificial intelligence to achieve scale without proportional increases in headcount. “Growth does not necessarily require large teams,” he asserted.

While acknowledging the challenges of building a business from Ahmedabad, both Shahs emphasized the advantages of focus, cost efficiency, and talent retention. The ASCENT Ahmedabad Huddle served as a platform to reinforce this shift in mindset among entrepreneurs – a move away from chasing fleeting trends and toward building businesses with clarity, discipline, and a long-term vision.