PinnedI raised $1M to grow our chai company. Here’s a guide on how to raise your first round.It’s March 2nd, 2020 and our cafe has been open for the past 6 months. Though there’s no talk of the coronavirus hitting the States just yet, my brother and I have a much larger problem on our hands. We’re running out of money. When we opened our cafe in…Startup8 min readStartup8 min read
PinnedI Bought $1.2M of Real Estate Right Before the Pandemic Hit. Here’s How I Navigated A Crisis.(For context, I acquired the $1.2M of properties alongside my partners and investors. It wasn’t me alone.) When I bought my first property in 2015, I jumped into the real estate game without any formal education or mentors. …Real Estate8 min readReal Estate8 min read
Sep 21, 2021How We Changed The Game Forever: Reflecting on Kolkata Chai’s 2 Year AnniversaryI still remember the way the number “5” jumped off the piece of paper at me. It was March 2019 and my brother and I had just signed a lease for our Kolkata Chai cafe location in Manhattan. Customary to most commercial leases, we had agreed to a 5 year…Entrepreneurship5 min readEntrepreneurship5 min read
Oct 22, 2020How to Build the Things That You Wish ExistedThis past Friday, I walked into a bustling opening night at a popup art gallery in Philadelphia. The exhibition featured a group of student artists from Temple University, and despite it being 2020, the energy was on high. …Entrepreneurship5 min readEntrepreneurship5 min read
May 12, 2020The Tyranny of Convenience CulturePrior to co-founding Kolkata Chai Co with my brother, my relationship with food had been largely transactional. I could appreciate the nuances of a good meal when I found myself at one, but the demands of my schedule forced me to see food as a purely practical. I ate so…Food6 min readFood6 min read
Apr 18, 2020Surviving a Drought: Running a Restaurant in NYC During the Coronavirus (PT. II)(I wrote Part I right as NYC was shutting down due to Covid-19. You can read that here.) Growing up as a first-generation immigrant in America, you’re often surrounded by a sense of uneasiness that things could go tragically wrong at any second. It could be an unforeseen immigration issue…Entrepreneurship5 min readEntrepreneurship5 min read
Apr 11, 2020The 5 Books That Shaped Me (As An Investor) — Vol. 3As a kid, I remember libraries and bookstores representing a sense of infinite possibility. I still get a rush when I walk into one today. …Books4 min readBooks4 min read
Mar 15, 2020Surviving a Drought: Running a Restaurant in NYC During the Coronavirus (PT. I)Imagine putting your entire financial future on the line as first-gen immigrant kids to build something you really believed in. Imagine putting your blood, sweat and dollars into creating a space for your community to come together. …Retail4 min readRetail4 min read
Dec 26, 2019Ten Thousand Steps In The Wrong Direction: My Chat With the Co-Founder of AtomsLast week, I sat down with Waqas Ali, the co-founder of Atoms, at their pop-up store in Soho. For the uninitiated, Atoms is a sneaker company that stormed onto the scene last year with a sneaker (the 000) that was full of user friendly elements such as quarter sizing, copper-lined…Founders5 min readFounders5 min read
Dec 2, 2019How I Raised $250k This Year Without Pitching A Single InvestorSince my early days on social media (I’m a proud ’09 Twitter inductee), I’ve always seen it as a tool. A tool to connect with people to further my creative, business and educational endeavors. Fast forward a decade to the frenzied pace of social in ’19, and I haven’t strayed…Real Estate6 min readReal Estate6 min read
