I’ve written emails mid-air, aboard flights. But this is the first time I’m writing from the boarding gates of an airport. If this one digresses a little or feels unpolished, bear with me. It’s coming straight from the gut.
There’s something about small ideas that take flight.
They energise us in ways that go beyond chasing revenue, locking in sponsorships, or anything else that feels incrementally transactional. They remind us why we do what we do.
Vertical Velocity is one such idea.
It began as a spark from Dev Khare, with Aneesh Reddy stepping in to help shape and accelerate it. Most of all, it started with a simple question: What can we do for India’s healthtech ecosystem?
And in just six weeks, that question turned into something real. Something alive.
The very first cohort has just 12 companies. But the work that’s gone into this is anything but small. We’ve had some of the best minds pour in hours of effort. Not for glory, not for credit, but because they care. Because they believe in the founder-first ethos that defines SaaSBoomi.
This isn’t a shoutout.
Those who gave their time know who they are.
And more importantly, they didn’t do it for the dopamine hit.
Two hours every single day. That’s what some of them gave.
That’s no small ask.
And the returns? Not in vanity metrics, but in the confidence and clarity it’s giving to the startups involved.
It’s hard to measure that kind of impact. But we feel it.
That’s the point of this note. To remind ourselves that the smaller, effort-intensive initiatives are often the ones that make the biggest difference. The ones that leave a mark on founders and ecosystems alike.
And yes, while I’m at it, I do want to make an ask.
If I put the word out, I know many will step up with funds. But what we’re really chasing is something deeper. Can this be a way of life inside SaaSBoomi?
Let me share one example.
A close friend, who wouldn’t like to be named, quietly pledged ₹2 crore to us. Unprompted. No agenda. No expectations. That money still sits idle today. Not because we don’t want to use it, but because we are waiting for the right moment. The right need. The right intent.
Because we treat that gesture the same way it was given, with deep respect.
So if you’re reading this and you feel like contributing, whether it’s time, capital, or thought, write back. Not out of pressure, but out of belief.
My inbox is always open. And if you write to me, I’ll write back.
Here’s to the ideas that start small,
and the communities that help them take flight.
