In a story that perfectly captures the unpredictable power of the internet, a simple post on social media has helped an Indian startup secure nearly ₹1.9 crore in funding.
The founder behind the viral moment is Chanakya Shah, co-founder of the Mumbai-based sports hydration startup Up and Run. What started as a straightforward appeal for funds on X (formerly Twitter) quickly snowballed into a remarkable example of how social media can reshape the fundraising playbook for startups.
A few months ago, Shah posted on X explaining that his startup needed around ₹80 lakh to support its growth. Instead of approaching traditional venture capital routes immediately, he decided to share the requirement publicly on social media.
Within days, the post began gaining traction online, drawing attention from users who were not just curious about the startup but also interested in investing in it. According to Shah, the response was overwhelming.
In a later update, he revealed that the startup eventually raised about ₹1.9 crore, far exceeding the initial funding requirement.
He posted this on x.
Link to the post:
We raised ₹1.91 crore.
Two months ago, if someone had told us we could raise money for our startup from X, we wouldn’t have believed it.
So we needed about ₹80 lakh, so I posted a tweet.
What happened next was unexpected. From that single tweet, we had over ₹2 crore in… pic.twitter.com/sbfQe9iqV3
— Chanakya (@ChanakyaShah) March 11, 2026
Instead of traditional venture capitalists alone, many people who showed interest were actually customers or followers who believed in the brand and wanted to back it financially.
Chanakya Shah’s story is yet another reminder that in today’s digital economy, one viral
