Hyderabad startup ecosystem gets boost with The Founders Room event
HYDERABAD: After three years of running founder-focused events in Bengaluru, Startup Synerz Global is set to host its first-ever The Founders Room event in Hyderabad on 25 July, marking the formal launch of the newly-created Hyderabad Startups Club.
Organisers say The Founders Room is more than a typical networking event. It is a curated gathering for startup founders, product builders, and entrepreneurial leaders who want serious conversations and real collaboration. The focus is on building meaningful professional connections, not just exchanging business cards.
The Founders Room concept started in 2023 with small events in Bengaluru under the Bengaluru Startups Club. Later, Dr. Ajay Reddy Zane, founder of Startup Synerz Global and World Startups Club, said the group expanded rapidly in 2025. At that point, they introduced new event formats: The Founders Room, Investors Room, Startup Forum, and a dedicated Conclave for growth-stage startups.
Building on this momentum, 2026 saw the launch of the Hyderabad Startups Club. Notably, the upcoming Founders Room event marks the group’s first on-ground activity in the city.
What happens inside The Founders Room
In an exclusive conversation with HyderabadMail, Ajay Reddy Zane described The Founders Room as a three-to-four-hour, agenda-driven event open to founders across all stages of their entrepreneurial journey, whether at the idea stage, building a product, or actively scaling a startup. Specifically, the format includes structured activities, knowledge sessions, panel discussions, fireside chats, and elevator-pitch style spotlight segments featuring invited speakers.
Importantly, this is distinct from the organisation’s Investors Room format, which centres on investment-focused knowledge sessions and virtual pitching opportunities in front of investors, a component Founders Room does not include. Meanwhile, a third, larger format, the Startup Forum, combines elements of both, structured across three dedicated spaces: a main discussion room, a pitching room, and a startup expo room. Looking ahead, Ajay Reddy indicated that Hyderabad could see its own Forum and Summit-style events within the next three months, once The Founders Room and Investors Room formats are established in the city.
When asked about his assessment of Hyderabad’s startup landscape, Ajay Reddy, who has engaged with the city’s ecosystem previously through a separate initiative, Global Startups Club, including a summit in 2024, said Hyderabad already has a well-established ecosystem built over several years. However, he noted room for more innovation-focused support and events, adding that the organisation sees an opportunity to contribute additional value through new formats and support services.
Ajay Reddy explained that Hyderabad Startups Club and Bengaluru Startups Club are city-specific chapters of Startup Synerz Global, which is being incorporated as a private limited company. In terms of global expansion, the company launched World Startups Club to replicate the city-by-city model internationally. Additionally, they created World Investor Circle, a platform to connect startups with angel investors and venture capital firms.
The Founders Room: Entry point
Ajay Reddy emphasised that Founders Room is designed as an entry point rather than a one-off event. Furthermore, he said founders who attend can continue engaging with the organisation for ongoing support, including mentoring, company registration and legal assistance, virtual CFO services, MVP and technology development support, and help with securing investment or customer collaborations. “It’s not just one day event. The Founders Room is an access for people to get connect with us,” he said, describing the model as long-term support at every stage of a founder’s journey, from ideation to scale-up and eventually IPO.
The program welcomes founders from any sector or stage, but participation is curated. Applicants go through a screening process to assess founder motivation, stage, and growth needs. “We want people who are passionate and serious about building something meaningful,” Ajay Reddy said. The group also runs dedicated events for growth-stage or venture-funded startups.
Organisers say the curation process has five steps. First, applicants register with their details, no payment required. Next, the Hyderabad Startups Club team reviews each registration within 24–48 hours and checks what the applicant is building, their stage, and their intent. Selected applicants get a confirmation message and payment details. Once they pay, their seat is confirmed. Finally, attendees are added to a WhatsApp group before the event.
Organisers stress that registering does not guarantee a seat, and that every applicant will be contacted personally. Importantly, “We believe the quality of the room defines the quality of the experience,” the organisers noted. They describe the process as a curation commitment rather than a gatekeeping exercise. The goal is to ensure everyone in the room adds value to everyone else present.
Ajay Reddy Zane said the short-term focus is on running regular networking events to keep founders consistently engaged. In the long run, the goal is to build a self-sustaining ecosystem where founders who benefit from the platform eventually give back by supporting newer entrants. “Every founder who joins us and becomes successful should support other founders in the future,” he said.
Additionally, Ajay Reddy Zane also runs a venture capital arm that supports founders with fundraising. He is writing a book called The Founder Within. He said, the larger goal is to build a startup ecosystem that connects Hyderabad, Telangana, and eventually founders and investors around the world.
