NEW YORK On the eve of New York Fashion Week, ASAN brought together a full house of founders, investors, operators, and professionals for a fashion tech-focused gathering exploring what it takes to build, fund, and scale companies at the intersection of fashion, technology, sustainability, and capital.
Attendees traveled from Boston, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Connecticut, New Jersey, and across the New York Tri-State and Northeast, reflecting the growing demand for spaces where South Asian founders and professionals can have candid conversations about building businesses and accessing capital.
The event featured Aashumi Mody, founder of Aayka; Sravani Kallepalli of NineF; and Jeff Koh of Reitler Kailas & Rosenblatt, with ASAN founder Nitin Bajaj moderating.
The discussion moved quickly into the realities of building and funding companies. Mody discussed what convinced her that circular South Asian fashion could become a viable business and what has worked in customer acquisition and proving demand.
Kallepalli addressed the investor side, including what creates conviction at an early stage, what separates founders who earn another meeting from those who get passed on, and what entrepreneurs consistently misunderstand about fundraising.
Koh focused on the early decisions that can become costly as companies grow, raise capital, add investors, and formalize their operations.
The panel closed with a practical question for all three speakers: if they were founders today, what would they do over the next 30 days to become more investable?
For attendees, the value extended beyond the panel.
“This was an extremely helpful event. People that look like me and I can relate with speaking honestly and transparently about the challenges and how they went about it. I met a couple of people that I will be working with to scale my business,” said Aruna.
That combination of candid conversation and useful connections is central to ASAN’s Investor-Founder Connect series. The gatherings are designed to create direct access between founders, investors, operators, customers, and potential partners while creating opportunities that continue beyond the room.
The New York gathering is part of ASAN’s broader national effort to connect younger South Asians across the United States to capital, opportunity, visibility, mentorship, and community.
