Kshitij Doval: The Man Turning Dehradun Into India’s Next Startup Powerhouse

For decades, Uttarakhand has been known for tourism, education and natural beauty. But in the past two years, a new reputation has been silently — yet fiercely — taking shape. A startup movement has begun in the valley, and at the center of it stands one man whose conviction has turned into a community, a culture and now an ecosystem.

His name is Kshitij Doval.To many in the entrepreneurial circle of Dehradun, he is not just an entrepreneur — he is a catalyst. And the ecosystem he is building is called Unhu.

The Beginning of a Movement

The story of Unhu didn’t begin with capital, corporate backing or a massive team. It started with something far more powerful — a belief that founders in smaller cities deserve as much opportunity as founders in metropolitan hubs.

In late 2023, while many believed that “real startups” can only come out of Bengaluru, Delhi or Mumbai, Doval held a contrarian view — startup talent is everywhere, but startup environments are not.

His question was simple:

“Why should founders have to leave Uttarakhand to succeed?”

Instead of waiting for the environment to be created, he built it.

Unhu – India’s First Hyperlocal Founder Accelerator Model

Unlike traditional accelerators that work nationally or virtually, Unhu is built on the principle of physical community, hyperlocal collaboration and daily execution support.

The accelerator does not chase unicorns — it chases product-market fit.

Through weekly workshops, brand audits, distribution planning, sales mentorship, collaborative networking and guided execution, Unhu ensures that early-stage founders stop guessing and start growing.

Today, startups under the Unhu umbrella are not just building products — they are:

• Validating real problems

• Designing offers that sell

• Building brands that communicate clearly

• Achieving recurring sales

• Attracting investor visibility

The core philosophy is simple:

“A founder who finds product-market fit in Uttarakhand can succeed anywhere in the world.”

The Community: The Power of 1,000+ Founders

What once began as a small gathering of entrepreneurs soon exploded into something the region had never seen.

Today, UFC Doon (Unhu Founders Community) is:

• The largest and most active entrepreneurs’ community in Uttarakhand

• 1,000+ founders strong, from wellness brands to FMCG startups, ed-tech, services and fashion

• A hyper-collaborative network where founders share suppliers, mentors, strategies and even distribution channels

The crown jewel of the network is the Inner Circle — a highly curated group of 75 founders dedicated to scaling aggressively through accountability, knowledge and collaboration.

This is not networking for show — it is networking for results.

A Physical Startup Ecosystem — Unheard of in Tier-2 India

Unlike most startup communities that exist only on WhatsApp or Zoom, Unhu has brought something revolutionary to Dehradun — a physical entrepreneurial infrastructure.

Three major pillars define it:

1. Unhu Innovation Center (The Accelerator Headquarters)

A space where founders come to work on their business — not just in their business.

2. Unhu Startup Emporium

A permanent retail space at Address One, Malsi, where 50+ early-stage founders showcase and sell their products every day.It is India’s first model where:

• Customers discover new Indian D2C brands

• Founders get real market feedback

• Sales revenue becomes a live validation tool

3. Unhu Founders Journal (Media + Storytelling Dept.)

Because not every founder has PR access, so Unhu created its own.

The platform documents:

• Founder journeys

• Business pivots

• Success stories

• Market lessons

• Industry spotlights

In a world where big-city founders get attention easily, Unhu turned the spotlight toward Uttarakhand’s and India’s emerging founders.

Personal Journey: What Makes This Story Different

Kshitij’s story is not scripted like a startup fantasy. It has grit.

He is a Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivor, who fought chemotherapy and radiation through 2023 — and instead of slowing down, he rebuilt his life and his mission with even more intensity.

It is this lived experience that shaped his leadership style:

• Empathy over ego

• Execution over excuses

• Real-world business over motivational speeches

Those who know him personally describe him as:

• A strategist who plans 20 steps ahead

• A mentor who gives tough love when it’s needed

• A founder who fights for the ecosystem, not just his own brand

Global Exposure for a Local Mission

Even with a hyperlocal foundation, Kshitij thinks and operates globally.

In 2024, he represented Uttarakhand at National Montenegro Day, speaking before 300+ diplomats and ambassadors from 80+ nations. The message he carried:

“Uttarakhand is not just a tourist paradise — it is an entrepreneurial birthplace.”

His work also earned the blessings of National Security Advisor Shri Ajit Doval, who recognized the importance of local startup ecosystems for national economic strength.

So What’s Next for Unhu?

When asked about the future, Kshitij doesn’t talk in years — he talks in eras.

His vision includes:

• Scaling the accelerator to multiple states

• Building a national-level hyperlocal startup map

• Creating a venture capital fund specifically for small-city founders

• Transforming Dehradun into one of India’s top startup-friendly cities

• Making Uttarakhand the country’s preferred hub for creative, ethical and sustainable entrepreneurship

The long-term dream is even bigger:

“Entrepreneurship must become mainstream — a respected, structured and powerful career path in India.”

And he plans to ensure it starts from the hills — not the metros.

Conclusion

In a time where most people complain about the lack of ecosystem, Kshitij Doval built one.In a landscape where startups from small cities struggle to be seen, he gave them visibility.In a world obsessed with unicorns, he chose to build founders instead.

Unhu is more than an accelerator.It is a movement — grassroots, disciplined and unstoppable.

And as long as the movement continues, Dehradun will not just watch the startup revolution — it will lead it.