In a plush event space buzzing with excitement and intensity, India’s sharpest startup minds set aside pitch decks and investor meetings to face off across poker tables. The occasion? The Founder Poker Series, a groundbreaking event that blurred the lines between business strategy and poker psychology. Amongst 120 of India’s most ambitious founders, one emerged with chips in hand and a quiet smile of triumph—Matt Chittaranjan, co-founder and CEO of Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters.
This wasn’t just another poker game—it was a convergence of India’s most innovative entrepreneurs, each used to taking calculated risks, now channeling that instinct in a game where logic, patience, and reading people matter more than luck.
What Was the Founder Poker Series?
Co-hosted by PokerBaazi and Offline, the Founder Poker Series was more than a tournament—it was a statement. The event was designed to celebrate India’s booming entrepreneurial ecosystem by bringing founders together for a shared experience that embodied everything startups stand for: competition, adaptability, risk management, and high-pressure decision-making.
The tournament attracted high-profile names from across India’s startup landscape. With a total of 120 founders participating, the felt was charged with ambition. As the chips moved and cards turned, every player brought a unique blend of aggression, strategy, and calculated patience to the table.
Blue Tokai’s Matt Chittaranjan: Brewing Victory
It was fitting that the man behind one of India’s most successful homegrown coffee brands ended up taking the trophy home. Known for revolutionizing India’s specialty coffee space, Matt Chittaranjan showcased another side of his strategic brain as he navigated through experienced players to eventually claim the Founder Poker Series championship.
Blue Tokai, which started as a humble roastery, now boasts a pan-India presence and is a case study in branding, customer retention, and product innovation. Matt’s performance at the poker table mirrored the qualities that made his company successful: calm under pressure, tactical risk-taking, and an eye for long-term payoff.
The Intersection of Poker and Business
Poker has long been seen as more than just a game—it’s a mental sport that parallels high-stakes decision-making in the startup world. Founders often juggle incomplete information, bet on future outcomes, and know when to hold firm or pivot. The Founder Poker Series highlighted just how aligned poker is with the entrepreneurial journey.
Speaking to the spirit of the event, PokerBaazi’s leadership remarked that poker helps hone traits that are essential in any founder’s toolkit—emotional control, adaptability, and resilience. As poker in India continues to grow in popularity, especially among educated professionals, events like this bridge the gap between perception and reality, helping poker gain legitimacy as a strategic sport.
Community, Conversation, and Collaboration
Beyond the competition, the Founder Poker Series was a networking goldmine. Founders from fintech, e-commerce, edtech, and D2C brands mingled, laughed, and shared stories in a relaxed yet competitive atmosphere. It wasn’t uncommon to see Series A-funded CEOs exchanging tips with bootstrapped warriors over hands of Texas Hold’em.
The event also set a new precedent: poker is not just a game; it’s a platform for leadership, community-building, and conversation among India’s business elite. The buzz around the event has already sparked conversations about future editions, regional qualifiers, and even a possible founders’ poker league.
What’s Next for Poker in India?
India’s poker ecosystem is undergoing a quiet but powerful revolution. With platforms like PokerBaazi, Natural8 India, and Adda52 regularly hosting tournaments that attract thousands of players, poker is quickly shedding its old stereotypes. Events like the Founder Poker Series only further this momentum, especially as high-influence individuals endorse the game’s intellectual and strategic appeal.
As the line between professional life and personal growth continues to blur, poker offers a unique outlet—part recreation, part brain training. And with India’s startup founders embracing it, the game has never been in better company.
Final Thoughts
The inaugural Founder Poker Series marked a defining moment in the evolution of poker in India. It wasn’t just about who had the best hand—it was about who could stay calm, adapt quickly, and make tough decisions under pressure. That’s the essence of both poker and entrepreneurship. And on that day, Matt Chittaranjan proved he could do both with finesse.
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source: g2g.news