Stop Guessing.
Start Scaling.
I've built a 40+ person agency across 4 countries, scaled an AI-powered ad network to 200+ screens, and worked with 30+ startups across Asia. I work with pre-seed to pre-Series A founders on the things that actually move the needle — positioning, GTM, acquisition engines, and operating cadence.
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Dhawal Shah is a startup advisor and growth mentor based in Singapore, working with pre-seed to pre-Series A founders across Southeast Asia and South Asia. With 14 years of operating experience — including building 2Stallions, a 40+ person digital marketing agency, and launching ChutneyAds, an AI-powered advertising network — he advises founders on go-to-market strategy, product-market fit, growth marketing, team building, and operational cadence. He has worked with 30+ startups through direct advisory, angel investing, and accelerator programmes including Accelerating Asia.
Not a Consultant.
An Operator.
Most advisors give you frameworks they read about. I give you frameworks I built while running a 40+ person agency, launching an AI ad network, and advising founders from pre-seed through to Series A.
That usually looks like tightening positioning, pressure-testing your GTM, building a pragmatic acquisition engine, and putting the right dashboards and operating cadence in place — so you stop making decisions on vibes.
I've done this from the inside — as an operator, advisor, and investor — supporting teams across Southeast Asia and South Asia as they move from scrappy to scalable.
14 years of building businesses across Asia. Not advising from the sidelines — building from the inside.
Built 2Stallions from scratch into a 40+ person, multi-country digital marketing agency — still running it today.
Launched ChutneyAds, an AI-powered DOOH advertising network, scaling it to 200+ screens across Bangladesh.
Worked with 30+ startups across Southeast Asia and South Asia — through direct advisory, accelerator programmes like Accelerating Asia, and angel investments via CG Ventures.
Startups I've Backed or Advised
What We Work On Together
My advisory work with founders focuses on three areas where the right guidance makes the biggest difference:
Product & Market Fit
Sharpening your product vision, pressure-testing your roadmap against what users actually need, and building feedback loops so you're iterating on real signals — not assumptions. Most founders I work with are either building too much or measuring too little.
Founder Leadership & Team Building
The founder stuff nobody teaches you — making hard calls on hiring, building a culture that survives scaling, creating SOPs that keep things running without you in every meeting, and developing the operating rhythm that keeps you sane when everything feels urgent.
Growth & Marketing Strategy
Building your acquisition engine from the ground up — choosing the right channels, setting up measurement that tells you what's actually working, managing marketing budgets effectively, and connecting spend to revenue so you can scale with confidence instead of guesswork.
Advisory shouldn't be limited to scheduled calls. I'm available when you need me most:
Quick questions via WhatsApp when something comes up
Deep-dive sessions to work through your biggest strategic decisions
Honest, direct feedback from someone who's been through the same challenges
What Founders Say
Dhawal has been mentoring me for the past few months, and his support has been truly transformative. With his guidance, I was able to develop a comprehensive SOP for Palki Motors, which led to more than 25% increase in overall productivity. He also helping us design a seamless customer journey - both online and offline - so customers can easily purchase locally made electric vehicles.
Mustafa Al Momin
Founder & CEO, Palki Motors Limited | Zayed Sustainability Prize Winner | Electric Mobility
Dhawal has been mentoring our team for the last 18 months. During this period he has brought much needed direction to the product and marketing teams. His insights and experience has helped shape our product vision and strategy. As a result our teams have adopted a data driven mindset, developed a culture of experimentation and regularly conducting user testing with prototypes before jumping into production. We are now using industry best practices and tools when pushing out any new features or when launching new marketing campaigns. Dhawal has been a great mentor to our internal teams!
Reyasad Chowdhury
Stanford MBA '26 | Forbes 30u30 | Co-founder at Shuttle
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a startup advisor actually do?
A startup advisor works closely with founders to help them make better decisions faster. Unlike consultants who deliver reports and leave, an advisor maintains an ongoing relationship — helping you work through GTM strategy, product decisions, team building, fundraising preparation, and operational challenges as they come up. The best advisors bring firsthand operating experience, not just theoretical frameworks.
What stage startups do you work with?
I primarily work with pre-seed to pre-Series A founders. This is the stage where the right guidance on positioning, go-to-market, and operating cadence makes the biggest difference — and where most founders are making critical decisions without enough experienced input. If you're post-Series A and looking for growth advisory, we can discuss that too.
How is working with an advisor different from a consultant or coach?
Consultants typically scope a project, deliver recommendations, and move on. Coaches focus on personal development. An advisor does neither — I work alongside you as a sounding board and strategic partner, available for both deep-dive sessions and quick WhatsApp questions when something urgent comes up. My compensation is typically advisory equity or a coaching retainer, which means my incentives are aligned with your success.
What does a typical advisory engagement look like?
Every engagement is different because every startup is different. Some founders need weekly check-ins during a critical growth phase. Others need monthly strategic sessions with async access in between. We'll figure out the right cadence together based on what you're working through. It always starts with a conversation to understand your challenges and see if there's a fit.
What are the most common mistakes you help founders avoid?
The patterns I see most often: scaling before you have genuine product-market fit, not building SOPs early enough (so everything depends on the founder), being afraid to bring in the right senior hires, launching without a clear ICP or channel strategy, making decisions without proper measurement, and not delegating effectively. Most of these come down to operating cadence — building the systems and habits that let you scale without burning out.
Do you only work with startups in Singapore?
No. I'm based in Singapore but I work with founders across Southeast Asia and South Asia. I've advised startups in Singapore, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, and India. Most advisory work happens over video calls and WhatsApp, so geography isn't a barrier. If you're building something interesting in the region, let's talk.
Ready to Stop Guessing and Start Scaling?
If you're a founder working through growth, GTM, or team challenges — let's have a conversation. No pitch deck required. Just tell me what you're working on and where you're stuck.
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