India has one of the fastest-growing startup communities in the world, but most launch advice is written for founders in San Francisco. This guide covers what is different when you launch from India.
Tinkerfeed Launchpad is our product. We've listed what each platform is best at so you can choose.
1. Decide who you are launching to
Before choosing platforms, answer one question: are your first paying customers in India or abroad?
- Global B2B SaaS: price in US dollars, launch on global platforms, and time launch week around US working hours.
- India-first products: price in rupees, support UPI, and focus on Indian communities, LinkedIn and WhatsApp groups alongside global boards.
- Both: show local pricing by country and plan two launch moments.
2. Get the timing right
Global launch boards run on Pacific time. Product Hunt and Tinkerfeed Launchpad both start the launch day at just after midnight Pacific, which is early afternoon in India: roughly 12:30 pm IST during US daylight saving time and 1:30 pm IST otherwise. That is good news. You can launch in your afternoon and stay online through the US morning, when much of the global audience is active.
Peerlist's launch window opens on Monday each week, so plan your announcement for Monday morning IST.
3. Choose platforms
- Tinkerfeed Launchpad: free launch with a guaranteed date and a permanent product page. Paid plans (coming soon) will be shown in rupees for visitors in India.
- Peerlist: strong Indian developer and designer community; weekly Monday launches; free with a verified profile.
- Product Hunt: largest global audience; best when you already have users abroad.
- Hacker News Show HN: for technical products with global appeal.
- LinkedIn: a personal founder post often outperforms launch boards for Indian B2B products.
4. Payments and pricing
- Collecting payments: Indian payment gateways support UPI, cards and netbanking, and many also support international cards if you enable it.
- GST: if you sell to Indian customers, decide whether your rupee prices include GST and say so clearly on the pricing page. Ask your CA what applies to you.
- Exports of services: selling software to customers abroad has its own GST rules. Get advice before your first international sale.
5. Build trust quickly
Visitors from abroad know little about new Indian startups. Help them trust you:
- A clear company name on your legal pages, a real support email and a refund policy.
- Customer logos or short testimonials, even from early users.
- A founder face and story on the About page.
6. After launch
Reply to every comment, follow up with everyone who signed up, and write a short post about what you learned. Indian founder communities share honest launch retrospectives widely.
Questions
What time do global launch platforms go live in India?
Product Hunt and Tinkerfeed Launchpad both start each launch day just after midnight Pacific time, which is early afternoon in India: about 12:30 pm IST in northern summer and about 1:30 pm IST in winter. Peerlist's weekly window opens on Monday.
Can Indian founders pay for launch platforms in rupees?
Most global platforms charge in US dollars. Tinkerfeed Launchpad shows its paid plans in rupees to visitors in India, at the same value as the dollar price.
Should I target Indian or global users first?
Decide based on who pays. Many Indian SaaS startups sell globally from day one; consumer products often start in India. Your launch platforms, pricing and timing should follow that choice.