# Chai Mishra

> Chai Mishra is the founder and CEO of The Essential, a factory-direct furniture and home goods company in Y Combinator’s Winter 2017 batch. Raised in New Delhi and based in Berkeley, he previously built grocery businesses under the Movebutter and Move names. He is a 2021 Forbes 30 Under 30 Retail & Ecommerce honoree, an entrepreneur in residence at Wefunder, and the host of Warm Intro.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at The Essential
- **Organizations:** The Essential, Move, Movebutter, Wefunder, Warm Intro
- **From:** New Delhi, India
- **Education:** Studied mechanical engineering; left without graduating, University of California, Berkeley, Y Combinator
- **Known for:** Forbes 30 Under 30 Retail & Ecommerce, class of 2021., Founder of a Y Combinator Winter 2017 company., Move raised $1,182,697 from 1,246 investors on Wefunder; campaign marked last funded January 2021.

## Career timeline

- **2016** — Movebutter was profiled by UC Berkeley’s Sutardja Center while serving the East Bay and testing San Francisco neighborhoods.
- **2017** — Participated in Y Combinator Winter 2017; Movebutter announced its nationwide grocery launch in June.
- **2019** — Raised support for Move, a members-only online grocery business, through crowdfunding.
- **2021** — Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 Retail & Ecommerce; Move’s Wefunder campaign is marked last funded January 2021.
- **2025** — Spoke at Berkeley’s SCET certificate ceremony and introduced the Warm Intro podcast in September.
- **2026** — Public profiles identify him as The Essential’s founder and CEO, Wefunder entrepreneur in residence, and Warm Intro host.

## Achievements

- Forbes 30 Under 30 Retail & Ecommerce, class of 2021.
- Founder of a Y Combinator Winter 2017 company.
- Move raised $1,182,697 from 1,246 investors on Wefunder; campaign marked last funded January 2021.
- Returned to Berkeley to address the 2025 SCET certificate ceremony.

## Latest updates

- **2025-09** — Introduced Warm Intro in a YouTube video published September 3, 2025; the show is presented by Wefunder.
- **2026-08** — Warm Intro published an episode with illustrator George McCalman, listed August 19 on Apple Podcasts.

## Links

- Website: https://www.chaimishra.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chaimishra
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@warmintro
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mishrachai/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/chai-mishra
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23