Overview
On September 15, 2026, The Charter and Secret – the team behind Gulmarg’s invitation‑only Secret Ski Party – hosted a three‑day, invitation‑only gathering in Sonmarg, Kashmir. The event brought together exactly fifty participants: twenty‑five founders ranging from seed to Series B stage, ten investors, five cultural voices and ten senior founders who have previously built companies at scale.
Selection Process
Entry was strictly by nomination; there was no application form or public route. Twenty‑five of the fifty seats were nominated through The Charter’s curated founder network, while the remaining twenty‑five were nominated directly by Secret. This deliberate curation aimed to assemble a cross‑sector, cross‑stage cohort capable of forging deep, trust‑based relationships.
Event Format and Activities
The Secret Charter deliberately abandoned conventional conference structures. There were no keynotes, panels, or pitches – pitching was even deemed bad manners. Instead, participants engaged in informal, experiential activities: a glacier walk, fly‑fishing, mountain biking, riverside meals, and a concluding traditional Wazwan accompanied by a Sufi mehfil. The programme emphasized natural interaction over scheduled networking.
Organiser Statements
Devarsh Saraf, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Charter, explained that founders typically operate in highly structured environments and the aim was to create a setting where those structures could be removed for a few days, allowing genuine conversation and relationship‑building. Krishan Anand, Founder of Secret, contrasted the event with his previous CEO summits held in luxury ballrooms, noting that those events “worked perfectly” but produced no substantive outcomes because the stage‑facing format stifled authentic dialogue.
Post‑Event Follow‑Up and Future Plans
Since returning from Kashmir, members have publicly announced plans to visit each other’s cities, extended personal invitations, and continued the conversations that began in the valley. The initial cohort of fifty will form the founding group for future editions, with the intention of making the Secret Charter a recurring platform that connects entrepreneurs, investors, and influential voices across India’s startup ecosystem.
About The Charter
The Charter is one of India’s largest private startup communities, comprising a curated membership of 550 founders, investors and creators across Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi. Membership is limited to founders who have moved beyond product‑market fit, investors at principal or partner level, and creators contributing to the broader ecosystem. The community maintains a waitlist of more than 55,000 individuals seeking access. Its activities focus on building long‑term, trust‑based relationships through curated gatherings, peer connections and experiential events, extending beyond mere fundraising or business introductions.
About Secret
Secret originated with the Secret Ski Party in Gulmarg in 2016 and has since expanded to events such as the Secret Serve Party in the Seychelles. The organization specializes in designing intimate, experience‑driven environments that foster deep connections among senior business leaders.