Start- Ups

Beyond Bengaluru, startups are rising but big capital remains unconvinced

A recent report shows that more than 68,000 startups are now headquartered outside key startup hubs like Bengaluru and Delhi, yet they attracted only 2.1 per cent of capital deployed in India between

Updated On: 26 Mar 2026 | 5:43 PM IST

India start-ups raise $9.1 billion funding as focus shifts to execution

Selective capital is backing scalable ventures, while AI-led DeepTech gains momentum as investors prioritise proven models, monetisation, and commercial readiness

Updated On: 25 Mar 2026 | 10:52 PM IST

Hiring to rise 4.7% in H1FY27, led by ecommerce, tech startups: Report

India's workforce is projected to expand 4.7 per cent in the first half of FY27, driven largely by growth in e-commerce, tech startups, healthcare, pharma and manufacturing, a report said Wednesday. This improving sentiment is most visible among large enterprises, where 74 per cent indicate expansion, compared to 57 per cent of mid-sized firms and 38 per cent of small businesses, pointing to a scale-driven recovery in employment growth, TeamLease Services projects in its Employment Outlook Report (EOR) for April-September FY27 noted that the momentum carries across sectors, with both digital and core economy industries contributing to the demand. E-commerce and tech startups led with a net employment change (NEC) of 8.9 per cent, healthcare, and pharmaceuticals at 7 per cent, followed by manufacturing, engineering and infrastructure at 6.6 per cent, said the report. It projected an NEC of 4.7 per cent during the period. The report is based on insights from 1,268 employers across 2

Updated On: 25 Mar 2026 | 12:21 PM IST

Meesho bets on Voice AI to bring conversational shopping online

Meesho launches "Vaani-Your Meesho Dost", a generative AI voice assistant to simplify online shopping, improve engagement, and drive conversions among new internet users

Updated On: 24 Mar 2026 | 4:03 PM IST

Odisha unveils AI roadmap, to set up mission and labs across institutes

Odisha unveils AI policy roadmap with plans for AI Mission, research labs and innovation initiatives to drive governance, startups and digital ecosystem growth

Updated On: 19 Mar 2026 | 7:24 PM IST

West Asia conflict sends Indian startups into wait-and-watch mode

Indian startups are turning cautious on expansion and investments in West Asia amid the ongoing conflict, with fintech and travel sectors seeing early stress while edtech remains relatively stable

Updated On: 18 Mar 2026 | 5:23 PM IST

Company, customers, and professionals can all win: Pronto's Anjali Sardana

Pronto's 23-year-old founder says daily bookings have grown 18-fold in seven months, as the startup targets 70,000 bookings a day by June

Updated On: 18 Mar 2026 | 4:12 PM IST

Tamil Nadu govt to invest ₹25 crore in space startup Agnikul Cosmos

The Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) will invest Rs 25 crore in Chennai-based Agnikul Cosmos under the TIDCO Startup Investment Policy 2025. Established in 1965, TIDCO is a premier industrial development agency of the Tamil Nadu government, and undertakes joint ventures and facilitates big industrial and infrastructure projects in the state. The latest investment would help accelerate Agnikul's operational readiness, supporting the scaling of its aerospace manufacturing capabilities, advancing its stage recovery program, and strengthening the development of its integrated space campus on the 300 acres allocated by the Tamil Nadu government near Kulasekharapatnam. In a statement, Moin SPM, co-founder and COO of the company, said, "This investment from the state government is a strong motivation for all of us to build and give back to the local community." Agnikul is currently scaling its first orbital launch with Agnibaan, a small satellite launch vehicle capabl

Updated On: 14 Mar 2026 | 10:09 PM IST

TIDCO board approves investment of ₹25 crore each in AgniKul Cosmos, Raptee

The Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation will invest ₹25 crore each in AgniKul Cosmos and Raptee Energy under the Startup Investment Policy 2025

Updated On: 14 Mar 2026 | 7:20 PM IST

Snabbit founder seeks fresh funding in India's $60 bn housework market

Less than 1 per cent of paid household help is currently ordered through online platforms, Redseer estimates, leaving them with ample room to gain market share

Updated On: 11 Mar 2026 | 8:05 AM IST

Agri-tech startup Verdant Impact raises $3 mn in seed funding round

AI-driven bovine genetics startup Verdant Impact raises $3 million in a seed round led by Unicorn India Ventures to expand markets, scale its Pashu.AI platform and strengthen tech capabilities

Updated On: 10 Mar 2026 | 7:59 PM IST

Women-led startups saw 9% funding drop in 2025, says Tracxn report

Deal activity also fell significantly, with the number of funding rounds dropping 29 per cent from 2024

Updated On: 09 Mar 2026 | 10:41 PM IST

Rozana raises ₹290 cr in Series B to scale rural retail across Bharat

Round led by Bertelsmann India Investments with participation from Fireside Ventures, Spark Growth Ventures, Bikaji Family Office, FE Securities

Updated On: 06 Mar 2026 | 6:00 AM IST

Sarvam AI launches startup programme to back AI builders in India: Details

The programme offers startups up to 12 months of API credits, access to Sarvam's language AI tools, and direct engineering support

Updated On: 05 Mar 2026 | 8:26 PM IST

Fashion qcom startups prioritise experience-led shopping over speed

Fashion quick commerce startups are shifting focus from speed to experience-led shopping, offering features such as discovery, personalisation, try-at-home options to tackle online shopping challenges

Updated On: 04 Mar 2026 | 11:23 PM IST

"India missed out on chips, models but real opportunity is in applications"

Nitin Sharma, partner at venture capital firm Antler India, discusses where Indian AI startups can compete globally and why founder quality matters more than age

Updated On: 04 Mar 2026 | 5:25 PM IST

"Platforms that combine scale with sustainable unit economics will win"

Kapil Thirani, vice president for Shopsy and Flipkart Marketplace, shares insights about Flipkart's zero-commission push to capture India's value-conscious Gen Z and first-time rural shoppers

Updated On: 25 Feb 2026 | 3:47 PM IST

How two engineers built Sarvam AI from an idea to a summit showcase

The summit spotlight was recent, but Sarvam AI's rise began years earlier, as two engineers built an India-first AI startup focused on sovereign models, local datasets and real-world applications

Updated On: 19 Feb 2026 | 3:31 PM IST

India placed third in global AI vibrancy index after US, China: Report

India placed third after the US and China in AI vibrancy index, scoring strongly on R&D and talent while advancing data governance and policy frameworks

Updated On: 15 Feb 2026 | 11:39 PM IST