Page 29 - Start Ups

Zepto scales fresh supply chain, sells 22 lakh units daily in May

Zepto quadruples daily fresh produce sales to 22.1 lakh units in May by sourcing directly from farmers via 70+ hubs and using tech to optimise procurement and delivery

Amazon's entry into quick commerce faces scale, recall challenges

Jefferies says Amazon's late entry, app integration strategy and limited brand recall may hinder its Q/C push in India despite competitive pricing and Prime perks

Blinkit, Zepto resume operations in Maharashtra after FDA licence clearance

Blinkit and Zepto resume operations at closed facilities in Maharashtra after securing food safety licences and complying with corrective actions ordered by the FDA

Digital competition Bill: Online cos tell Parl panel to protect innovation

The Parliamentary Panel is looking into the role of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in an evolving economy, particularly the digital landscape

Bhavish Aggarwal's Krutrim bets on India-first AI to rival global peers

Kruti, Krutrim's new AI assistant, focuses on multilingual voice-first design and India-specific service integration to stand out in the fast-growing AI assistant market

Operator-led startups outpace peers in funding speed and deal size

A Tracxn report commissioned by RTP Global finds operator-led startups outperform others in funding speed, size and Seed-stage success across 2022-24 in India

Startups tap technology to tackle anxiety with new tools and solutions

Other emerging tools also include virtual reality, which is being explored for exposure therapy and immersive stress reduction

Fireflies hits $1 bn valuation, adds real-time search with Perplexity

Voice assistant expands features with Perplexity tie-up as Fireflies crosses $1 bn valuation and sees sharp growth in enterprise AI-powered meeting productivity tools

Rapido pilots food delivery in Bengaluru; analysts see limited impact

Rapido's entry into food delivery comes with low take rates and scale ambitions, but Bernstein sees limited disruption to Zomato and Swiggy's duopoly in the near term

Airports become key battleground for cab companies after BluSmart closure

With BluSmart suspending metro operations, Uber, Rapido, and others are intensifying their push into high-growth airport routes, driven by a steady rise in domestic air passenger traffic

Jobs platform Apna's interview prep tool records 760K AI interviews

Gen Z job seekers and metro city users are driving the rapid adoption of Apna's AI Job Prep tool, which simulates interviews and offers real-time feedback

Flipkart CEO joins delivery run as firm scales quick-commerce push

Flipkart expands its Minutes unit with a fresh produce strategy, dark store rollout and tier-2, tier-3 penetration to compete with Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart

Recur Club eyes early, mid-stage firms for Rs 2,000 crore FY26 bet

Recur Club plans to invest Rs 2 crore on average in early and mid-stage startups, aiming to fund 1,000 firms in FY26 through its debt marketplace platform and network of 50+ lenders

Flexiloans raises ₹375 crore in Series C funding led by BII, others

With total funds raised at ₹665 crore over six months, Flexiloans will scale operations, boost technology and expand reach across India's underserved MSME sector

Cred's valuation slump signals caution for India's fintech companies

The sharp markdown despite backing from existing investors reflects growing investor caution and a broader recalibration in the Indian fintech and credit-led ecosystem

Stride Ventures lends Rs 85 crore to Wow! Momo for national expansion

Backed by strong unit economics and omnichannel momentum, Wow! Momo plans to enter 100+ cities and scale its store network to over 1,500 in the next three years

BigBasket to launch 10-minute food delivery across India by March 2026

Tata Group-backed BigBasket plans to expand its dark store network and enter the quick-commerce space with a 10-minute food delivery service by March 2026

India remains key strategic market for global brands: Myntra CEO Sinha

After launching in Singapore, Myntra Global sees rising engagement, strong order values and repeat customers while focusing on the Indian diaspora and Gen Z users

Mohandas Pai flags lack of domestic capital for startups, calls for reform

Despite India being the world's third-largest startup hub, Pai cautioned that the country risks falling behind in global innovation unless these challenges are addressed

Fintech firm Decentro initiates reverse-flip process from Singapore

This comes at a time when the Bengaluru-based firm is raising about ₹30 crore as part of the Series-B funding round led by InfoEdge Ventures