Page 34 - Start Ups

Fintech firm Cashfree Payments raises $53 mn in fresh funding round

The company claims to process transactions worth $80 billion annually. It has a base of 8,00,000 merchants, including internet startups and enterprises

VC investors take leading role in guiding startups through AI disruption

From advising on strategic integrations to connecting with top-tier AI talent, VCs are offering more than just capital

HomeExchange to launch in India with the lowest membership cost globally

Will integrate 5,000 Indian homes to network with lowest membership cost worldwide

48% startups have at least one woman director: Economic Survey 2025

However, on the flip side, the reins of entrepreneurial ownership remain dominantly male-held

Budget: 5-year extension of incorporation deadline brings cheer to startups

In her 2025 Budget speech, FM Sitharaman announced an extension in the period of incorporation for startups by five years till April 1, 2030

Budget 2025: Shot in the arm for startups with Rs 10K cr new fund of Funds

The FM said that the initial FoF announced by the government with an investment of Rs 10,000 crore managed to catalyse commitments worth Rs 91,000 crore

Budget strengthens India's position as innovation powerhouse, say startups

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a new Fund of Funds Scheme (FFS) with a corpus of Rs 10,000 crore to promote the growth of budding entrepreneurs in the country

Good Glamm Group looks to raise Rs 250 crore amid financial challenges

Sources privy to the development said that the company is actively streamlining its operations to address various challenges

Seafood tech firm Captain Fresh raises Rs 250 cr in ongoing pre-IPO round

Prosus Ventures, Accel, and Tiger Global lead the round, backed by prominent domestic family offices

SuperOps secures $25 mn in Series to drive AI innovation, expand Globally

SuperOps also unveils Monica, a hyper-contextual AI super agent that empowers smarter, faster business decision-making

Zepto introduces instant returns, exchange feature for select products

Zepto has introduced an instant return and exchange option on its app for categories like electronics, apparel, toys, sports, and kitchenware

Zomato rolls out in-app 10-minute food delivery service, Zomato Quick

Rivaling Swiggy's Bolt service, food aggregator Zomato has also launched its 10-minute food delivery offering called Zomato Quick

Glas Trust, Aditya Birla Finance reinstated as lenders of edtech co Byju's

Both Glas Trust and Aditya Birla Finance were initially part of the CoC last year in August but were later removed from the reconstituted CoC by the IRP

Atlys' Mohak Nahta launches Skylane to modernise government visa systems

Through its innovative technology including 24/7 SkyPods, Skylane aims to process over 100 million visas in the next five years, making global mobility seamless for travellers everywhere

Fintech firm Ambak raises $7 million in seed and pre-series A round

The company plans to expand its operations across 35 cities and aims to cater to over 1 lakh customers in the financial year 2025-26 (FY26)

Whizzo raises $4.2 mn from Lightspeed to transform textile manufacturing

The investment will advance Whizzo's materials science R&D, establish a cutting-edge design lab for fashion textiles, and boost its supply chain across India, Vietnam, China, Bangladesh, and Indonesia

Atomicwork raises $25 mn to transform enterprise IT with Agentic AI

The Series A funding will fuel the scaling of enterprise AI agents, expand go-to-market (GTM) efforts, and enhance platform integrations for seamless scalability

Astrome Tech raises $10 mn to accelerate wireless connectivity innovation

The company seeks to transform the communication landscape with advanced solutions for both ground and space-based networks

The push and pull factors behind leadership exits in Indian startups

India produced just six new unicorns in 2024, a steep drop from 24 in 2022. Despite total startup funding rising to $11.4 billion in 2024 from $10.9 billion in 2023

Nagpur startup ErlySign develops 15-minute saliva test for oral cancer

With an estimated 1.5 lakh cases of oral cancer diagnosed annually in India and a high mortality rate due to late detection, ErlySign claims that its test has the potential to reduce healthcare burden