Indian Startups

Ethereal Machines raises $28.5 mn in Series B round led by Avataar Ventures

The Bengaluru-based deep-tech startup will use the capital to expand precision manufacturing capacity, build a mega factory and strengthen its presence in global aerospace and defence markets

9 Indian cos join WEF's Tech Pioneers cohort of 100 early-stage startups

Nine Indian startups, including Dhruva in the space business and Varaha in the climate arena, have made it to the World Economic Forum's latest list of new technology pioneers. Releasing the list, the WEF said these 100 early-stage startups from 23 countries are building the infrastructure for the next era of AI and are developing breakthrough technologies with the potential to transform industries and societies. "What sets this year's cohort apart is its focus on enabling the next era of Artificial Intelligence (AI). While recent advances have centred on models and consumer applications, many of the Tech Pioneers are building the software and physical infrastructure needed to AI at scale," the WEF said. The cohort also reflected the expanding geographies of frontier innovation. India has contributed nine companies, many focused on deep-tech and space innovation, while the Republic of Korea records its strongest representation to date across AI, robotics and quantum ...

Rapido has 25% of cab drivers, 35-40% of market: Co-founder Aravind Sanka

Rapido says it has captured up to 40% of India's cab ride market, onboarded 500,000 drivers and plans expansion into e-rickshaws and more cities

India-born founders behind 96 US unicorns, highest among immigrants: Study

Indian-born entrepreneurs account for the largest group of immigrant founders of billion-dollar companies, or unicorns, in the US, according to a new study by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP). The US-based non-profit organisation found that 96 American unicorns were founded or co-founded by entrepreneurs of Indian origin. Among them is Perplexity AI, co-founded by Aravind Srinivas, which ranks 12th with a valuation of USD 20 billion. According to the study, India tops the list of countries of origin for immigrant founders of US unicorns with 96 companies, followed by Israel (60 unicorns), the United Kingdom (47), China (41), Canada (30), Russia (23), France (21), Germany (18), Ukraine (16), Australia (14), Pakistan (10), and Romania (10). The NFAP study, titled "Immigrants and US Billion-dollar Companies" and authored by Stuart Anderson, found that immigrants have founded or co-founded 59 per cent (455 of 775) of America's privately held startup unicorns. The ...

Growth-stage VC firm Physis Capital closes its maiden ₹400 crore fund

Growth-stage VC firm closes maiden ₹400 crore fund and gears up for a ₹2,000 crore second fund focused on tech-led startups and deep-tech bets

Pronto admits to recording household tasks for AI training after backlash

A report citing investor documents claimed that Pronto was recording household activities inside homes to help train physical AI and robotics systems, triggering privacy concerns among customers

Sadev Ventures appoints Ishan Kansal as co-founder, managing partner

The move comes as the early-stage investment firm targets ₹1,000 crore in funds under management over the next 12-24 months

Why startups are restructuring to secure Indian-controlled status

Swiggy's move to qualify as an Indian Owned and Controlled Company shows how new-age internet firms are revamping boards and ownership as quick commerce and ecommerce rules tighten under Fema rules

Himachal to offer up to ₹5 lakh funding for startups under HIMUDA policy

The Himachal Pradesh state government will be providing funding of up to Rs 5 lakh per proposal to young entrepreneurs under the HIMUDA Start-up and Student Innovation Policy, to boost economic growth and to generate employment opportunities. This was stated by Town & Country Planning Minister Rajesh Dharmani while he chaired a review meeting of the Himachal Pradesh Housing and Urban Development Authority (HIMUDA) on Saturday. During the meeting, the minister said that the policy aims to build a strong ecosystem for innovation and start-ups in the state. "Keeping in view the geographical conditions of the state, the government was also exploring the possibility of funding start-ups related to disaster management under this policy", said Dharmani. He said that the projects of HIMUDA were aimed not only at meeting the housing needs of the people but also at creating new sources of revenue for the state. "Given the rapid pace of urbanisation, urban development has become a vital ...

$240 million fundraise propels Rapido post-money valuation to $3 billion

The mobility startup, now valued at $3 billion, is expanding deeper into Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets amid rising demand for low-cost transport

Startup funding, exits evolve as investors demand profitability discipline

As startups increasingly tap public markets, investors are becoming more selective and demanding clearer paths to profitability than during the 2021 boom

Cars24 posts first-ever quarterly profit on strong growth in core business

SoftBank-backed auto-tech firm posts ₹20 crore adjusted EBITDA profit in Q4 as lending, retail sales and ownership services expand

Snabbit raises $56 mn in Series D round as home-services race intensifies

Funding co-led by Susquehanna, Mirae Asset and Bertelsmann to drive expansion, improve unit economics and strengthen operations in India's fast-growing home services market

India's ₹10,000 crore startup FoF 2.0 expands scope, targets deep tech

The Rs 10,000 crore Fund of Funds 2.0 for startups will have an expanded scope, with the corpus divided into four segments, including dedicated support for deep-tech and manufacturing startups, according to a DPIIT notification. The second tranche of Fund of Funds was approved by the Cabinet in February. It is aimed at mobilising venture capital (VC) and support deep tech, tech-driven innovative manufacturing startups, and early-growth stage enterprises. The FoF 2.0 has been designed to continue the momentum of investments in startups, with an expanded scope over Fund of Funds Scheme (FFS 1.0). "Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0 will have an expanded scope with segmented approach to target key segments for real innovation," the notification by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) said. The scheme will contribute to the corpus of SEBI-registered Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) for investing in equity and equity-linked instruments of entities recognised a

AI investment hits $800 billion, India emerges as key applications hub

SenseAI report shows capital concentrating in mega-rounds, with Indian startups scaling AI applications rapidly and reaching revenue early as value shifts to the application layer

IndiaAI Mission startup Gnani raises $10 mn from Aavishkaar, Info Edge

Funding to support global expansion, strengthen generative and agentic AI capabilities, and scale multilingual voice solutions as firm targets a larger share of enterprise voice AI market

India's bioeconomy to hit $300 bn by 2033 on innovation demand: Report

Report flags global patent cliff and rising R&D costs as catalysts, with India emerging as a cost-efficient hub backed by policy support, faster trials and expanding biotech ecosystem

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

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

Women startup founders get just ₹4 for every ₹100 raised by men: Report

Kalaari Capital report highlights stark gender gap in India's startup funding, with women founders receiving just ₹4 for every ₹100 raised by male counterparts