Page 17 - Start- Ups

24 agri startups recommended for support from pool of Rs 20 cr: Govt

In a boost to the agri-tech sector, experts have recommended 24 start-ups for both technical and financial support from a dedicated fund of Rs 20 crore, an official release said on Saturday

Flipkart Ventures invests in five early-stage technology startups

These investments are a part of the accelerator programme - Flipkart Leap Ahead (FLA)

Rapido aims to rope in over 200 women as auto-rickshaw 'captains'

Bike and auto-rickshaw aggregator Rapido has drawn up plans bring on board 200 women drivers over the next three months, the company said on Friday. Currently, Rapido Auto has engaged 50 female 'captains' hailing from diverse backgrounds in the city for its ride-hailing service, and it aims add more than 200 active captains in the next three months through collaborations with various Coimbatore-based non-governmental organisations, the company said in a release. Rapido will equip the women captains with essential safety and driving skills through the comprehensive training programme in collaboration with the NGOs. It also plans to launch micro-loans and family health insurance for women auto captains in Coimbatore, the release added. This initiative would enable women to earn between Rs 800 and Rs 1,000 a day, translating to a monthly income of Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000, it added. "Rapido Auto, as a company, is deeply committed to fostering gender empowerment and inclusivity. Our jour

Pristyn Care looks to double revenue to Rs 2k cr, turn a profit by FY25

This comes at a time when firm has recently found itself in hot water after facing criticism from patients who claimed that the company forced them to undergo surgeries in a bid to rake in extra cash

Canada pension fund has big bets on Indian startups, shows Tracxn data

This includes online insurance and claims management venture Acko, education unicorn Byju's and Delhivery in logistics; according to data from start-up tracker Tracxn

Two-year-old edtech startup Infinity Learn crosses Rs 100 cr revenue

The company's revenue from operations reached Rs 100 cr in 2022-23 compared to just Rs 2.3 crore in 2021-22 and the firm said it has become PAT positive

Age-tech innovation aiming to tackle challenges faced by India's elderly

Welldercare's line of smart portraits and mirrors for vitals monitoring and fall detection are in advanced design and engineering stages and are expected to go on sale in the first quarter of 2024

India names ex-govt official, former WhatsApp exec as new antitrust members

The new members appointed are Anil Agrawal, a former police official who recently worked at India's commerce ministry and worked on various startup initiatives

Indian entrepreneur's new UK start-up using AI to transform services

An Indian entrepreneur's new start-up is sparking worldwide investor interest as among the first companies of its kind globally to offer consumers the option to book plumbers, electricians and other services using its unique conversational artificial intelligence (AI) software. Opened for a funding round recently, Anuj Gupta's GreenVan uses a simple WhatsApp interface. It is designed as an Amazon of Services' offering that intends to transform the way people book essential tasks online. It was born out of Gupta's own experience of relocating from the US to the UK around five years ago and finding the experience of sourcing reliable trade people a rather cumbersome word-of-mouth process. We were often left in the lurch when chasing trades people and were hit with a system that was too idiosyncratic, Gupta, in his mid-40s, told PTI in an interview. As I delved deeper into the industry, I could only find more and more problems largely because 87 per cent of it was driven by mom-and-po

Indian startup valuations rebound on path to profit, better macros

The firm increased the face value of its investment in e-commerce firm Meesho in its books by 14.3 per cent to $43.24 million as of July, bringing the company's valuation to around $5.04 billion

Export of auto parts must hit $100 bn by 2030: SCALE chairman Pawan Goenka

Speaking to Sohini Das, Goenka said that start-ups are playing a huge role in electric vehicle transition

Byju's changing fortunes: From buying spree to selling crown jewels

The valuation of the company led by Byju Raveendran jumped to $15 billion by April 2021. Raveendran used the funds to acquire some 20 companies worldwide

G20 Summit: Startups hope Delhi Declaration to help ease capital access

Startup20 forum, in its recommendations, called for a global definitional framework for start-ups as well as a policy framework to strengthen ecosystems within and across G20 nations

India could be the world's largest AI exporter: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang

The company is betting big on the startup ecosystem and is working with 15,000 startups globally, including in India, to partner on AI projects

Funding into edtech sector plunges 48% in 2023 due to decreased demand

Experts said that the demand-supply mismatch between teachers and course availability in offline education is expected to fuel the growth in the sector in the coming years

Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute lines up opportunity for startups funding

Of the six global startups that will be presenting their five-minute elevator pitches at FORT North America 2023, two will be Indian, representing the fast-growing startup ecosystem in the country

G20 Summit: Easier global startup regime to tighter monitoring of disasters

New Delhi's real legacy at the premier global forum may be the new discussions it began

Young consumers buying into brand narratives first, say new-age founders

Many young consumers are preferring to base their buying decisions on brand narratives first and products second, according to new-age brand founders. In the age of sustainability and brand connect, founders of D2C and new-age companies feel their stories convince consumers for repeat purchases, but others feel that it is the product which convinces the consumer, because it solves a problem for them. Shark tank fame oral care brand Perfora's founder Jatan Bawa said that people buy into the narrative of a young brand which is challenging the status quo, unlike legacy brands whose founders or brand building story is not well-known. "The consumers of today buy into brand narrative first and product second, because they're looking for transparency, and to resonate with the story of brands that they can be part of. With legacy brands the problem is that you don't know who started them. But most people who are consumers of young brands know the founder and their story, because the founder

Byju's and lenders postpone legal battle, aim for out-of-court settlement

The parties are working on reaching a forbearance agreement, and discussions are still ongoing

VC firm gradCapital launches $6 million fund for students' startups

Bengaluru-based venture capital fund gradCapital has launched its second fund of USD 6 million (about Rs 49 crore) to invest in students' startups. The VC fund on Friday said it will offer a standard cheque of USD 40,000 (Rs 33 lakh) at 4 per cent equity in companies set up by students. gradCapital co-founder and CEO Abhishek Sethi said, "We are not in the business of finding and investing in deals, we are in the business of letting students be more ambitious and build a future, despite having a challenging education system. Students are more likely to start a D2C company instead of a quantum computer, and we need more of the latter." The selected entrepreneurs will take part in a four-week cohort programme in Bengaluru, which will include meetings with Ather Energy co-founder Tarun Mehta, Razorpay co-founder Shashank Kumar and Zerodha CTO Kailash Nadh, the company said. The fund is backed by CIIE.CO and the cohort has Nearbuy co-founder Ankur Warikoo, Info Edge founder and Executi