Start Ups
Hindustan Unilever in talks to buy skincare brand Minimalist for Rs 3K cr
Maker of Pond's products may ink deal with Peak XV-backed startup in Q4
 "Hindustan Unilever in talks to buy skincare brand Minimalist for Rs 3K cr")
UP govt plans Rs 4,000 cr corpus to boost startups, innovation ecosystem
The proposed corpus will be facilitated by the state government and the investment managers under the aegis of the UP Innovation Fund (UPIF)
 "UP govt plans Rs 4,000 cr corpus to boost startups, innovation ecosystem")
Govt, Startup Policy Forum team up to make India a global innovation hub
A highlight of this partnership is the upcoming SPF Startup Baithak, a flagship event scheduled to take place on January 15-16, 2025, at Bharat Mandapam
 "Govt, Startup Policy Forum team up to make India a global innovation hub")
Zepto sets up a new entity to streamline its operations ahead of IPO
In the second half of 2024, Zepto had picked investment banks like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Axis Capital as advisors for its IPO
 "Zepto sets up a new entity to streamline its operations ahead of IPO")
Blinkit ups quick commerce game, announces 10-minute ambulance service
Starting today, Blinkit launched its first five ambulances in Gurugram, marking the beginning of its efforts to enhance emergency medical access
 "Blinkit ups quick commerce game, announces 10-minute ambulance service")
Venture capital firm Accel secures $650 million for eighth India fund
Accel earned a 35x gain on its investment in Swiggy's initial public offering (IPO), marking one of the biggest gains for the Silicon Valley fund
 "Venture capital firm Accel secures $650 million for eighth India fund")
Rikant Pittie to be new CEO of EaseMyTrip, succeeds brother Nishant Pitti
Rikant Pittie will oversee the company's strategic initiatives, drive innovation, and enhance customer experiences to further strengthen EaseMyTrip's position in the industry
 "Rikant Pittie to be new CEO of EaseMyTrip, succeeds brother Nishant Pitti")
Credit-on-UPI fintech Kiwi rooted in upheavals in economy, co-founder says
Demonetisation and the pandemic drove India's digital transformation in financial services. Companies built unique use cases around UPI
 "Credit-on-UPI fintech Kiwi rooted in upheavals in economy, co-founder says")
Mumbai-based start-up Manastu tests green propulsion system in space
The POEM-4 platform, comprising the fourth stage of the PSLV-C60 rocket that launched the SpaDeX satellites on Monday, has been placed in an orbit at an altitude of 350 kms
 "Mumbai-based start-up Manastu tests green propulsion system in space")
New Year's Eve order frenzy: Ice cubes, condoms, chocolates among top items
Zepto CEO Aadit Palicha shared interesting insights on user orders via social media
 "New Year's Eve order frenzy: Ice cubes, condoms, chocolates among top items")
Zepto's second top-level exit in a month as VP Jitendra Bagga resigns
This development follows the resignation of Zepto's chief human resource officer, Martin Dinesh Gomez, earlier this month
 "Zepto's second top-level exit in a month as VP Jitendra Bagga resigns")
CAIT writes to Piyush Goyal, seeks action against quick commerce firms
CAIT national president BC Bhartia accused quick commerce platforms like Zomato-owned Blinkit, Instamart (Swiggy), and Zepto of misusing funds received through foreign direct investment
 "CAIT writes to Piyush Goyal, seeks action against quick commerce firms")
8 in 10 app taxi users report dark patterns like bait-and-switch, others
4 in 10 app taxi users also confirm experiencing drip pricing, according to the survey, which said price manipulation based on user information was experienced by the consumers
 "8 in 10 app taxi users report dark patterns like bait-and-switch, others")
From toys to electronics and gold: Indians shift to quick 10-minute orders
The big spenders hailed from Delhi and Dehradun, splurging over Rs 20 lakh each on Swiggy Instamart this year
 "From toys to electronics and gold: Indians shift to quick 10-minute orders")
Cricketer Ajinkya Rahane invests in tech startups Proxgy's Series A funding
Other key investors in the round include Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath, film actor Suniel Shetty, industrialist Vinod Duggar and key investor Manish Patel
 "Cricketer Ajinkya Rahane invests in tech startups Proxgy's Series A funding")
Perfect human-machine interaction likely in 12-18 months: CoRover CEO
CoRover develops human-centric conversational platforms driven by generative AI (Gen AI) technology, including chatbots, avatars, and voice bots, and has already gained over a billion users
 "Perfect human-machine interaction likely in 12-18 months: CoRover CEO")
Unicorn boom or bust: India's best and worst performing startups in 2024
In 2024, India's startup scene showcases a mix of triumphs and struggles, with innovative leaders like Zepto rising while giants like Byju's face significant challenges
 "Unicorn boom or bust: India's best and worst performing startups in 2024")
Zomato surpasses HUL, Nestle in Sensex with a weightage of 2.77%
Zomato's Sensex weightage stands at 2.77 per cent, ranking 12th among the 30 components, surpassing consumer giants like Hindustan Unilever, Maruti Suzuki, Asian Paints, and Nestle
 "Zomato surpasses HUL, Nestle in Sensex with a weightage of 2.77%")
Semiconductor startup Mindgrove Technologies raises $8 mn Series A
Mindgrove's system-on-chips (SoCS) are built to be power-efficient and cost-effective for use in Internet of Things (IoT), vision and automobiles
 "Semiconductor startup Mindgrove Technologies raises $8 mn Series A")
Indian technology startup scene in 2024: More unicorns, more exits
Technology startups raised $11.3 billion, a six per cent increase from $10.7 billion raised in 2023
