Page 2 - Startups

Exotel accelerates AI-led innovations to redefine customer experience

Exotel's expansion into high-growth markets like Saudi Arabia, UAE, and the USA is driving new revenue streams and the company said it is poised for strong growth in FY25

SolarSquare raises $40 million in series B funding from Lightspeed

Company plans to use the funding to expand its operations, hire talent, and for brand building

Food delivery aggregator Swiggy launches invite only membership, One BLCK

Available by invitation only, Swiggy One BLCK is offered at a launch price of Rs 299 for a three-month plan

Ex-ante norms have taken into account India's startup ecosystem: CCI chief

The draft Digital Competition Bill has proposed ex-ante (preventative) regulations requiring digital companies to notify the CCI that they fulfil the criteria to qualify as SSDEs

As startups expand spacetech innovations for data, funds remain a concern

Spacetech startups are leveraging small satellites, cost-effective launch solutions, and the use of AI to introduce affordable technology that has a wide range of applications

Stride Ventures announces surpassing $1 billion in venture debt commitments

The firm said this milestone cements Stride Ventures' leadership as the first Indian fund in this segment to achieve this scale. It has also launched $300 mn Fund IV

Mintifi raises $180 mn in Series E from TVG, Prosus, and Premji Invest

The company works with over 300 brands in India, including Asian Paints, Varun Beverages, Parle Products, Honda, and Shree Cement, among others

Delhi court summons actor Dharmendra in 'Garam Dharam' cheating case

The complainant alleged that he was approached by two people in April 2018 on behalf of Dharmendra and lured into investing in the Garam Dharam Dhaba franchise

Antler India plans to invest Rs 211 crore in 50 start-ups in 2025

Venture Capital firm Antel India is planning to invest USD 25 million, or about Rs 211 crore, in 50 startups in 2025, the company said on Wednesday. The venture capital firm has invested in 30 startups in 2024 through its maiden USD 75 million fund. "Antler plans to ramp up investments further in the next year and make 50 investments in 2025. We plan to invest USD 25 million in the 50 companies," Antler India Partner Rajiv Srivatsa told PTI. The company's 2024 investments include a wholesale marketplace for fashion retail Bizup, aluminium-air fuel cell technology company Meine Electric, open mobility platform Namma Yatri, personal loan facilitator firm Keeper, which uses paid leaves as digital assets for salaried employees, AI-powered dashcam provider Cautio, etc. "Our investment pace reflects both the quality of the founders we're meeting and our conviction that the next wave of global technology companies will emerge from India. We have invested in 30 companies this year, many of

Byju's woes continue: Content manager, biz partner face US court sanctions

Federal judge is considering imposing millions of dollars in sanctions on Byju's manager Vinay Ravindra and company ally Rajendran Vellapalath, who founded Dubai-based tech startup Voizzit Technology

Co-working space provider Urban Vault plans IPO in the next 3 years

The company expects to reach the Rs 150-crore revenue mark by FY25, growing at 80-85 per cent year-on-year

After a prolonged winter, Indian edtech sector shows signs of recovery

Funding in the sector has increased by 153 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y), reaching $608.8 million across 68 deals in 2024 so far

Global investment group Prosus eyes five India listings in 12-18 months

While Prosus said that the exact timeline for the IPO announcements will come from the firms themselves, it also identified another five investee companies on its "future potential" IPO list

8i Ventures comes with 2nd edition of pre-seed funding Origami programme

'There is significant funding available today for business models which can demonstrate unit economics within a reasonable timeframe'

Insurtech firm Zopper raises $25 mn in to ramp up its digital infra

The funds will also accelerate growth in the firm's current bancassurance offerings and enhance its post sales and servicing capabilities for Zopper's device and appliance protection businesses

Vecmocon raises $10 million in the first phase of Series A funding

The vehicle intelligence firm will use the funding to expand its reach in various market segments, including electric two-wheelers, three-wheelers, light commercial vehicles (LCVs), and buses

Startups are like upstarts, they end up burning strategy: Rajiv Bajaj

The biggest difference between established brands and many startups and is while the former build strategy, brand, and technology, the latter are more like upstarts that end up burning the same things, Bajaj Auto Managing Director Rajiv Bajaj said on Thursday. "There are three terminologies here. Startup; then there is a word which I like to call most of them, which is upstart. Then us, the winners or the champions," Bajaj said while speaking at the CNBCTV18 Global Leadership Summit here. He said those who enter a market without a strategy are "upstarts" and end up burning everything -- from their brand and technology to products. "Upstarts are those who don't have a build-strategy. They have a burn strategy. They burn technology -- their batteries. They burn brands by reducing price every month. They burn products in their factory, in the trucks, at the dealerships, on the road," he said. On the contrary, he said, "startups are those who have built a strategy. They build technolog

Swiggy: From a forgotten idea to Rs 1 trillion market cap on listing

Swiggy is the first company to list through the Securities and Exchange Board of India's confidential listing route, highlighting the competitive nature of the sector

Startup fever grips India: What economic challenges, surprises lie ahead?

Is it likely that startups that listen carefully to what Tim Berners-Lee has to say are the ones that will thrive in tomorrow's world (the so-called Web 3.0)?

Biz fundamentals rekindling investor confidence in edtech: Eruditus CEO

The company has seen 40 per cent growth in university partnerships over the past four years and doubled its enterprise business in the last two years