Startups: News
Deepinder Goyal wants to make India's first indigenous jet engine
Deepinder Goyal, the CEO of Eternal, is all set to revolutionize India's aviation industry with his new venture, LAT Aerospace.
EV cab start-up BluSmart has entered insolvency in India
Indian electric cab start-up BluSmart has entered insolvency, according to an order from the company law tribunal in the country.
Why bio-hacker Bryan Johnson wants to sell his anti-aging start-up
Bryan Johnson, the biotech entrepreneur and longevity enthusiast who gained fame for his anti-aging venture 'Project Blueprint,' is considering shutting down or selling his wellness start-up, Blueprint.
Coldplay kiss‑cam made Astronomer a household name, says new CEO
Pete DeJoy, co-founder of data and AI start-up Astronomer, has been appointed as the interim CEO. This decision comes after former CEO Andy Byron's resignation over a viral video controversy.
Why fast fashion delivery start-up Blip has shut down
Blip, a start-up specializing in ultra-fast fashion deliveries with a promise of 30-minute service, has shut down its operations just a year after its launch.
Meta acquires PlayAI to enhance voice features across its apps
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook, has acquired PlayAI after advanced acquisition talks.
Google hires key staff from AI start-up Windsurf for $2.4B
Google has hired key staff members from artificial intelligence (AI) start-up Windsurf and secured a non-exclusive license for certain technologies for $2.4 billion in licensing fees and compensation.
AstroTalk in talks to raise $100M at $1.5B valuation
AstroTalk, a Noida-based astrology platform, is in talks for a new funding round of $50-100 million, according to Entrackr.
French AI start-up Mistral is in talks to raise $1B
French artificial intelligence (AI) start-up Mistral is in talks to raise up to $1 billion in equity.
Ashutosh Gupta named Coursera's new MD for India, Asia Pacific
Coursera, a leading online learning platform, has appointed Ashutosh Gupta as the Managing Director for India and Asia-Pacific (APAC).
IIT-Madras wants to raise ₹200cr for its 1st VC fund
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has announced its plan to raise ₹200 crore for its first-ever venture capital fund.
'Moonlighting' engineer Soham Parekh gets new job at AI start-up
Soham Parekh, a software engineer embroiled in a moonlighting controversy, has landed a new job.
We may soon have ready-to-use stem cell therapy for pets
San Diego-based start-up Gallant has announced an $18 million funding round to develop the first-ever FDA-approved ready-to-use stem cell therapy for pets.
'Not proud'— Soham Parekh admits to juggling multiple start-up jobs
Soham Parekh, an Indian techie, has admitted to defrauding multiple US start-ups by holding several jobs at the same time.
Who is Soham Parekh—Indian techie accused of scamming several start-ups
The tech community is reeling from the shocking case of Soham Parekh, an Indian software engineer who has been accused of working multiple jobs at different start-ups simultaneously.
AI hiring tools are biased against white, male candidates: Study
A recent study has revealed that popular artificial intelligence (AI) hiring tools based on large language models (LLMs), show a preference for Black and female candidates over their white and male counterparts.
Campus Fund launches $100M fund to back student-led start-ups
Campus Fund, a venture capital firm that invests in student-led start-ups, has launched its third and largest fund yet.
Notion doubles down on India in fight against Google, Microsoft
Notion, the productivity software company, is eyeing India as its next big growth market.
SEBI cheers start-up founders with new ESOP retention rule
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has introduced a new rule that allows start-up founders to retain their Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) even after being classified as promoters.
Lenskart to acquire AI start-up GeoIQ for smarter retail expansion
Leading omnichannel eyewear retailer Lenskart is all set to acquire GeoIQ, a location artificial intelligence (AI) start-up.
Campus hiring up 24% in India, signaling job market improvement
The Indian job market is expected to improve in 2025, as campus hiring trends show a positive shift.
Turns out Builder.ai's AI was 700 engineers in India!
Builder.ai, a London-based start-up once valued at $1.5 billion, has filed for bankruptcy after its so-called artificial intelligence was exposed as hundreds of human workers in India pretending to be chatbots.
Hyderabad start-up hires golden retriever as 'Chief Happiness Officer'
A Hyderabad-based start-up, Harvesting Robotics, has appointed a golden retriever named Denver as its Chief Happiness Officer (CHO).
Nazara Tech's Q4 revenue jumps 95% YoY—What's fueling the growth?
Mumbai-based online gaming start-up Nazara Technologies has posted a remarkable growth in its operating revenue for the fourth quarter of FY25.
Mumbai firm offers ₹10 for internship—1,900 apply in shocking twist
A Mumbai-based start-up has left everyone surprised by offering an internship with a monthly stipend of just ₹10.
How RBI's relaxation of AIF investment rules affects banks, NBFCs
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed to relax investment norms for banks, non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), and other regulated entities (REs) in Alternate Investment Funds (AIFs).
Kerala start-up claims blocking 85M cyber threats during India-Pakistan conflict
Prophaze, a Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala-based cybersecurity start-up, has claimed to have neutralized 85 million malicious cyber threats amid the recent India-Pakistan conflict.
What is Google's 'AI First' program for Indian start-ups?
Google has started accepting applications for the 'Google for Startups Accelerator: AI First' program, in India.
This JSW Group start-up is India's latest unicorn
JSW One Platforms, the B2B e-commerce arm of the JSW Group, has entered the unicorn club after securing ₹340 crore in a funding round that valued the company at $1 billion.
Selena Gomez's mental health start-up Wondermind is out of money
Wondermind, the mental health start-up co-founded by singer Selena Gomez and her mother Mandy Teefey, is reportedly struggling financially.
Nithin Kamath-backed company selling 'full moon ghee' for ₹2,500—What's special?
Two Brothers Organic Farms, a Pune-based agritech start-up backed by billionaire entrepreneur Nithin Kamath, has caught the attention of many for its unique product - full moon ghee.
Minimal resources, excess regulations: Why India's deep-tech start-ups are struggling
Harish Mehta, the first Chairperson of NASSCOM, has shed some light on the challenges faced by India's deep tech start-ups.
How Lucy Guo became the youngest self-made woman billionaire
Lucy Guo, co-founder of Scale AI, has become the world's youngest self-made female billionaire at just 30.
Vivek Ramaswamy's medicare start-up raises $75M at $1.5B valuation
Chapter, a Medicare advisory start-up co-founded by former Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy, has raised a whopping $75 million in funding.
MS Dhoni-backed drone start-up raises ₹100cr at ₹2,125cr valuation
Drone technology start-up Garuda Aerospace has raised ₹100 crore in its Series B funding round.
Modi government's ₹10,000cr start-up fund to target tech, AI sectors
The Indian government had announced a Fund of Funds Scheme (FFS) with a total corpus of ₹10,000 crore, earlier this year.
Alphabet, NVIDIA invest in OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever's AI start-up
Google's parent Alphabet and tech giant NVIDIA have invested in Safe Superintelligence (SSI), an artificial intelligence start-up by OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever.
IIT-Madras-incubated start-up to unveil 1st flying taxi in June
IIT-Madras-incubated aerial transportation start-up ePlane Co is all set to unveil its first flying taxi prototype in June.
OpenAI planning to buy Jony Ive's AI start-up for $500M
OpenAI is considering the purchase of io Products, an AI hardware start-up being built by former Apple Chief Design Officer Jony Ive.
SoftBank-backed Juspay raises $60M to accelerate AI development
Bengaluru-based payment technology company, Juspay, has successfully raised $60 million in its Series D funding round.
Piyush Goyal announces nationwide helpline to support Indian start-ups
Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has launched a dedicated helpline for Indian start-ups. The announcement was made at the Startup Mahakumbh event in New Delhi.
Are Indian start-ups just 'delivery boys'?—Piyush Goyal's remarks stir debate
India's Union Minister Piyush Goyal has sparked a major debate with his recent remarks on the country's start-up ecosystem.
This start-up claims it can remove microplastics from your blood
London-based health start-up Clarify Clinic is offering a unique treatment to remove microplastics from the bloodstream.
Gadkari lists 3 things that will shape India's pollution-free future
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has underscored the need for India to move on from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources.
Europe's first orbital rocket launch ends in failure
German start-up Isar Aerospace's first-ever space mission ended in failure today.
She built a popular fintech start-up—Then defrauded JPMorgan of $175M
Charlie Javice, the founder of financial aid start-up Frank, has been convicted of defrauding JPMorgan Chase.
NeuralGarage becomes first Indian start-up to win at SXSW Pitch
NeuralGarage, a pioneering GenAI start-up, has scripted history by becoming the first Indian company to win at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Pitch competition.
These robots use AI to survey and secure India's borders
In a pioneering initiative, Da Spatio Rhobotique Laboratory (DSRL), a start-up incubated at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, has developed advanced robots to keep a watch on India's borders.
India second-best country for women-led start-ups amid global funding decline
The global funding landscape for women-led start-ups has taken a major hit in 2024 due to macroeconomic headwinds.
What is 'Opptra,' Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal's new start-up
Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal has unveiled his latest venture, called Opptra.
Zomato's Deepinder Goyal invests $20M in homegrown aviation start-up
Surobhi Das, the former Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Zomato, has joined hands with Deepinder Goyal to launch an aerospace start-up called LAT Aerospace.
Is Manus 'more like human being' than traditional AI chatbots?
Butterfly Effect has shaken up the LLM market with its general-purpose AI agent, Manus.
India's start-up investment by VCs touched $13.7B in 2024
India's venture capital (VC) market saw a resurgence, with investments in start-ups hitting $13.7 billion in 2024, the India VC Report 2025 by Bain & Company and the Indian Venture and Alternate Capital Association (IVCA) found.
This SpaceX investor will spend $20M each in 12-15 companies
Playbook Partners, a growth capital firm, plans to invest $20 million each in 12-15 firms over the next two years.
Indian start-up commissions 'SCOT'—world's first commercial space surveillance satellite
Bengaluru-based start-up, Digantara, has successfully commissioned the world's first commercial space surveillance satellite, SCOT (Space Camera for Object Tracking).
Saina Nehwal invests in menstrual care start-up
Former world number one badminton player and Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal has joined hands with menstrual hygiene brand Naarica.
Indian start-ups secure $1.65B funding in February—up 20% from January
Indian start-ups collectively raised $1.65 billion in February 2025, according to data from Tracxn.
Freshworks founder pledges $1M and mentorship for Indian AI start-ups
Girish Mathrubootham, the visionary behind Freshworks, has launched Together AI Studio through his venture capital firm, Together Fund.
Why Indian founders are reducing their stakes in unicorn start-ups
Over the last six years, the stakes held by founders in India's unicorn start-ups have witnessed a sharp decline.
Centre launches ₹30cr Startup Maha Rathi challenge: How to participate
As part of the second edition of Startup Mahakumbh, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has launched the Startup Maha Rathi challenge.
SEBI's latest move should help start-ups raise more funds
In a major overhaul of its regulations, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is considering broadening the investor base for angel funds.
Modi government's scheme for 1st-time entrepreneurs to create 25L jobs
The Indian government recently launched a new initiative for first-time entrepreneurs.
IndiaAI mission: Start-ups being offered outdated GPUs for AI tasks
Indian start-ups have raised concerns over the use of outdated graphics processing units (GPUs) in the IndiaAI Mission.
Meat delivery start-up Licious eyes $2B valuation in 2026 IPO
Temasek Holdings-backed online meat and seafood retailer Licious is planning to go public in 2026. It is targeting a valuation of over $2 billion for its listing.
OpenAI co-founder Sutskever's start-up seeks $1B funding at $30B valuation
OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever is looking to raise over $1 billion for his new venture, Safe Superintelligence. The fundraising effort will value the start-up at a whopping $30 billion.
Chennai start-up bags $1B deal to supply electric air ambulances
Indian electric aircraft start-up, The ePlane Company, has bagged a deal worth over $1 billion to supply 788 air ambulances.
Musk-led xAI in talks to raise $10B at $75B valuation
Elon Musk's artificial intelligence start-up, xAI, is said to be in talks to raise $10 billion in a funding round.
This Coimbatore-based AI start-up is rewarding employees with ₹14cr bonus
Kovai.co, a Coimbatore-based artificial intelligence (AI) start-up, has recently shared a whopping ₹14 crore bonus with its 140 employees.
Edtech giant Physics Wallah raising $26M at $3.7B valuation: Report
Leading edtech start-up Physics Wallah is raising $22-26 million in a secondary funding round, as per HT Mint.
Forget groceries, get humans 'delivered' in just 10 minutes!
In a first, an Indian start-up Topmate.io has launched an interesting service that promises a 10-minute "delivery" of experts who can guide you in real-time and answer your queries.
Defense start-up Anduril wants to raise $2.5B at $28B valuation
Anduril, a top defense technology company, is said to be in talks for a new funding round of as much as $2.5 billion.
OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever's AI start-up eyes $20B valuation
Safe Superintelligence (SSI), an AI start-up co-founded by OpenAI's former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, is in talks to raise funds at a valuation of at least $20 billion, according to Reuters.
All about lease financing in India
Lease financing is booming in India, emerging as the go-to option for businesses aiming to optimize their asset management and financial strategies.
Good Glamm Group co-founder launches lab-grown diamond brand in India
Priyanka Gill, a seasoned entrepreneur and ex-venture partner at Kalaari Capital, has launched a new business venture, COLUXE.
Juspay poised to become 2025's first unicorn with $150M funding
Juspay, a leading fintech infrastructure company, is set to become the first unicorn of 2025.