AI STARTUPS IN INDIA
Bigger cheques, fewer winners in India’s AI boom
Indian AI startups raised $1.6 billion in funding during the first nine months of 2026. While AI infrastructure attracted significant investments, application startups faced declining funding and challenges in securing customers. Large transactions constituted most of the total funding, highlighting a disparity in investment distribution.
Lenskart, Meesho deliver gains of nearly $400 million for SoftBank Vision funds
Lenskart saw returns of $273 million, the highest among the Vision funds' listed investments, while Meesho gained $121 million, according to SoftBank's earnings presentation released on Tuesday. The gains come as SoftBank continues to monetise its Indian investments, having sold shares worth more than Rs 9,300 crore in Lenskart and Meesho since June.
Rippling steps up AI hiring in India, looks to expand enterprise push
The firm is hiring principal engineers, senior staff engineers and senior directors among others as the lab focuses on developing core components of Rippling’s global AI platform, Parandekar told ET in an exclusive interaction.
Qcomm’s Diwali boost; Energy startups attract funds
Happy Wednesday! Quick commerce powered a strong festive season for D2C brands. This and more in today’s ETtech Morning Dispatch.
₹85,000 Temple: Deepinder Goyal’s wearable is a health-tech gamble
Deepinder Goyal’s ₹85,000 Temple wearable aims to track real-time body performance and brain blood circulation, but its technology lacks meaningful scientific validation. While doctors question its claims, the device could open new possibilities in preventive healthcare. Its long-term success may depend on credibility, clinical evidence and affordability.
UPI sees Diwali boom; AI cracks Captcha
Diwali spending fuelled a surge in UPI transactions, with both payment volumes and values rising. This and more in today’s ETtech Top 5.
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AI innovation in sports: Technology driving the next phase of sports development
Artificial intelligence is creating new opportunities across the sports ecosystem, from performance analysis and sports administration to technology development and wider participation. The ET AI Awards 2027 recognises organisations, technology providers and initiatives advancing the application of AI in sports through its AI Innovation in Sports category.
From streaming to software, microdrama startups rewrite their growth pitch
Peak XV Partners-backed Dashverse has discontinued its consumer platform DashReels and is looking to raise $30-40 million, largely for Frameo AI, its video production software for businesses. Eloelo, which raised $80 million this week led by Hornbill Capital and NBCUniversal, is investing in Dolphin AI, its new production suite, alongside content creation and international expansion.
Sarvam names Google Cloud India head Sashikumar Sreedharan as president & chief business officer
Sashikumar will additionally join Sarvam's board of directors. He will lead the company's business across enterprises and government, while expanding its engagement with digital-native companies, developers and partners.
'Temple is not made for India': Deepinder Goyal responds to criticism in Diwali posts, promises to publish ‘detailed note’
Goyal said the company did not want people to support Temple simply because it was an Indian startup, adding “We don’t need/want nationalist support.”
ETtech Deals Digest: Eloelo leads as weekly funding rises to $142 million, down 35% on-year
Eloelo led deal activity with $80 million, followed by Peppermint Robotics at $10.6 million, altM at $10.3 million, Two Point O Capital at $10 million, and PowerUp Money at $10 million. Crane Venture Partners was among the most active investors, backing Peppermint Robotics and Armatrix. Omnivore invested in altM and Two Point O Capital, while Flourish Ventures backed PowerUp Money.
Activists breach Microsoft data centre construction site as protests spread in Europe
Activist groups have announced actions in 16 countries on Friday and Saturday, according to the "Stop Dirty Data Centres" coalition, which is rallying environmental groups and digital rights campaigns behind calls to pause large-scale construction.
Amagi, Shiprocket post profits; US polls’ impact on IT
Amagi’s Q2 profit surged nearly 30x while Shiprocket swung into the black for the first time. This and more in today’s ETtech Top 5.
AI Team of the Year: How high-performing AI teams are driving business innovation
The success of AI adoption significantly hinges on the expertise of the professionals implementing these technologies. Teams that blend technical proficiency with business acumen are essential to guarantee that AI applications align with operational requirements and performance benchmarks. Acknowledgment of their contributions becomes crucial, especially for projects that are pivotal to driving business results.
Unilever announces €35 million investment for R&D expansion in India’s Mumbai and Bengaluru hubs
Unilever announced a plan to invest an additional €35 million in its Indian research and development operations. The investment aims to enhance product innovation and biotechnology capabilities at its Mumbai and Bengaluru centers. Unilever has already invested €20 million over the past five years towards developing various research facilities in India.
From enterprises to SMBs: How Flashfox AI plans to change the hiring game
GetWork’s AI hiring business, now spun off as Flashfox AI, is targeting 500 enterprise clients in the next 24 months as it expands into Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
L&T Finance Pitch Point 2.0: Where an AI startup’s big idea meets enterprise scale
Pitch Point, L&T Finance’s contest for AI startups, is back for a second edition. Last year’s winners, Arrowhead AI and SpoofSense, talk about what they got out of it and what they would tell this year’s new applicants.
Premji Invest goes big on strategic output & tech
Premji Invest and Singularity AMC are likely to lead a $30-40 million round in Sanlayan at a valuation of about $200 million, according to the people. Separately, Premji Invest is in advanced talks to lead Hical’s first institutional funding round of $30-40 million, alongside TVS Capital.
Cert-In gets Mythos access, being careful with testing: Officials
Government agencies cannot download the AI’s source code or weights for running on their own, completely isolated or ‘air-gapped’ systems. Instead, to use Mythos, they must send their proprietary data, code, or network blueprints over the internet to Anthropic’s cloud servers.
Chip startup Agrani Labs looks to raise $108 million from Peak XV, Google, Samsung
Peak XV Partners is leading the round and is expected to contribute more than half of the total funding. Google, HCL Tech, Samsung Ventures and Stargazer, an investment firm set up by Groww's founders, are also expected to participate, the people cited above said.
Apple’s robust India quarter; Giva’s $100 million funding
Apple posted record sales in India in the September quarter. This and more in today’s ETtech Top 5.
Decoded: Will AI agents outlast the hype?
Krish Ramineni, founder of AI note-taking company Fireflies.ai, said consumers were experimenting with applications ranging from shopping and price comparisons to booking flights and hotels, making restaurant reservations, managing bills and subscriptions, and seeking refunds.
Deep use cases vault India to ChatGPT’s top global market: OpenAI's India MD
During a visit to India last year, the ChatGPT maker’s cofounder Sam Altman said that India was the fastest growing market for the frontier lab and was already the second largest in terms of users globally. Market estimates had earlier put the India user base at 100 million.
OpenAI’s India user base doubles; Rapido GOV quadruples
Happy Tuesday! India has become ChatGPT’s largest market globally, with its user base doubling. This and more in today’s ETtech Morning Dispatch.
India’s small companies need to see AI as more than an artificial promise
India MSME news: India's micro, small and medium enterprises are exploring the adoption of artificial intelligence to enhance productivity. AI is expected to generate significant economic value for these enterprises in manufacturing and services sectors. Various challenges remain regarding the integration of AI into existing workflows and overcoming cost barriers. Collaborative efforts among industry bodies, technology providers, and the government are essential for facilitating this transition.
Uttar Pradesh to launch state Quantum Mission, steps up push for AI and robotics
The state of Uttar Pradesh is gearing up to launch a transformative Quantum Mission, poised to bolster its technology framework. By focusing on quantum technology within a broader digital transformation agenda, the initiative aims to ignite innovation. At the ETGovernment AI Vision Conclave, leading industry figures explored the adoption of AI, investment avenues, and workforce readiness.
IIT and IIM graduates shun startups as AI jobs gain appeal amid rising startup activity in India
Only 79 IIT alumni and 20 IIM alumni launched new tech startups between January and August this year, compared to 307 IIT graduates and 71 IIM graduates who founded startups in the entire 2025, according to Tracxn data collated for ET. The platform tracks only the year of incorporation for tech startups, so it does not have comparable January-August 2025 data.
ETtech Deals Digest: Even Healthcare, Different lead October funding to $694 million, down 51% on-year
Even Healthcare led deal activity during the month with $50 million, followed by Different at $48 million, Boldfit at $41.5 million, Baba Care at $40 million and GreenCell Mobility at $34.5 million. Early-stage deals accounted for 61.9% of the capital raised during October, while late-stage transactions made up 19.4%. Seed-stage companies comprised the remaining 18.7%.
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