STARTUP INVESTMENT
AI-led hiring slowdown is temporary; jobs demand to surge in 3-5 years: Infosys cofounder Gopalakrishnan
His comments come as widespread layoffs occur across large tech companies including Qualcomm, Oracle, Microsoft and Amazon, triggering fears of large-scale job losses also in software services, which has been India’s largest employment-creating sector over the past two decades.
Skyroot Aerospace partners with Brazil's Concert Technologies for satellite launch vehicle development
Skyroot Aerospace and Brazil's Concert Technologies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for collaboration. This agreement focuses on developing a satellite launch vehicle for payloads of at least 100 kilograms. The partnership aims to provide affordable access to space for both countries in conjunction with the global space industry. They plan to evaluate technological requirements and commercial prospects over the next two years.
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.
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.
Energy infra startups see bigger cheques as investors bet on sovereign play
Bengaluru-based Enerzolve, which makes smart meters, power conversion systems and energy storage systems, is in talks to raise $20 million from existing investors Jungle Ventures and Kae Capital as well as Schneider Electric, people aware of the matter told ET. That’s nearly four times the $5 million it raised in a January round.
Gaurav Munjal steps down as Unacademy CEO, Akhilendra Kumar takes over
The transition comes earlier than expected per the contours of the September transaction, which had envisaged Munjal continuing as CEO of Unacademy's businesses within UpGrad for at least two years. Munjal said on Wednesday that he would continue to be involved in daily operations and work with Kumar on profitability and UpGrad's proposed initial public offering (IPO).
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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.
Prosus widens India fintech play after years of consumer internet bets
The Amsterdam-listed technology investor is also close to investing in artificial intelligence-led credit management startup Oolka, people familiar with the matter said. Prosus evaluated credit-on-Unified Payments Interface (UPI) startup Kiwi in October and savings platform Jar in 2025 before deciding not to invest. Prosus declined to comment on specific deals.
From Rs 25,000 to Rs 2.5 crore: Three Pune brothers turn college kabada project into goldmine, sold 20 lakh kg scrap
Three Pune brothers have transformed a college project into a Rs 2.5 crore scrap collection business. Jayesh, Ganesh and Vaibhav Pakhale started ScrapDeal in Pune with an initial investment of just Rs 25,000. The startup has recycled 20 lakh kg of scrap, serves over 1 lakh individual customers and works with more than 100 businesses. The brothers are targeting Rs 5 crore in revenue in FY27.
Wall Street brokerages call AI stock selloff overdone, see buying opportunity in tech stocks
Wall Street brokerages Morgan Stanley, UBS and HSBC consider the recent AI stock selloff excessive, maintaining confidence in long-term investment prospects. Analysts expect Nvidia earnings, Anthropic's potential IPO and continued data centre spending to drive market sentiment, viewing regulatory concerns as unlikely to derail the broader artificial intelligence investment cycle.
Quantum could solve AI energy drain, says tech founder
Quantum computers could curb the vast energy demands of artificial intelligence data centres with their ability to run complex calculations, one of the tech's pioneers told AFP. Australian startup Diraq is conducting the first field test worldwide putting a small quantum computer based on a silicon chip in a commercial data centre in Sydney. Diraq's computer installed in Equinix's Sydney data centre has eight quantum bits, or qubits, on a silicon chip.
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.
TheLiverDoc takes another dig at Deepinder Goyal over promised ‘detailed note’ on Temple’s Brain Flow feature
The post comes amid an ongoing public spat between Goyal and sections of the medical community over the scientific evidence supporting Temple's claims, particularly its ability to measure changes in blood flow to the brain.
Failed UPSC dream to Rs 130 crore success: How Bengaluru man turned Rs 1 crore investment into a healthy food business
Sandeep Jangala's journey began with a dream of becoming an IAS officer, but the road to success was not without its obstacles after his UPSC attempt fell short. Undeterred, he pivoted to entrepreneurship, successfully launching a tech startup that caught the attention of investors. In 2022, he and his wife co-founded Yummy Bee, a company dedicated to providing children with healthy food choices.
EPFO total contributions expected to rise by 25% in 2027-28 due to wage ceiling increase
EPFO is forecasting a major increase in its total contributions for the financial year 2027-28. The wage ceiling has been raised to ₹25,000 from ₹15,000, effective September 17. Total contributions for the current year are estimated to exceed previous budgeted amounts significantly. Additionally, the board will consider investing up to 3% in alternative investment funds.
Arunoday Singh-headed O-Health secures strategic funding
O-Health has received strategic funding from several investors to advance its healthcare technology solutions. The company aims to enhance its voice-first AI-enabled clinical pre-assessment platform for better patient information management. The investment will support the expansion into additional healthcare sectors and development of indigenous AI models and clinical hardware. O-Health plans to broaden its focus to include preventive health technologies and intelligent hospital workflows.
Piyush Goyal to visit Egypt with big business delegation; India eyes trade, investment partnerships
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal will visit Egypt next week with a large business delegation to explore investment and collaboration in sectors including startups, fintech, pharmaceuticals and automobile components. The visit comes as India seeks to deepen its strategic engagement with West Asia and position Egypt as a gateway to African, Arab and European markets.
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.
Daksham Growth Ventures raises Rs 125 cr in first close of maiden consumer fund
Daksham Growth Ventures has completed the first close of its consumer-focused fund, raising approximately Rs 125 crore. The fund is registered as a Category II Alternative Investment Fund and targets a total corpus of Rs 150 crore. It aims to invest between Rs 5-20 crore in early-growth businesses including direct-to-consumer and B2B2C companies. The fund will support companies with governance, brand positioning, and distribution expansion.
Scripbox shareholders approve conversion into public company ahead of IPO
At an extraordinary general meeting on October 19, shareholders approved the change of the Accel-backed startup's name from Scripbox Wealth Managers Private Limited to Scripbox Wealth Managers Limited, along with amendments to its constitutional documents, according to regulatory filings reviewed by ET.
Temple's most groundbreaking features are not public yet, Deepinder Goyal says as doctors question the product
Goyal said $20 million of the $30 million invested in building Temple came from his personal funds. He added that selling a few thousand devices would recover only a small part of the investment.
Sequoia Capital restructures operations after raising $10 billion, shuts London office
In a bold move, Sequoia Capital is undergoing a major restructuring by shutting down its London office and disbanding the Arc accelerator and Scouts programs. These changes come amid a leadership shift and a focus on selective investing. With approximately $10 billion raised in new funds, Sequoia is committed to backing European founders, albeit from its Bay Area hub.
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.
Premji's deeptech bets; Razorpay gets IPO nod
Happy Thursday! Premji Invest is stepping up its bets on defence and aerospace manufacturing.This and more in today’s ETtech Morning Dispatch.
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.
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.
Mahesh Babu picks up stake in gaming startup Shortgun Games
The startup, founded by Jeet Chandan and Vidhit Mehta, is developing its flagship title, Project Takedown, a 10-15-hour action-adventure game set in a near-future Mumbai. The game, designed exclusively for PC and modern console platforms, including PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, is primarily targeted towards international audiences, including the US, Europe and Japan. The founders expect the game to launch by 2028-end.
Tax-wise, $-foolish: Saving Dalal Street could come at a cost to Startup Street
India's financial landscape is experiencing pressure with foreign portfolio investors becoming net sellers in the market. There are discussions about implementing tax cuts to stabilize the situation, which could disadvantage domestic investors. A focus on only listed shares may divert investments from private markets and harm the startup ecosystem. Expert suggestions advocate for a universal tax reduction applicable to both listed and unlisted shares.
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