UPEKKHA
Indian agentic AI companies hitting it out of park, raise $60 million in 2026
The momentum continues from last year, when investments in agentic AI startups nearly doubled to $144 million from $75 million in 2024, show data from Venture Intelligence. They raised $121 million in 2023.
Why are founders flocking to OpenClaw?
There is a mad rush in India to adopt OpenClaw as enthusiasts organise meetups and buildathons; but some key security concerns remain. Swathi Moorthy decodes the new AI mania.
Wyser logs first close of Rs 200-crore fund
Agentic artificial intelligence (AI) fund Wyser Capital announced the first close of Rs 50 crore for its maiden fund. The fund, founded by Suresh Vaswani, Supria Dhanda and Satyakam Mohanty, plans to raise a total of Rs 200 crore in the next 18-24 months.
Four faces of love
Buddhism's four divine abodes – metta, karuna, mudita, and upekkha – are core meditative practices for cultivating inner peace. These qualities, including loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity, enable individuals to remain calm and balanced amidst any circumstance. By practicing these virtues, one embodies a state of unconditional love and non-judgment, fostering goodwill and peace.
AI comes of age while some of its founders are yet to
The average age of newbies starting up is coming down to 20s with teens, native to disruptive tech, becoming part of the conversation.
Blackstone bets big on education; banks push UPI credit
Happy Tuesday! Blackstone is in talks to acquire a controlling stake in Jayshree Periwal International School (JPIS). This and more in today's ETtech Morning Dispatch.
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To support startups VCs tap into AI partnerships
Tie-ups with LLM makers such as Anthropic and OpenAI are emerging as the new kind of cloud alliances, giving VC portfolio companies direct access to cutting-edge AI models. Swathi Moorthy looks at the latest trend.
Need AI friend? Companion startups are a click away
According to a report from IT industry body Nasscom, the global AI companion market is estimated to have touched $28 billion in size this year and could reach $140.8 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 30.8%.
India AI Mission cohort 2.0; Tata's Apple windfall
India AI Mission has selected eight more firms to build foundational AI models. This and more in today's ETtech Top 5.
AI rush prompts investors to increase focus
Among these VC firms that have come up in the last two years are Boundless Ventures, founded by former Kae Capital investor Natasha Malpani, SenseAI Ventures, started by former senior executive at American financial technology company FIS, and Wyser, set up by two former senior tech executives, Satyakam Mohanty and Supria Dhanda.
Indian GenAI companies turn into bigger investment magnets
Indian GenAI startups witnessed a funding surge, securing $524 million in the first seven months of 2025, marking a five-year high. This investment, four times that of 2021, is fueled by enterprise adoption of AI for automation.
Indian startups poised to ride vertical AI opportunity: Report
Per the report titled “Vibe50 Emerging Vertical AI Startups,” by AI startup accelerator Upekkha, Indian companies enjoy certain structural advantages in this space, thanks to the two-decade-long IT services experience that has created over 100,000 engineers who understand both US enterprise workflows and Indian operations realities.
From 66 to 4: Why Y Combinator backed fewer Indian startups in 2024
Y Combinator's selection of Indian startups has decreased significantly. This decline is attributed to factors like YC's US incorporation requirement and the rise of domestic IPOs. Indian startups are shifting focus to local funding options. They find domestic markets favorable for listing. YC is also prioritizing AI-focused startups. This shift impacts Indian participation. Domestic capital is growing with regulatory support.
Y Combinator’s spring 2025 batch features 70 startups focused on agentic AI
Y Combinator’s Spring 2025 batch featured 70 agentic AI startups, each receiving $500,000. Leadership changes include Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel stepping back, while Jon Xu and Andrew Miklas became general partners.
PCI’s MDR plea; India’s AI startups, accelerated
Happy Tuesday! The Payments Council of India has urged the PMO to reinstate the merchant discount rate (MDR) on UPI and RuPay debit card payments. This and more in today’s ETtech Morning Dispatch.
India sees rise of Y Combinator-style accelerators to propel AI startups
Startup accelerators are a relatively new concept in India. While most are sector-agnostic and focus on venture building, growth and fundraising, these factors alone may not be sufficient for emerging AI companies.
DeepSeek signals Indian startups’ deep AI dive
As the battle between OpenAI and DeepSeek escalates, some Indian start-ups have started integrating DeepSeek with offerings. But the tide turned within a few days as OpenAI released its much-anticipated model, o3-mini, its most cost-efficient reasoning model.
SaaS will turn into software and services in GenAI: Upekkha-WestBridge report
Upekkha-WestBridge predicts an IT services-like offering merged with SaaS.
Exclusive: Malabar eyes Sugar stake; India’s deep tech policy coming soon
India-focused Malabar Investments is in talks to pick a Rs 80-100 crore stake in Sugar Cosmetics via a secondary deal. This and more in today's ETtech Morning Dispatch.
Ecommerce roll-up firms in distress; how Krafton scripted BGMI return
Thrasio-style ecommerce roll-up companies such as Goat Brand Labs are struggling to survive amid an overall funding squeeze. This and more in today's ETtech Morning Dispatch.
SaaS accelerator Upekkha announces first close of $40 million VC fund
The fund was created with a leading investment from WestBridge Capital, among other limited partners including Godard Abel, founder and CEO of G2, a business-to-business marketplace that ranks SaaS companies.
Footpath Ventures eyes stake in Rajasthan Royals; IT hiring picks up
US-based Footpath Ventures is in advanced talks to pick up a stake in Rajasthan Royals, a franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL). This and more in today’s ETtech Morning Dispatch.
Least amount of distress sales, shutdowns in SaaS: Upekkha report
Managing partner Thiyagarajan Maruthavanan said a lot of the consolidation and acquisitions will broadly be enabled by networks built out by past investors in 2024, with SaaS getting increasingly crowded and commoditised.
Indian SaaS firms are on an efficient, resilient growth path: report
Indian SaaS growth is highly capital-efficient by default across stages and remains largely unmoved by recessionary trends of the past year, as per the Bellwethers of Indian SaaS report.
Startup accelerator Upekkha raises $9 million from WestBridge Capital
Upekkha Value SaaS Accelerator has raised the funding from WestBridge Capital towards its rolling fund that will look to invest in around 50-60 startups in the current financial year.
iMocha raises $14 million in funding led by Eight Roads Ventures
The company will use the funds to increase its skill library selection, reach more global enterprises, and widen its partnership base within the HR Tech ecosystem
Five in 10 companies have dedicated members managing employee wellness: Survey
Only 56.6% said they have dedicated members managing their employee wellness - nearly half of the responses came from companies having employees between 51 to 500. Surprisingly, 30.7% of companies said that they do not need a separate stakeholder to manage these programmes.
StartPack rebrands as doola, raises $3 million from Nexus, others
Founded in 2020 by Arjun Mahadevan and JP Pincheira, doola—formerly StartPack—helps creators and entrepreneurs incorporate their ventures as limited liability companies (LLCs) in the US.
Stressed startup founders approach experts to calm nerves as Covid wreaks havoc
Issues facing startup founders include cash flow concerns, logistical uncertainties with respect to red zones, precariousness of manufacturing operations, the dos and don'ts for team safety, and employee salary payments in the long haul.
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