Bengaluru-based EV startup Simple Energy raised $10M led by Dr. Arokiaswamy Velumani to expand retail, service, and R&D. Founded by Suhas Rajkumar and Shreshth Mishra, with Ankit Gupta, the company targets 150 stores and 200 service centers by 2025. Backed by a 150,000-vehicle Hosur plant, it launched Gen 1.5 models of Simple One and OneS. Preparing for an FY27 IPO, Simple Energy has raised $51M so far.

Handpickd, India’s ‘zero stock fresh commerce’ startup, raised $15M in Series A funding led by Bertelsmann India Investments. Founded in 2024 by Anant Goel, Nitin Gupta, and Sahil Madan, Handpickd sources directly from farmers using a zero-inventory model, serving Gurugram, Noida, and Bengaluru. The funds will strengthen talent and optimize supply chains. The investment stands out amid the shutdowns of Otipy, Fraazo, and Deep Rooted.

Recove, a B2B startup, raised Rs 5.3 crore in pre-seed funding led by Momentum Capital, with participation from Ganesh Natarajan and Ashish Goel. Founded in 2024 by Viral Chhajer, Nirja Bhatt, and Sharan Subaiah, Recove operates a tech-enabled marketplace for plastic recyclables. The funds will scale operations, build pre-processing hubs, and expand its partner network, streamlining procurement for 30+ recyclers through digital tools and reliable raw materials.

Emergent, founded by ex-Dunzo CTO Mukund Jha, raised $23M in Series A funding led by Lightspeed Ventures, with Y Combinator, Together Fund, Prosus, and angel investors participating. Its agentic AI platform enables autonomous app creation covering backend logic, APIs, and UIs via natural language. Combining proprietary models with LLMs like OpenAI and Gemini, Emergent has 1M users, $15M ARR, and targets the $146.2B custom software market.

The House of Rare has partnered with Zepto to offer 10-minute delivery of premium fashion in Delhi and Mumbai. The collaboration brings Q-commerce into fashion, giving The House of Rare a first-mover advantage and immediate access to digitally savvy consumers. Zepto expands its user base while enhancing customer experience, allowing both brands to capture the on-demand fashion market and meet rising consumer expectations efficiently.

Classy Games has raised $300K through Exel by Merak to grow its team and fast-track two upcoming titles a comical detective game and a galactic survival game. Founded in 2021, the studio focuses on accessible, replayable experiences with user-generated content. Its debut, Orbital, drew 200K+ players and 180K hours of gameplay. Operating from Northern Ireland, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, Classy continues building engaging games

Bengaluru-based Gullak raised $7.5M in Series A funding led by Chiratae Ventures, with White Venture Capital, Samved Ventures, and existing investors participating. Targeting Tier II/III cities, Gullak partners with jewelers like Tanishq and Kalyan, enabling users to save digitally in gold from ₹100 daily, redeemable as jewelry. With 300K active users and $2.5M ARR, the startup aims for $10M ARR within a year.

Hyderabad-based battery tech startup Xbattery raised $2.3M in seed funding led by Bipin Patel Family Office and Jhaveri Credits. Founded by Satish Reddy, Sonu Mishra, and Varshith Rao, Xbattery develops BharatBMS, a high-voltage BMS for EVs and energy storage. The funds will support R&D, hardware sourcing, and team growth, while the startup seeks partnerships with EV OEMs to reduce import dependency amid sector growth.

Oolka, an AI-driven credit companion has raised $7M in seed funding from Z47, Lightspeed, and 8i Ventures. Founded by ex-Meesho’s Utkrishta Kumar, Oolka uses agentic AI to automate credit tasks like negotiating rates and fixing inaccuracies. With 2M users and ₹100 crore repayments processed, it nears $1M ARR. Backed by leaders from Z47 and Lightspeed, Oolka aims to democratize financial health for India’s young population.

olee.space, Photonics startup appointed Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Rajiva Ranjan as Strategic Defense Advisor. With 30+ years in the Indian Air Force, he will guide the development of optics and space-based defense systems, including high-energy Laser Systems. Founder James Solomon highlights his expertise in boosting India’s defense capabilities. Backed by $3M seed funding, olee.space aims to strengthen national security and technological self-reliance.

Handcrafted kitchenware brand P-TAL (Punjab Thathera Art Legacy) raised $3M in a funding round led by VC Grid and Rainmatter, with participation from Connecticut Innovations, Anicut Capital, Zeropearl VC, and angels. The company, supporting 110 artisan families, plans global expansion into the US, Europe, UK, and Middle East, and will invest in R&D for region-specific products. Total funding now stands at $3.6M.

Chiratae Ventures has completed the second close of its fifth fund at $150M, with final close expected in early 2026. Fund V will invest across Seed to Series B in AI, deeptech, healthtech, consumertech, fintech, SaaS, climatetech, and spacetech, exploring areas like DefenceTech and Quantum. Led by Venkatesh Peddi and Ranjith Menon, Chiratae has a strong track record with 130 investments, 8 unicorns, and 4 IPOs.

Germany is actively attracting Indian talent as stricter US H-1B rules make migration harder. Ambassador Philipp Ackermann highlighted Germany’s stable immigration framework and opportunities in IT, management, science, and technology. Indian professionals earn an average of €5,359/month versus the German median of €3,945. In 2025, Germany plans 200,000 professional visas, including 90,000 for Indians, addressing workforce shortages amid an aging population and offering stable, rewarding careers.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shifted to Zoho, promoting indigenous platforms in line with PM Modi’s ‘Made in India’ and ‘Swadeshi’ initiatives. Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu praised the morale boost for engineers behind its two-decade product suite. The move highlights the government’s focus on technological self-reliance, local solutions, and economic growth, supported by initiatives like the GST Bachat Utsav and simplified GST slabs of 5% and 18%.

B2B fashion wholesale marketplace Navo, founded by Suparn Goel and Anshul Singhal, raised ₹8 crore in seed funding led by IndiaQuotient, with Antler participating. The funds will drive retailer acquisition, enhance AI-powered trend prediction scanning 10,000 YouTube videos and 5 lakh images monthly and strengthen supply chains. Serving 50,000 retailers across 250 districts with 5,000+ designs monthly, Navo offers live video shopping and a 50% repeat purchase rate within 30 days.

Tech-driven electronics recommerce platform Grest raised ₹16 crore in funding led by Equentis. Co-founders Shrey Sardana and Nitin Goyal focus on smartphones, laptops, and tablets, promoting a circular economy. Funds will expand retail beyond 60 stores, enhance the refurbishment lab, and strengthen online platforms. Grest sold 15,000+ devices in FY25, generating ₹26 crore revenue, with partnerships including Flipkart and Croma, and offers a six-month warranty.

Chinese media company Mediastorm CEO Tim Pan gifted every employee, including interns, the new iPhone 17 Pro Max, covering taxes and letting them choose colors. Known for product reviews and vlogging with 12M+ Bilibili followers, Mediastorm continues Tim Pan’s annual tradition of gifting Apple products, following iPhone 16 Pro and Apple Watch Series 10 last year. Employees praised him as “the best boss in the world.”

Zealthix, a SaaS healthcare platform, raised $1.1M in seed funding led by Unicorn India Ventures and AlphaGen Venture Capital, following a $250K angel round. Founded in 2023 by Abhishek Kumar and Avinash Gupta, Zealthix connects fragmented healthcare systems via a cloud middleware for streamlined OPD plans. With 20 paying customers including insurers and brokers, the company aims to expand to providers, enhancing efficiency and digitization.

Sustainable products startup Amwoodo has raised $4M in a pre-Series A round led by Rainmatter, with Adventz Group, Thinkuvate, and Caspian participating. Founded in 2019 by Subhrakanti Das, Agni Mitra, and Avijit Rajak, Amwoodo will scale production, expand its eco-conscious D2C marketplace, and launch new plastic-alternative brands. Its bamboo-based personal care and hospitality products serve B2B clients like Himalaya Wellness, Bombay Shaving Company, and ITC Hotels.

Rocket has raised $15M in seed funding co-led by Salesforce Ventures and Accel, with Together Fund participating. Its Vibe Solutioning platform tackles prototype tool limitations, ensuring scalability and stability post-deployment. Already serving 400,000+ users across 180 countries from Fortune 100 PMs to small agencies Rocket helps transform intent into production-ready apps. By prioritizing brand consistency, UX, and reliability, Rocket aims to turn a single prompt into a robust application.

NVIDIA and OpenAI have announced a landmark partnership to build the world’s largest AI infrastructure. OpenAI will deploy at least 10 gigawatts of NVIDIA systems, including the Vera Rubin platform, with NVIDIA committing up to $100B tied to deployments. The initiative, set to start generating tokens in 2026, aims to scale AI training and inference globally, supporting OpenAI’s 700M+ weekly users and advancing agentic, reasoning AI.

EaseMyTrip has increased its stake in Eco Hotels and Resorts by 7.77% with a ₹15.2 crore investment, marking its entry into eco-friendly hospitality. Despite Eco Hotels’ modest FY25 turnover of ₹13.71 lakh, the move aligns with rising demand for sustainable options. Alongside investments in Three Falcons Notting Hill, AB Finance, and Vashu Bhagnani Industries, the diversification aims to create new revenue streams beyond ticketing.

Robotics startup Paar Autonomy has raised ₹3.5 crore in pre-seed funding led by Venture Catalysts. Founded by Vignesh Jayaraman, the company builds advanced gimbal cameras and AI models for UAVs, UGVs, and USVs. Funds will support manufacturing, defense and PSU pilot deliveries, and team expansion. Targeting a $6B drone defense market plus $4–5B ground and maritime robots by 2030, Paar also explores civilian applications.

Chakr Innovation, backed by ONGC, raised $23M in Series C funding led by Iron Pillar. Founded in 2016, the company develops emission control devices and is building an indigenous lithium-ion battery alternative. With 450 employees and 42 patents, it operates from Gurugram and Pune. Funds will expand manufacturing, global growth, and R&D, including a new materials science center, reflecting rising interest in India’s climate tech sector.

Specialty chemicals startup Distil has raised $7.7M in Series A funding led by Jungle Ventures and CE-Ventures. Founded in 2023 by Viraj Shah and Atanu Agarrwal, Distil provides custom chemical solutions for SMEs. The funds will drive R&D and expansion into the Middle East, Africa, and North America. Distil targets $25–30M revenue and breakeven in 12 months, as India holds 4.3% of the $4.7T global market.

Reliance Consumer Products Ltd. (RCPL), Reliance’s FMCG arm, is investing ₹768 crore in its first integrated food park in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, part of a ₹40,000 crore plan. The facility will produce chocolates, snacks, noodles, atta, rice, and spices, targeting 23,000 TPA of spices and 3,800 TPA of snacks in Phase 1. It will create 500 jobs; approvals are underway, with a beverage plant trial by June 2026.

Favcy Venture Builders acquired Kal Ke Krorepati, now streaming on JioHotstar, to amplify authentic Indian founder stories. With creative control, Favcy VB will emphasize revenue-driven resilience and extend support via the 1to10 Accelerator for mentorship and funding. Founder Pranav Chaturvedi stresses uniting content, capital, and community. MilapSinh Jadeja hails the wider reach, as Favcy plans a refreshed format to engage entrepreneurs beyond metros.

Rohit Bafna’s 888VC has launched a ₹175 Cr ($19 Mn) AIF to back early-stage Indian deeptech startups in AI and sustainability. The fund will invest ₹2–4 Cr per startup over three years, focusing on scalable ventures. Founded in 2022, 888VC has already invested $12 Mn across 20 startups, with a portfolio worth $500 Mn. The AIF aligns with India’s RDI scheme.

Reliance will launch Campa Sure in October 2025 to disrupt India’s ₹16,000 crore bottled water market, rivaling Bisleri, Kinley, and Aquafina. Priced at ₹15 per liter and ₹5 for 250ml, it mirrors Jio’s affordability play. With new bottling plants like Guwahati and Reliance’s vast retail reach, experts expect wider access and price cuts from competitors, boosting consumer benefits.

Frontier Tech Capital, co-founded by Pawan Gandhi, Brijesh Pande, and Razat Gaurav, is launching a $150M fund for Southeast Asian growth-stage tech firms. With nearly half already secured, it will invest $10M+ in 10–15 companies generating $50M+ revenue. Led by Manoj Kohli in India, the fund targets profitable, scalable firms in manufacturing tech, creative tech, and agritech, with strong investor backing and global expansion focus.