Indkal Technologies has raised $20M in bridge funding to scale its Wobble brand, with participation from new and existing investors. CEO Anand Dubey said the funds will support expansion into multiple display categories via contract manufacturer Dixon Technologies. Initially targeting India, Wobble plans global expansion, leveraging India’s growing product R&D and manufacturing strength. The raise signals strong investor confidence ahead of Indkal’s planned Series B by fiscal year-end.

TVS Motor Company and ALT Mobility will deploy 3,000 electric three-wheelers in India by FY26. TVS supplies the vehicles, while ALT handles leasing via a ‘Drive-to-own’ model for cargo and passenger use. ALT offers 24/7 monitoring and predictive maintenance. Rajat Gupta (TVS) cites EV efficiency; Anuj Gupta (ALT) stresses sustainable mobility and inclusion. Founded in 2021, ALT earlier raised $6M from Shell Ventures and others.

Pascal AI Labs, a Bengaluru-based fintech startup, raised $3.1M in seed funding led by Kalaari Capital with Norwest Venture Partners’ backing. Founded by Vibhav Viswanathan and Mithun Madhusudan, the startup builds AI agents for finance professionals, automating research and KPI extraction from financial documents. Serving 16,000+ companies, Pascal AI plans U.S. expansion and deeper data partnerships, targeting autonomous insights for analysts and CIOs amid rising GenAI-driven fintech solutions.

Pelocal, a Noida-based fintech, raised $5M in Series A funding led by UNLEASH Capital Partners and Unicorn India Ventures. The AI-powered WhatsApp payments platform, founded by Vivekanand Tripathi and Vikas Garg, serves 40+ enterprises and 5M monthly users across BFSI, transit, and utilities. With a $500M annual payment run rate and 6x growth since seed, Pelocal targets $10M ARR in 18–24 months.

Nothing has raised $200M in Series C funding led by Tiger Global, valuing it at $1.3B, with investors GV, Highland Europe, and Qualcomm Ventures. Founded by Carl Pei, the company has shipped 5.1M units, securing a 2% India market share. With Sélim Benayat leading AI services, Nothing plans community funding and AI-first devices, while Pei emphasizes smartphones’ central role in AI applications.

uKnowva, a Mumbai-based HR tech platform, has secured $0.5M in pre-Series A funding from Parv Network, Growth 91, and Aapna Infotech after its acquisition by Hinduja Global Solutions. Founded by Abhay Talekar, Priyanka Bhor Jain, and Vicky Jain, the startup will boost sales, expand geographically, and strengthen its AI roadmap. Offering AI-powered recruitment, onboarding, and performance tools, uKnowva plans to scale across Tier I & II cities.

BeyondSquare Solutions raised $4M in Series A funding led by Avant Global to scale FinAlyzer, its financial consolidation and reporting platform. Founded by Karthik Ganesan, Venkatachalam PK, and Rangan Varadan, the startup will enhance automation, compliance, and scalability. With 100+ enterprise clients in 45+ countries, including Fortune 500 India firms, BeyondSquare eyes expansion across the Middle East, Europe, and Southeast Asia as the $6.4B market grows.

Amaani, a Middle Eastern beauty and wellness startup, has raised $3M seed funding from Peak XV’s Surge to expand its Arab beauty brand AÏZA and build culturally inspired global labels. Founded by ex-Sequoia investor Shubham Poddar, Amaani targets the $12B GCC beauty market growing at 12% annually. AÏZA, launched in May 2025, hit $2M annualized revenue in three months with vegan, cruelty-free products rivaling Huda Beauty.

CRED, in partnership with IndusInd Bank, has launched a co-branded RuPay credit card and an exclusive CRED Sovereign membership featuring an 18K gold card. The card offers 5% rewards on e-commerce and 1% on offline spends, redeemable across 500+ partners. Sovereign members gain access to startup investments and spaceflight opportunities. With 13M+ active users, CRED is positioning itself as a premium lifestyle fintech platform.

The government has reopened PLI Scheme applications for white goods (ACs and LED Lights) from Sept 15–Oct 14, 2025. Both new and existing beneficiaries can apply, with incentives available for up to two years. So far, 83 beneficiaries have committed ₹10,406 crore. Launched in 2021 with a ₹6,238 crore outlay, the scheme boosts local manufacturing and jobs under Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Sanspareils Greenlands (SG) has partnered with Salesforce to digitize sales and dealer operations across 850+ Indian locations, marking Salesforce’s entry into India’s cricket equipment sector. SG will deploy Salesforce Service Cloud and a Dealer Management System for real-time insights, automation, and improved support. CEO Paras Anand stressed data agility, while Salesforce’s Aditi Sharma highlighted AI’s role. The move integrates SG’s product range and boosts partnerships, with Agentforce enhancing AI capabilities.

MyPickup, an electric mobility startup backed by Inflection Point Ventures, has shut down after failing to achieve product-market fit and secure long-term funding. Founded in 2023 by Abhijeet Jagtap, the company offered subscription-based e-rickshaw services with 80% retention. By May 2025, it ran 19 vehicles with under 100 subscribers. A $179K seed round in 2024 kept it afloat for a year before closure.

Swiggy has launched Toing, a budget-focused food delivery app offering meals from ₹49, with most under ₹250. The app ensures transparent pricing with no hidden charges and capped delivery fees, even during peak hours. Toing features local favorites, biryanis, Indian staples, and restaurant chains, organized into smart categories like “Under ₹99” and “Value Combos.” With Toing, Swiggy targets India’s growing value-driven food delivery market. Currently serving select locations in Pune.

After 13 years, Hike founder Kavin Bharti Mittal shut down the company. Once boasting 40M Messenger MAUs and later scaling gaming app Rush to 10M users and $500M+ revenue, Hike couldn’t overcome regulatory hurdles and market constraints. Mittal admitted RMG showed traction but wasn’t his vision. Thanking stakeholders, he said he’ll now focus on three frontiers AI, energy breakthroughs, and self-mastery.

The Indian government may offer 20-year tax exemptions for data center developers under the draft National Data Centre Policy 2025. Proposals include GST input tax credit on construction and equipment, with reliable power support from the energy ministry. Backed by the ₹10,000 Cr IndiaAI Mission, the move aims to attract investments from global tech majors like OpenAI and Google, as India’s data center market heads toward $11.6 Bn by 2032.

MyNaksh, an AI astrology startup founded by Nitesh Salvi, Devaang Agarwalla, Gaurav Mohta, and Piyush Nagle, raised ₹7.5 Cr in pre-seed funding from Eximius Ventures and Gemba Capital. The funds will drive product development and personalized experiences. Combining AI predictions with human astrologers through subscriptions and consultations, MyNaksh’s “AI-first, human-in-the-loop” model competes with Astrotalk and AstroSage, aiming to modernize astrology as a self-awareness tool.

Elon Musk’s xAI laid off 500 data annotators, shifting focus to hiring domain-specialist AI tutors in STEM, coding, finance, and personality modeling for its Grok chatbot. Calling the generalist roles “not needed,” xAI plans to hire 10x more experts to boost training quality and character development. The restructuring reflects Musk’s push for Grok as an “unfiltered” AI rival.

Myntra and SUGAR Cosmetics launched Molten Beauty, a Gen Z-focused vegan, cruelty-free brand blending skincare and makeup. The range debuts with 15 products, priced ₹250–₹400, including lip tints and moisturizers, with plans to expand to 50+ SKUs. Available on Myntra, moltenbeauty.com, and M-Now, the launch targets 25M Gen Z shoppers during festive sales, tapping India’s fast-growing online beauty market.

SEBI revised IPO norms to ease listings for large firms. Companies above ₹5 lakh Cr market cap must now offer a minimum ₹15,000 Cr, while those between ₹1–5 lakh Cr need ₹6,250 Cr, and ₹50,000 Cr–₹1 lakh Cr require ₹1,000 Cr. The move reduces dilution burdens, encouraging more IPOs. SEBI also expanded anchor investor rules to include insurers and pension funds, raising anchor reservation to 40%.

TRAI is probing Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel for scrapping affordable ₹249 data plans, sparking concerns over digital accessibility. DoT flagged the issue after Jio limited sales to stores and Airtel withdrew entirely. While TRAI sees no urgent intervention, the move raises minimum data costs for low-income users. JM Financial projects Jio’s ARPU may rise ₹11–13, with analysts expecting wider tariff hikes.

RBI fined PhonePe ₹21 lakh for non-compliance with PPI regulations, citing escrow balance shortfalls and failure to report them after an inspection (Oct 2023–Dec 2024). The penalty, under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, comes as Walmart-owned PhonePe readies its IPO with Kotak, JPMorgan, Citi, and Morgan Stanley. PhonePe’s FY24 net loss fell 29%, while revenue surged 74%.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal, at ACMA’s 65th Annual Session, said India-EU FTA talks hold unprecedented momentum, targeting year-end closure per commitments by Modi and von der Leyen. He stressed gains for the auto component sector through tech transfer and global integration. Goyal lauded GST cuts to 18% and 5% for tractors, boosting affordability, and urged resilience, quoting Ratan Tata on turning challenges into opportunities.

The Karnataka High Court ordered the state’s commercial taxes department to refund ₹16.11 Cr to Flipkart India, with interest, in a dispute over mobile charger classification and a ₹23.01 Cr tax demand. Flipkart had deposited ₹6.90 Cr in cash and ₹16.11 Cr via ITC. The HC ruled refunds must be in cash. Flipkart Internet posted FY25 revenue of ₹20,493 Cr, with losses down 37%.

FirstCry (Brainbees Solutions Ltd) invested ₹73 Cr in Globalbees Brands Pvt. Ltd as part of its Series C2 round, raising its stake to 51.51%. Globalbees also secured ₹100 Cr from existing shareholders. FirstCry’s Q1 FY26 revenue rose to ₹1,862.56 Cr from ₹1,652 Cr, while losses narrowed 13% to ₹66.5 Cr. With ₹75 Cr positive EBITDA, the move aligns with its Series C2 Share Subscription Agreement.

FarmDidi, a D2C pickle brand empowering rural women, raised ₹7 Cr seed funding led by Samved Ventures, LetsVenture, and others. Founded in 2022 by Manjari Sharma, Anukrit Johari, and Asmita Ghodeshwar, it will expand its ‘Didi’ network from 2,000 to 5,000+. With ₹18 Cr ARR, top-selling Amazon pickles, and presence on Blinkit, Zepto, and Instamart, FarmDidi targets empowering 1M rural women via traceable foods.

WeHouse, formerly Hocomoco, raised $2.8M Series A led by Anthill Ventures to expand into Coimbatore, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Surat, and Chandigarh. Founded in 2017 by Sripad Nandiraj and Rohan Vinayak Reddy, the prop-tech startup offers tech-driven home construction solutions, linking architects, contractors, and suppliers. With 400+ projects, a ₹150 Cr order book, and real-time project monitoring, WeHouse rivals Brick&Bolt in India’s $373B residential market projected by 2030.

PeakAmp, co-founded by Vijay Gond and Aditya Sudhanshu, raised $1.37M seed funding led by Caret Capital to transform EV battery recycling. The startup is building a full-stack solution for safe collection, second-life repurposing, and high-purity recovery of lithium, nickel, and copper with >99% efficiency. With India’s EV market set to hit $111B by 2029, PeakAmp aims to set global standards in sustainable resource recovery.

Quick commerce startup Inamo raised $3M seed funding led by Shastra VC, with Antler India, Gemba Capital, and Scope Promoters participating. Founded by Sumit Anand and Rupesh Thakare, Inamo powers dark store management and last-mile delivery, operating 50+ stores across six metros. Funds will expand its tech and network. With the market projected to hit $40B by 2030, Inamo competes with Blinkit, Instamart, and Zepto.

Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi unveiled a ₹100 Cr R&D scheme for green hydrogen startups, offering up to ₹5 Cr per pilot project. Part of the National Green Hydrogen Mission (₹19,744 Cr), it targets 5 Mn tonnes annual output by 2030, drawing ₹8 Lakh Cr investments and creating 6 Lakh jobs. The $34 Bn market is seeing innovations from startups like Amara Raja Infra and Newtrace.

Knot.dating, India’s viral matrimony startup, has expanded to the US, UK, UAE, Singapore, and Australia, catering to marriage-focused users. Unlike casual dating apps, it ensures trust through ID, income, and background verification plus AI-driven conversation flows. CEO Jasveer Singh highlights privacy and commitment, targeting the global Indian diaspora with its tagline: “Tired of dating? Now tie the knot.”