Kerala has become India’s first state to introduce the “Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025,” allowing private employees to ignore work-related calls and emails after office hours without penalties. The law ensures grievance mechanisms and employer accountability to protect work-life balance. Inspired by European models, it aims to reduce stress, prevent burnout, and promote employee well-being potentially shaping future national labor reforms.

Lenskart will open its IPO on October 31, with anchor subscriptions starting October 30. The eyewear retailer plans a ₹2,150 Cr fresh issue and an offer for sale of 127.5 M shares by founders and investors, including SVF II Lightbulb. Funds will support new stores, tech, marketing, and acquisitions. Recently, DMart’s Radhakishan Damani invested ₹90 Cr.

Accel and Prosus have teamed up to co-invest in early-stage Indian startups, boosting Accel’s Atoms X program. Prosus will match Accel’s $100K–$1M funding in automation, energy, internet, and manufacturing ventures. The partnership supports LeapTech startups with mentorship and global scaling expertise, marking Prosus’s first deep-tech day-zero investment and strengthening India’s AI, manufacturing, and climate tech funding ecosystem.

Lenskart raised INR 90 Cr from DMart’s Radhakishan Damani ahead of its IPO, which SEBI cleared for a INR 2,150 Cr fresh issue. Targeting an $8 Bn valuation, the IPO is set for early November. Founders and investors, including SoftBank, will offload shares as Lenskart expands CoCo stores, cloud systems, and AI-driven eyewear with AjnaLens. FY25 profit: INR 297.3 Cr on INR 6,652.5 Cr revenue.

Catalyx Space raised $5.4M in seed funding led by Outlander VC to expand space logistics. Founded in 2024 by Rifath Shaarook and team, it develops re-entry tech, unmanned labs, and plans a Cosmotron satellite demo in 2026. After a $1.7M pre-seed and 26+ mission partnerships, the startup accelerates India’s spacetech drive through its integrated access platform.

The Finance Ministry expanded investment choices for Central Government employees under NPS and UPS from October 24, 2025. New options include the Default Scheme, Scheme G, LC-25, LC-50, LC-75, and the Balanced Life Cycle (BLC) model. The BLC gradually reduces equity exposure before retirement, ensuring parity with private NPS investors. LC-75 targets high-risk investors while the BLC balances growth and stability.

Reliance and Meta have launched Reliance Enterprise Intelligence Limited (REIL) with an investment of ₹855 crore, where Reliance holds a 70% stake and Meta 30%. REIL will develop global enterprise AI solutions powered by Meta’s Llama models. Mukesh Ambani described the venture as a move toward “sovereign enterprise AI.”

The European Commission has found Meta and TikTok in preliminary violation of the Digital Services Act (DSA) for restricting researcher access to data and obstructing reviews of content potentially harmful to minors. Meta’s platforms were also flagged for using “dark patterns” that affect user reporting and appeals. While TikTok cited conflicts with GDPR regulations, Meta maintained it remains compliant. Both companies now face possible fines of up to 6% of their global revenue under the DSA’s transparency and algorithmic accountability provisions.

Airbus Chairman Rene Obermann hailed India as a “strategic long-term partner” at the Berlin Global Dialogue, lauding its engineering and tech expertise alongside Minister Piyush Goyal. Emphasizing value creation over cost cutting, Airbus sources $1.4 billion annually from India and operates assembly lines with Tata Advanced Systems. With IndiGo and Air India ordering over 1,000 aircraft, India’s role in the global aerospace ecosystem continues to strengthen.

Indian government will launch Bharat Taxi in Delhi next month, offering a cooperative, driver‑owned alternative to Ola and Uber. Built with NeGD, the pilot starts with 650 owner‑driven vehicles and will expand to 20 cities by 2030, targeting 1 lakh drivers. Managed by Sahakar Taxi Cooperative with ₹300 crore capital, drivers retain 100% earnings. Union Home Minister Amit Shah endorsed it as part of PM Modi’s vision for fair mobility.

The EU sanctioned three Indian firms under its 19th Russia sanctions package on October 23 for allegedly aiding Moscow’s military‑industrial complex. Accused of bypassing export restrictions on CNC tools and UAV technologies, they now face stricter export controls. Analysts warn the move, a first of its kind, could strain India‑EU trade talks amid new US tariffs.

Eternal founder Deepinder Goyal pledged $25 M to Continue Research, a longevity venture advancing studies in aging, wellness, sleep, and nutrition. The initiative will fund early‑stage projects in health optimization and preventive science. Focused on “conscious evolution,” Goyal supports researchers developing advanced biotech and tracking tools. Operating independently of Eternal, it reflects his growing commitment to deep science and human health innovation.

CapitalXB, a Mumbai‑based trade finance firm, raised $15 M in debt and equity to scale lending and tech infrastructure. Led by Nicolas Walewski, the funding targets India’s $525 B trade finance gap. CEO Taranjit S Jaswal emphasized SME and export support. Through the RBI‑regulated TReDS platform, CapitalXB offers invoice discounting and supply‑chain financing, competing with M1xchange in manufacturing, chemical, and textile sectors.

Michezo Sports, a Bengaluru‑based sports infrastructure startup, raised $2.5 M in pre‑Series A funding from Centre Court Capital and Rainmatter by Zerodha. Founded in 2019 by Maharishi Sridhar, Deepak Natraj, and Alok Agarwal, Michezo has completed 350+ FIFA and FIH‑standard projects. The funds will expand operations into swimming pools, infrastructure, and equipment distribution, supporting partnerships with state governments to improve sports facilities.

ChatGPT introduced Company Knowledge, enabling secure access to internal data from Slack, Google Drive, GitHub, and more. Powered by a specialized GPT‑5, it aggregates and cites company‑specific insights for verified responses. Available to Business, Enterprise, and Education users, it honors permission controls and integrates with tools like Intercom, making ChatGPT a central hub for enterprise intelligence and decision‑making.

YouTube introduced the “Remind Me a Break” feature to promote digital wellness, adding a Shorts Timer that curbs endless scrolling. Users can set reminders between 15 and 180 minutes, prompting breaks once limits are reached. Enabled by default for ages 13–17 and customizable for adults, the update targets healthier viewing habits, echoing initiatives from Instagram and TikTok.

Microsoft introduced Mico, an expressive AI avatar within its Copilot platform, designed to humanize interactions through dynamic, empathetic responses. Part of the fall update, tapping Mico invokes Clippy, Microsoft’s nostalgic paperclip helper. New features Groups, Memory, Learn Live, and Real Talk enhance collaboration and personalization across Edge, Windows, and tools like Google Drive and Outlook. The rollout starts in the US, UK, and Canada.

IBM partnered with Groq to accelerate enterprise AI deployment, combining IBM watsonx Orchestrate with Groq’s LPU architecture and Red Hat’s vLLM technology. IBM Granite models will run on GroqCloud, offering over 5× faster inference than GPUs. Early adopters in healthcare and retail are onboard. Rob Thomas and Jonathan Ross highlighted its scalable, secure, and high‑performance AI accessibility.

Microsoft launched Copilot Mode in Edge, rivaling OpenAI’s ChatGPT Atlas in the rising “AI browser wars.” It turns Edge into a reasoning assistant with natural language automation via Copilot Actions, Journeys, and Multi‑Tab Context. Featuring Scareware Blocker and Password Manager, the Windows‑style update strengthens Edge’s ecosystem integration, advancing toward smarter, secure, AI‑driven web experiences.

Bharti Airtel partnered with IBM to boost Airtel Cloud using IBM’s AI and hybrid cloud technologies. The collaboration lets enterprises scale AI workloads with IBM Power Systems, including AI‑ready Power11 servers, supporting SAP Cloud ERP. Gopal Vittal cited expanded zones and stronger cloud capabilities, while Rob Thomas highlighted watsonx and Red Hat OpenShift AI in driving enterprise AI transformation.

Meta has reportedly laid off about 600 employees from its AI division, including FAIR and Superintelligence Labs, to streamline operations and speed decisions. As per reports of Axios Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang confirmed the move, following heavy hiring from OpenAI and Google. The TBD Lab remains unaffected. Meta continues major AI investments, including its $27 B Hyperion data center in Louisiana.

Amazon introduced AI‑powered smart glasses for last‑mile delivery, featuring a heads‑up display for navigation, package scanning, and hazard alerts. With prescription‑ready lenses, swappable batteries, and an emergency button, the pilot‑tested device improves driver safety and efficiency. Ergonomically designed with driver input, it supports AI‑driven route optimization and real‑time hazard detection, advancing Amazon’s logistics technology integration.

Google’s Quantum Echoes algorithm on the 105‑qubit Willow chip achieved a verified 13,000× speedup over classical supercomputers, as reported in Nature on October 21. Led by Hartmut Neven and Vadim Smelyanskiy, the system analyzes molecular structures akin to NMR data, advancing drug discovery and materials science. This marks a practical quantum leap connecting theory to real‑world applications.

Uniphore raised $260 M in Series F funding from NVIDIA, AMD, Snowflake, and Databricks, maintaining a $2.5 B valuation. The capital supports global expansion, partnerships, and platform upgrades. Through acquisitions like Orby AI and Autonom8, it enhances automation. Founded in 2008, Uniphore’s Business AI Cloud powers 2,000+ enterprises, improving efficiency and competing with Observe.AI, Kore.ai, and Cognigy.

India Quotient closed its $129 M Fund V, over double its last fund, to back pre-seed and seed‑stage Indian startups before sectors mature. It aims to help founders avoid early dilution pressures. Sahil Makkar and Kanika Agarrwal joined as partners. Founded by Anand Lunia and Madhukar Sinha, the firm has funded 100+ startups like ShareChat and Sugar Cosmetics.

Eternal Limited, parent of Zomato & Blinkit, faces a ₹128.34 crore GST demand from Uttar Pradesh for alleged short payments & excess input tax credits during April 2023-March 2024. The order, issued on October 18, 2025, includes a ₹64.17 crore GST demand and a matching penalty under CGST & UPGST Acts, plus interest. Eternal plans to contest, citing a “strong case” and anticipates no financial impact, vowing an appeal to the relevant authority.

Physics Wallah launched the AI Box, a device that converts TVs into smart learning hubs with preloaded Hindi lessons for IIT-JEE and NEET. Built for offline use, it bridges the digital divide by delivering affordable education to rural areas. Alakh Pandey’s initiative combines AI and hardware, following the Aryabhata AI model, to advance inclusive edtech access.

UnifyApps raised $50 M in Series B funding led by WestBridge Capital and ICONIQ to expand in Europe and advance its AI-driven no-code integration platform. Co-led by Pavitar Singh and Ragy Thomas, it reported 600% annual growth across sectors like retail and healthcare. With total funding of $81 M, UnifyApps highlights investor confidence in practical GenAI solutions.

Wonderland Foods raised INR 140 Cr ($16 M) from Asha Ventures and BII to fund new products, expand distribution, and build a green processing unit. Founders Rakesh and Anubhav Gupta plan a INR 250 Cr Greater Noida facility with Uttar Pradesh, creating 1,000+ women’s jobs. Competing with Farmley and Happilo, it targets India’s rising healthy snacking market.