Darwinbox, an AI-powered HCM platform, raised $40M from Teachers’ Venture Growth to expand in North America and advance AI innovation. Serving 1,000+ enterprises and 4M employees in 130 countries, it invests in agentic AI and backs the Model Context Protocol. Following a $140M round by Partners Group and KKR, leaders stress global growth and AI-first solutions. Recognized by Gartner and Forrester, Darwinbox seeks to transform HR tech.

Shreetech Data, a Mumbai-based digital infrastructure firm, has raised $4.5 million from Aarii Ventures and Cello Family Office to expand data center, power infrastructure, and manufacturing operations. The company has completed over 100 data center projects with 500+ MW sanctioned power. Its Datalix brand makes LV switchboards and PDUs. Revenue grew from ₹88 crore in FY21 to ₹613 crore in FY25, driven by a 62% CAGR in data infrastructure services.

An RBI committee proposes an adaptable AI policy for the financial sector, focusing on innovation, risk control, and consumer protection. It recommends consolidated AI guidance, an AI Liability Framework, board-approved AI policies, and audit systems. Experts highlight benefits and concerns—Pranesh Prakash warns of auditability issues, while Srikanth L says it favors industry over consumers. The plan includes an AI Standing Committee and governance for autonomous AI systems.

Oracle has laid off over 150 OCI team members in the US and India, including roles in Enterprise Engineering, Fusion ERP, and AI/ML. The cuts come amid record stock gains and major deals with OpenAI, TikTok, and Temu. Oracle says it’s part of strategic restructuring, shifting focus to AI infrastructure, with new AI-focused hiring underway in Tennessee.

Bengaluru-based Dozee is set to secure $10M in debt funding from Stockhausen International, its second raise since March 2025. The RPM and EWS provider, founded in 2015, offers products like Shravan and a smart vital-sign monitoring mat, recently earning CE Mark certification under EU MDR 2017/745. Backed by Prime Venture Partners, Yournest, and 3One4 Capital, Dozee’s total funding now stands at $38M.

Refold AI, based in Bengaluru and San Mateo, has raised $6.5M in seed funding co-led by Eniac and Tidal Ventures. Founded in 2023 by Jugal Anchalia and Abhishek Kumar, the startup uses AI to automate API integrations, replacing middleware for workflows like ERP-CRM syncing and finance automation. Targeting a $350B market, its AI agents learn system behavior, maintain integration code, and reduce manual effort.

BSE Index Services has introduced the BSE India Defence Index to track Defence sector stocks from the BSE 1000. Using Capped Free Float Adjusted Market Cap weighting, it is reconstituted semi-annually. Mr. Ashutosh Singh said the index offers a transparent benchmark for ETFs and PMS, enabling investors to benefit from policy-driven growth in domestic defence manufacturing.

UIDAI and ISI have entered a 5-year R&D partnership to enhance Aadhaar’s security and reliability using data-driven innovations. The collaboration targets fraud detection, biometric liveness tools, high-risk enrollment checks, and advanced matching algorithms. Signed by Ms. Tanusree Deb Barma and Prof. B. S. Daya Sagar, the initiative leverages ISI’s expertise in statistics, tech, and data science.

DPIIT and Hero MotoCorp have signed an MoU for the ‘Hero For Startups’ program, supporting early-stage ventures in mobility, clean tech, and deep tech under the Startup India initiative. Startups will access Hero’s R&D facilities in Germany and India, dealer network, mentorship, and develop paid PoCs for market exposure. Leaders emphasized fostering innovation toward Viksit Bharat 2047 and boosting Make in India.

The DPIIT and Zepto signed an MoU to launch the ‘Zepto Nova’ challenge, a six-month program for early-stage manufacturing startups in hardware, IoT, sustainable manufacturing, and packaging. Zepto will onboard 100+ Indian startups into its supply chain, offering market access and product showcases. Officials stressed unicorns’ role in ecosystem growth, while founders highlighted the program’s impact on manufacturing’s future.

Arintra raised $21M in Series A funding led by Peak XV Partners to enhance healthcare revenue assurance through its GenAI-native autonomous coding platform. Founded by Preeti Bhargava and Nitesh Shroff, it automates coding, improves documentation, and prevents denials, helping providers recover millions. Integrated with Epic and Athena EHRs, Arintra delivered Mercyhealth a 5.1% revenue boost and 43% denial drop.

Olee.space, founded by James Solomon and Suman Hiremath, raised $3M in seed funding from Rockstud Capital to scale laser-based communication and defense systems. The startup focuses on Free-Space Optical Communication using low-powered infrared lasers for secure data transfer. Its DEW platform enables anti-drone and anti-satellite defense with precision tracking and real-time targeting, strengthening national security.

Cureous Labs, a Bengaluru-based med-tech startup, secured ₹1.66 crore in seed funding from Inflection Point Ventures and Anthill Ventures. The funds will scale manufacturing of Eturnal, an automated patient repositioning system, expand the team, and open a disinfection center. Founded by Asish Mohandas, the startup targets hospitals and home care, addressing an $8.34B Indian market.

StampMyVisa (SMV), a B2B visa platform, has acquired Teleport, a South Indian travel tech startup backed by Kunal Shah. The deal boosts SMV’s presence in India and Southeast Asia, merging Teleport’s digital focus with SMV’s B2B strengths. SMV processes visas for 60+ countries with 99.5% success, leveraging its Konveyor API for platform integrations.

Holiday Tribe, a travel tech startup founded in 2022 by Anshu Sharma and Chirag Goyal, has raised ₹25 Cr in Pre-Series A funding from Powerhouse Ventures and GSF. The capital will boost AI for real-time personalization and itinerary optimization. Aiming for ₹500 Cr GMV in a year, it faces rivals like MakeMyTrip and Yatra.

Zepto has raised ₹400 Cr from Motilal Oswal Financial Services, which picked up 7.6 Cr CCPS for long-term gains. The deal follows fresh funding from Elcid Investments (₹7.5 Cr) and MapmyIndia (₹25 Cr). With FY25 turnover at ₹11,109.9 Cr and FY24 revenue doubling, Zepto pushes toward IPO plans despite regulatory hurdles.

AI search firm Perplexity has made a surprising $34.5B bid to acquire Google Chrome, nearly double its own valuation. Backed by $3B in committed investments for Chrome and Chromium over two years, Perplexity promises no stealth changes and plans to keep Chrome’s team. The move aligns with its AI browser ambitions through Comet.

The Reserve Bank of India has provisionally approved Paytm Payments Services Limited to operate as an online payment aggregator under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007. PPSL must complete a full system and cybersecurity audit within six months. The approval comes as Paytm posted Q1 FY26 net profits of ₹122.5 crore, signaling a strong turnaround.

The Union Cabinet approved four semiconductor projects worth ₹4,600 crore under the India Semiconductor Mission, to be set up by SiCSem, 3D Glass Solutions, Continental Device India, and ASIP Technologies. Located in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Punjab, they’ll create 2,000+ skilled jobs and include India’s first Silicon Carbide fab and glass substrate unit. Total ISM projects now stand at 10, with ₹1.6 lakh crore investments.

Ultraviolette Automotive raised $21M, with backing from TDK Ventures, Zoho, and Lingotto, to advance EV innovation and global expansion. The company is growing in India and Europe with its F77 Mach 2 and SuperStreet models. CEO Narayan Subramaniam stressed the boost to battery tech and vehicle systems. Competing with Ola Electric and Oben Electric, Ultraviolette saw FY24 revenue hit ₹23.9 crore, but losses rose to ₹61.6 crore.

Seeds Fincap raised ₹50 crore in a Pre-Series B round led by Z47 and Lok Capital, with Norinchukin Capital and Alteria Capital joining. Founded by Subhash Chandra Acharya and Avishek Sarkar, Seeds tackles India’s ₹30T MSME credit gap via tech-enabled lending. Having disbursed ₹1,000+ crore to 50,000+ MSMEs across 120 branches, the firm will use the funds to expand reach, grow its portfolio, and enhance infrastructure.

Elever, a wealth tech platform, raised $1.1M in pre-Series A funding led by Brand Capital, taking its total to $4M. Founded by Anshul Sharan, Karan Aggarwal, CFA, Ram Subramaniam, and Santosh R, the SEBI-registered advisor will scale its PMS business and boost investor engagement. Offering hybrid robo-advisory for goal-based investing, Elever targets ₹1,000+ crore AUM in two years.

Trackk, a Mumbai-based trading platform, raised $1M in seed funding from MGA Ventures, GSF Ventures, and others, following a $100K pre-seed round. With SEBI approval for NSE and BSE brokerage, it serves 150K users and facilitates 6,000 daily trades as an Authorised Person. Co-founders Vedant Gupte, Aryan Jain, and Siddharth Thakkar plan a user-friendly app with personalized insights, competing with Groww and Zerodha.

ELIVAAS secured $10M in Series B funding led by Vertex Ventures SE Asia & India, with Peak XV Partners’ Surge and 3one4 Capital participating. Founded in 2023 by Ritwik Khare and Karan Miglani, the luxury hospitality platform will expand into Southeast Asia and boost AI-driven tech. Listed on MakeMyTrip and Airbnb, it competes with Ama Stays and SaffronStays.

Fairdeal.Market secured $3M in Pre-Series A funding from Incubate Fund Asia and Waterbridge Ventures to boost tech, expand in Delhi NCR, and onboard D2C brands. Founded in 2022 by Prateek and Yash Bansal, it builds a data-led network to empower 100K retailers. Competing with Bizom and Intelligence Node, Fairdeal uses AI for delivery optimization. Bizom raised $12M; Intelligence Node was acquired by IPG.

Seciale Invest closed Fund III at ₹600 Cr ($70M) to boost India’s deeptech sector, targeting pre-seed and seed startups in spacetech, AI, and semiconductors with ₹7–10 Cr investments. Half the fund is for follow-ons. Founded by Vishesh Rajaram and Arjun Rao, the firm backs ventures with strategic autonomy and global standards. Portfolio includes Agnikul Cosmos and GalaxEye, aiming to grow IP in India for global markets.

Dashverse, an AI entertainment startup, raised $13M in Series A funding led by Peak XV Partners to advance AI tech and expand globally. Founded by Sanidhya Narain, Lalith Gudipati, and Soumyadeep Mukherjee, it evolved from AI comics platform Dashtoon to Frameo.AI for video content. Its microdrama app, DashReels, hit 5M downloads, driving 20M+ users. Funds will scale Frameo.AI and DashReels amid rivals like Reelies, Kuku, MX Player, and JioHotstar.

Manastu Space has raised $3M in an extended Series A round led by Capital-A, with IAN and others participating. Funds will launch its green propulsion and debris-avoidance system, and advance satellite refuelling, deorbiting, and life extension tech. Founded by Tushar Jadhav and Ashtesh Kumar, its MS-289 propeller delivers 50% better performance. India’s $77B-by-2030 spacetech sector is accelerating, with peers like OmSpace, SatLeo Labs, and Astrogate also securing funding.

Following GPT-5’s release, users criticized its performance versus earlier models. In response, OpenAI doubled Plus subscribers’ GPT-5 limit to 160 messages per 3 hours and reinstated GPT-4o access. Earlier models like o3, o4-mini, and GPT-4o had higher limits. Plus users retain a 32,000-token window, while higher tiers get 128,000. Sam Altman pledged to raise GPT-5 Thinking limits to 3,000 messages weekly.