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    <title>Venture OS</title>
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    <description>Funding, M&amp;A, IPOs, policy, and deep tech - original reporting on the companies shaping tomorrow.</description>
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    <lastBuildDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 16:56:52 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Kissht parent OnEMI board approves Rs 832 crore preferential issue]]></title>
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    <description><![CDATA[Listen to this article in summarized format (Catch all theTechnology News News, andLatest NewsUpdates onThe Economic Times.)]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 17 Sep 2026 16:53:43 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[SEBI Greenlights Kuku Technologies’ ₹3,500 Cr IPO]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/4c22940d-afa5-47cb-aa96-3298b1d04f26</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[SEBI last week approved Kuku’s IPO after the startup filed its confidential DRHP in June The audio OTT startup’s IPO’s size could be in the range of ₹2,500-3,500 Cr and could potentially value it at ₹15,000 Cr The IPO will consist of a fresh issue of shares as well as an offer-for-sale component Markets regulator SEBI has greenlit the proposed listing of audio OTT startup Kuku Technologies months after it filed its draft IPO documents confidentially. As per its latest update, it had issued its observation letter for Kuku’s offer documents last Friday (September 11). In SEBI parlance, the observation letter signals the regulator has given its go-ahead to a company to proceed with its public issue. Kukufiled its confidential DRHP with the SEBI in June. As per sources, the IPO’s size could be in the range of ₹2,500-3,500 Cr ($261-366 Mn) and could potentially value it at ₹15,000 Cr (about $1.8 Bn). The IPO will consist of a fresh issue of shares as well as an offer-for-sale component. Kuku plans to deploy the capital to upgrade its tech, AI infrastructure, content production and fuel geographic expansion. Founded in 2018 by Lal Chand Bisu, Vikas Goyal and Vinod Meena, Kuku offers audiobooks, podcasts, and original audio shows via itsKuku FMbrand, while also operating microdrama platform Kuku TV and microlearning platform Guru. The startup’s content library spans more than 20,000 titles across seven languages and multiple genres including drama, finance, and well-being. It claims to have more than 1 Cr listeners and creators on its platform and 400 Mn app downloads across its portfolio. Kuku has raised over $156 Mn to date from the likes of Fundamentum Partnership, Krafton, Vertex Ventures, IFC, 3one4 Capital, among others. Itsmost recent $85 Mn Series C funding round, in October 2025, was led by Granite Asia. Earlier this year, it evenroped in former Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhonias an investor and as the brand ambassador for Kuku TV. Driven by increasing smart phone penetration and affordable internet access, the market for microdramas is expected to grow to $6.5 Bn by 2033 from $1.5 Bn currently. Kuku competes with the likes of Pocket FM, Flick TV, ReelSaga and Miniplix, as well as OTT majors like Amazon, JioHotstar and Zee5, in this segment.]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 17 Sep 2026 14:14:49 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[India Gets ₹1 Lakh Cr Investment Commitments Under Semicon 2.0: Vaishnaw]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/b37f4d24-30dc-445d-87cb-8f171c46df0c</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[India has secured around ₹1 Lakh Cr in investment commitments from players in capital equipment, materials, specialty gases, and advanced packaging under Semicon 2.0 since its launch, said Vaishnaw at Semicon India 2026 The second phase of India’s semiconductor policy framework could create close to 1 Lakh new jobs and entails an outlay of ₹1.28 Lakh Cr Vaishnaw said that Semicon 2.0’s roadmap rests on six core pillars: chip design, equipment and raw materials, fabs, advanced packaging, R&D, and talent Under the recently approved Semicon 2.0 mission, the Central government is seeing investment commitments worth approximately ₹1 Lakh Cr ($11-12 Bn), union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said during his address at Semicon India 2026. Global players across capital equipment, materials, specialty gases, and advanced packaging have pledged to deploy this capital over the next 2-3 years as India scales up its domestic electronics value chain, the minister said. The estimates are based on the minister’s discussions with the companies, some of whom are yet to make their investment plans public. Notably, US-based semiconductor company Applied Materialsannounced a $5 Bn (about ₹48,000 Cr) investment commitmentearlier today. Vaishnaw also highlighted that the government would be targeting at least 200 startups and companies operating under the Semicon 2.0. Under the initial phase of the mission, Vaishnaw said that more than 105 startups attempted chip design, of which about 20 secured venture capital funding worth around ₹800 Cr. “Semicon 1.0 was all about setting the foundation and making sure that we learned to walk. Semiconductor 2.0 is more aboutgetting the ecosystem in place,” said Vaishnaw. The first phase of the India Semiconductor Mission (Semicon 1.0) was approved with an outlay of ₹76,000 Cr in December 2021. Under the mission, 12 semiconductor manufacturing units were approved, carrying a cumulative investment of over ₹1.64 Lakh Cr. In July 2026, India approved Semicon 2.0 with atotal outlay of ₹1.28 Lakh Cr. With the Semicon 2.0, eligible semiconductor startups and MSMEs can get up to ₹15 Cr in seed funding, along with equity co-investment support for companies backed by VC or PE investors. Deployment-linked incentives will also be available for semiconductor IPs, chips and SoCs launched after the scheme’s announcement. The scheme will provide fiscal support for semiconductor fabs and advanced packaging facilities. Silicon wafer fabs with at least ₹20,000 Cr investment will qualify for support of up to 40% of eligible capex, while compound semiconductor, photonics, sensor and discrete fabs will also be eligible. Advanced packaging projects, including 2.5D/3D packaging, wafer-level chip-scale packaging and heterogeneous integration, will also receive support, alongside R&D facilities for semiconductor equipment, raw materials and testing infrastructure. The Semicon 2.0’s roadmap rests on six core pillars: developing the chip design ecosystem, equipment]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 17 Sep 2026 12:33:41 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (September 17, 2026)]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/13ab85f6-0847-4050-a7bf-2153949a3875</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[From India’s semiconductor push with Applied Materials and Lam Research to early-stage funding across deeptech and workforce platforms, plus a new partner payout feature from Swiggy,YourStorybrings you today’s headlines and the latest news across sectors. Vamshi & Vyshak founded Yaanendriya, Bengaluru, 2025 Bengaluru-based Yaanendriya designs and manufactures inertial sensors, navigation and control systems for autonomous machines across commercial and defence applications. Incorporated in February 2025, its stack spans motion sensors, vehicle controllers and positioning modules for drones, vehicles and robots. A 0.4% fee on UPI merchant payments above Rs 2,000, capped at Rs 300 for transactions of Rs 75,000 and above, could create a new revenue pool for payments players. Investors are upbeat, though the impact on profitability and customer behaviour remains uncertain. Under Semicon 2.0, India will target at least 200 chip-design startups and companies and train one lakh semiconductor technicians, clean-room and factory-floor workers. The programme spans six pillars and has an outlay of Rs 1,27,500 crore, according to the government. Lam Research plans approximately Rs 10,000 crore of investment to set up its first silicon component manufacturing facility in India, alongside advanced R&D and deeper supplier partnerships. The proposed site will support a vertically integrated silicon manufacturing process. Applied Materials will invest $5 billion in India over the next decade, including a 140-acre advanced semiconductor research park, a 10X scale-up of India-based supply-chain capacity by 2035, and a plan to double its R&D workforce in the country. DheyaTech has raised Rs 43 crore in funding led by Avaana Capital, with participation from Unimech Aerospace and Manufacturing Limited. The company said the capital will be used to scale production, build an integrated gas turbine testing facility, and work closely with customers to accelerate deployment timelines. Founded in 2018, the Bengaluru-based company develops indigenous micro gas turbine engines for advanced aerial mobility and energy systems, spanning 20 kgf to 400 kgf of thrust. DheyaTech said its engines are entering commercial deployment, with flight trials targeted for Q4 2026, and that it is pursuing airworthiness certification under CEMILAC-DRDO. Enlight Metals Private Limited has raised $1.5 million from Exar North Group Inc. at a $10 million valuation to advance its agentic AI-enabled metal procurement platform. The company said funds will support its technology roadmap, scaling operations and expansion across the metal procurement ecosystem. The Pune-based firm said its platform has reduced transaction processing time by 75%, inventory costs by 30% and overhead by 60%. It currently operates in Pune, Mumbai and Raipur, and plans to expand into Ahmedabad and Indore. Director Vedant Goel said the partnership will combine capital with technology and operational support. Factrika has raise]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 17 Sep 2026 11:46:07 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[NSE raises Rs 6,746 Cr from anchor investors ahead of IPO]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/52841603-cf0d-4f9f-b51e-b2138e2bab84</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[The National Stock Exchange (NSE) garnered Rs 6,746 crore from anchor investors, including state-owned Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), Goldman Sachs and Fidelity, ahead of the opening of its much-awaited IPO subscription. Additionally, sovereign wealth funds GIC Singapore, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and Norges Bank as well as Eastspring and HSBC Global Asset Management participated in the anchor round. According to a circular uploaded on the BSE website, NSE allotted over 3.77 crore shares to 150 anchor investors at Rs 1,785 apiece, the upper end of its IPO price band. This takes the transaction size to Rs 6,746.2 crore. Foreign institutional investors (FPIs) accounted for about 43 per cent of the anchor book, with investments of Rs 2,883 crore. More than 20 foreign long-only funds participated, with investors from the US, Europe and Asia spanning sovereign wealth funds, regional long-only funds and global mutual funds. Domestic institutional participation was also broad-based, with the participation of mutual funds, insurance companies, pension funds and other institutions. More than 25 large domestic mutual funds and 11 major insurance and pension companies invested around Rs 3,588 crore, accounting for 53% of the anchor book. The participating mutual funds included ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund, HDFC Mutual Fund, Nippon India Mutual Fund, Axis Mutual Fund, Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund, Kotak Mutual Fund, UTI Mutual Fund, Mirae Asset Mutual Fund, Tata Mutual Fund, Franklin Templeton, Edelweiss Mutual Fund and HSBC Mutual Fund. LIC, NSE's largest shareholder with a 10.72% stake, participated through three entities – LIC, LIC Mutual Fund and LIC Pension Fund – investing more than Rs 500 crore. NSE is among the top five holdings of LIC, whose existing stake in the exchange is larger than the portion being offered through the initial public offering (IPO). The SBI group, which is selling a 1% stake in NSE through State Bank of India and SBI Capital Markets, also participated in the anchor book through SBI Mutual Fund, SBI General Insurance, SBI Life Insurance and SBI Pension Fund, investing more than Rs 400 crore. The strong institutional response comes ahead of NSE's Rs 22,569-crore IPO, for which the exchange has fixed a price band of Rs 1,700-1,785 per equity share. ​ The exchange will command a valuation of Rs 4.2 lakh crore to Rs 4.42 lakh crore at the price band.]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 17 Sep 2026 07:48:11 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Lam Research to invest Rs 10,000 Cr in India, set up first silicon component manufacturing facility]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/73f7f3dc-b480-4871-a045-fcd4a9812a5f</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[US semiconductor equipment maker Lam Research plans to invest approximately Rs 10,000 crore in India to establish its first silicon component manufacturing facility in the country. Speaking at SEMICON India 2026 on Thursday, Sesha Varadarajan, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Lam Research, said the proposed facility will support a vertically integrated manufacturing process spanning silicon ingot production and processing for advanced semiconductor technologies. The facility will also serve as a manufacturing and export base for Lam’s global operations. “This investment reflects our approach to invest across key aspects of the ecosystem here and will serve as a base for manufacturing and export globally,” Varadarajan added. The new facility is expected to deepen Lam’s local manufacturing footprint and strengthen its integration with suppliers in India. Lam did not disclose the proposed facility’s location, manufacturing capacity or timeline for beginning operations. Varadarajan said India has assumed a critical role for Lam across both innovation and operations. What began as Lam’s small engineering centre in Bengaluru has expanded into a full-scale advanced R&D operation supporting multiple aspects of Lam’s global business. It supports customers globally through design solutions, testing, validation, and next-generation technology development, he said. Lam is also increasing partnerships with Indian companies across specialised materials, precision components, gases, chemicals, metrology, and manufacturing services. Varadarajan said establishing a manufacturing base could help local suppliers build capabilities that allow them to participate more deeply in global semiconductor value chains. “These partnerships will help local companies develop capabilities needed to not only help Lam in our goals, but also participate globally in value creation,” he said. Lam is one of the world’s major suppliers of wafer fabrication equipment, with technologies used in critical semiconductor manufacturing processes including deposition and etch. The company also provided an update on its Semiverse initiative, under which it is working with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the India Semiconductor Mission to expand access to semiconductor manufacturing education. Lam had set a goal of training up to 60,000 students in India over 10 years. Varadarajan said more than 99 universities were participating in the initiative in 2026 and that the company expects to achieve its target earlier than originally planned. “Lam will deliver on our goal earlier and with stronger numbers than what we committed,” Varadarajan said. “Our journey in India mimics exactly what the semiconductor mission for India is, which is an end-to-end commitment from silicon to systems,” he added.]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 17 Sep 2026 07:08:26 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[NSE raises Rs 6,746 Cr from LIC, Goldman Sachs and others in anchor round ahead of mega IPO]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/e4b39e62-3c1b-4780-a3f5-f33f0206e87b</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[The National Stock Exchange (NSE) on Wednesday garnered Rs 6,746 crore from anchor investors, including state-owned Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), Goldman Sachs and Fidelity, ahead of the opening of its much-awaited IPO subscription. Additionally, sovereign wealth funds GIC Singapore, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and Norges Bank as well as Eastspring and HSBC Global Asset Management participated in the anchor round. According to a circular uploaded on the BSE website, NSE allotted over 3.77 crore shares to 150 anchor investors at Rs 1,785 apiece, the upper end of its IPO price band. This takes the transaction size to Rs 6,746.2 crore. Foreign institutional investors (FPIs) accounted for about 43 per cent of the anchor book, with investments of Rs 2,883 crore. More than 20 foreign long-only funds participated, with investors from the US, Europe and Asia spanning sovereign wealth funds, regional long-only funds and global mutual funds. Domestic institutional participation was also broad-based, with the participation of mutual funds, insurance companies, pension funds and other institutions. More than 25 large domestic mutual funds and 11 major insurance and pension companies invested around Rs 3,588 crore, accounting for 53 per cent of the anchor book. The participating mutual funds included ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund, HDFC Mutual Fund, Nippon India Mutual Fund, Axis Mutual Fund, Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund, Kotak Mutual Fund, UTI Mutual Fund, Mirae Asset Mutual Fund, Tata Mutual Fund, Franklin Templeton, Edelweiss Mutual Fund and HSBC Mutual Fund. LIC, NSE's largest shareholder with a 10.72 per cent stake, participated through three entities – LIC, LIC Mutual Fund and LIC Pension Fund – investing more than Rs 500 crore. NSE is among the top five holdings of LIC, whose existing stake in the exchange is larger than the portion being offered through the initial public offering (IPO). The SBI group, which is selling a 1 per cent stake in NSE through State Bank of India and SBI Capital Markets, also participated in the anchor book through SBI Mutual Fund, SBI General Insurance, SBI Life Insurance and SBI Pension Fund, investing more than Rs 400 crore. The strong institutional response comes ahead of NSE's Rs 22,569-crore IPO, for which the exchange has fixed a price band of Rs 1,700-1,785 per equity share. ​ The exchange will command a valuation of Rs 4.2 lakh crore to Rs 4.42 lakh crore at the price band. The issue will open for public subscription on September 17 and close on September 21. The offering, which comprises an offer-for-sale (OFS) of up to 12.64 crore equity shares by existing shareholders, is set to become India's second-largest public issue after Hyundai Motor India's Rs 27,870-crore IPO in 2024. The reduction in the OFS size from the earlier planned 14.9 crore shares has brought down the overall issue size from the initial estimate of around Rs 30,000 crore. At the lower end of the price band, the issue is ]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 17 Sep 2026 04:32:02 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Clean Label Brands Vs FSSAI, PhonePe Eyes 2027 IPO & More]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/e9d7978c-9781-4d6f-b44f-6f5fa6b34392</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[India’s clean-label boom is facing its toughest test yet. FSSAI’s recent crackdown on health and purity claims is threatening the marketing language that helped many D2C brands grow. Can “healthy” food startups survive when every claim must stand up to evidence? The Label Under Fire:FSSAI’s recent notices to 20 legacy and D2C brands has brought claims such as “100% natural” and “healthy” under scrutiny. Brands built on “ingredient transparency” were caught using date powders and fructose while advertising zero added sugar. Rather than challenging the FSSAI’s notices, several brands quietly opted to scrub these absolute claims and overhauled their packaging. But the situation took a sharp turn after the SC began questioning what a front-of-pack warning label should look like. SC Weighs In:The apex court accepted FSSAI’s proposed red hexagon warning for packaged foods high in sugar, salt and saturated fat. At the same time, it also sought more clarity on scientific thresholds, label size and possible confusion with existing food markers. The next hearing in the matter could establish a clearer path for how health warnings must appear, potentially reshaping packaging and product listings across India’s food market. Trust Needs Proof:Experts believe that the crackdown can potentially create a better opportunity for brands to demonstrate better ingredients, transparent formulations and verifiable nutritional claims. However, it will raise the cost of entering the category and will require the brands to rethink product formulations. So, will new-age food brands adapt or will this regulatory reckoning shatter consumer trust in “clean-label” promises?Let’s find out… As AI chips grow more powerful, heat and material limitations are threatening to slow the semiconductor progress. Discovered Materials is tackling this bottleneck with AI agents that can search, simulate and validate new materials for advanced chips. Materials Science Meets AI:Founded in 2026, Discovered Materials uses AI agents to accelerate the discovery of new materials for semiconductors. Its AI agents generate candidate structures and estimate properties and distinguish theoretically-attractive candidates from materials that can ultimately be manufactured and deployed. Beyond Discovery:The startup claims to have so far generated more than 500 previously unknown materials, which it claims are computationally stable. However, only a small number may have plausible synthesis routes. To address this, Discovered Materials is building experimental and verification capabilities that connect candidate generation to synthesis and lab validation. The IP Ambition:The US-based startup’s long-term ambition is to become a materials and intellectual-property company, potentially licensing discoveries to semiconductor and chemical companies. It also plans to focus on expanding its laboratory infrastructure and computational capabilities. With India’s semiconductor market projected to become a $155 Bn op]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 17 Sep 2026 02:30:10 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[With UPI MDR Clarity, PhonePe Eyes IPO By March 2027]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/b6fc21f3-8144-4f68-a792-00c58a682013</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[PhonePe is set to revive its initial public offering (IPO) plans and is targeting a public listing between February and March 2027, sources told Inc42 The new UPI MDR framework gives PhonePe greater clarity on monetising its core payments business after years of zero MDR PhonePe will look to refile its IPO papers by the end of this year, seeking a valuation of $10 Bn, sources told Inc42 With greater clarity around the monetisation of UPI payments following’ the introduction of a new Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) framework, Walmart-backed fintechPhonePeis set to revive its initial public offering (IPO) plans, which wereput on hold earlier this year. Sources told Inc42 that the fintech startup is now targeting a public listing between February-March 2027. “They have an almost 45% share of merchant payments. With greater clarity on the MDR regime, PhonePe is now looking to revise its IPO plans and could target a listing between February and March 2027,” the sources said. PhonePe will look to file its updated IPO papers by the end of this year, seeking a valuation of $10 Bn, sources in the know told Inc42 on the condition of anonymity. PhonePe declined to comment on this development. Notably, theMDR framework was introduced by the Central government yesterday, bringing charges back on select UPI merchant transactions beginning October 15. The move marks a shift from the broad zero-MDR regime in place from 2020. The charges will apply only to select transactions, with merchant UPI payments above ₹2,000 attracting a 0.4% MDR. However, person-to-person (P2P) transactions up to ₹2,000 will continue to remain free. Small merchants receiving up to ₹1 Lakh a month through UPI QR payments will also be exempt. A lower MDR of 0.02%, capped at ₹300, will apply to capital market payments, including transactions involving stockbrokers, securities dealers, mutual funds and investment platforms. The revised framework gives PhonePe, which has long been the UPI market leader, a greater clarity on monetising the service following years of no revenue. After filing for an confidential IPO in September 2025,PhonePe had filed its updated DRHPin March post receiving the SEBI’s approval for its OFS-only IPO. Existing investors including Walmart, Tiger Global and Microsoft were expected to sell shares. The IPO was earlier expected to value PhonePe at $9 Bn-$10.5 Bn, with the offering size estimated to be in the range of $900 Mn-$1.5 Bn. In its updated DRHP, PhonePe noted that UPI payments carried an MDR until 2020, allowing payment apps, aggregators and banks to earn revenue from transactions. The government later scrapped the MDR on UPI and RuPay payments to boost digital payment adoption. PhonePe’s DRHP also cited calls from the Payments Council of India to review the zero-MDR regime for large merchants and RuPay debit card transactions. The startup said a “carefully structured MDR regime” could support investments in infrastructure, innovation and merchant acquisition, whi]]></description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:44:46 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Aakrit Vaish’s Activate Closes Maiden VC Fund At $105 Mn To Back AI Startups]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/926b3e4d-03be-48a8-9223-254b3995b162</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[Activate has closed its debut fund at $105 Mn (₹1,000 Cr), comprising an $85 Mn early-stage fund and $20 Mn deployed through growth investment vehicles. The fund positions Activate as India’s largest VC platform focused exclusively on AI, as AI-focused funding and dedicated investment vehicles gain traction in the Indian startup ecosystem. Founded by Aakrit Vaish and Pratyush Choudhury, Activate has made 10 AI investments in nine months, including seven early-stage bets and three growth investments in Sarvam AI, ElevenLabs and Wispr Flow. Former Haptik CEO Aakrit Vaish-led VC firm Activate has announced the final close of its maiden fund at $105 Mn (around ₹1,000 Cr). The fund, which was closed within a year of its launch, comprises an $85 Mn flagship early-stage fund and $20 Mn deployed through dedicated growth investment vehicles. Activate said the flagship fund closed at 125% above its original target. Activate’s LP base includes more than 50 founders and AI researchers, around a dozen global VC general partners and more than 50 family offices, enterprises and corporates. Notable backers include Vinod Khosla, General Catalyst, Raghu Raghuram, Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Lalit Keshre, Harsh Jain, Bhavin Turakhia, Ronnie Screwvala and Ranjan Pai, among others. Founded in December 2025 by Vaish and former Together Fund partner Pratyush Choudhury, Activate aims to back AI-native startups at the pre-seed or idea stage. It is targeting to back 25-30 startups operating across AI applications, foundational models, physical infrastructure and related areas, with initial equity investments in the rangeof $500K-$3 Mn. The fund reported its first close at $75 Mn in December, and has since made 10 investments. Through its early-stage strategy, called Inception, Activate has backed seven startups across consumer AI, AI-led services and frontier technology. All seven remain in stealth. The firm said it works with founders from as early as the ideation stage, including in some cases before incorporation, and supports them across product development, technical architecture, hiring, go-to-market and subsequent fundraising. Beyond early-stage investments, Activate has also backed Sarvam AI, ElevenLabs andWispr Flow. Activate’s investment in Sarvam came amid the Bengaluru-based AIstartup’s ongoing $300 Mn Series B round. Vaish had said the investment was the firm’s largest capital commitment to a company at the time, although the exact amount was not disclosed. In February,Activate partnered with NVIDIAto provide its portfolio founders with access to the chipmaker’s Nemotron family of open-source models, along with technical training, compute resources and support. Beyond capital, the firm said its ecosystem includes a GenAI community of more than 15,000 technical practitioners across over 40 groups. It has also forged partnerships with NVIDIA, OpenAI, Anthropic, ElevenLabs, AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and Notion, with portfolio companies eligible for up to $1 M]]></description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 16 Sep 2026 09:16:40 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[ET Business Growth Summit, Jaipur:  Entrepreneurs highlight new growth opportunities]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/76e77f4a-d478-47cd-805a-e4841b0cf34f</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[The session was followed by a fireside chat with Ramakrishna Eda, Chief General Manager, IDBI Bank Then followed a special address by K. L. Jain, President, Rajasthan Chamber of Commerce and Industry The panel discussion brought together representatives from tourism, exports, handicrafts, food and beverages, jewellery, and venture capital (VC) spaces The panel discussion was followed by a fireside chat with Manoj Bohara, Chief Regional Manager, Jaipur Regional Office, The New India Assurance Co. Ltd]]></description>
    <pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2026 09:09:01 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[YouTube gets 30+ new features: AI editing tool to help creators; custom feeds, shorts series and more coming for users]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/747b2877-2e0e-44ab-84a6-d390b106c087</link>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/747b2877-2e0e-44ab-84a6-d390b106c087</guid>
    <description><![CDATA[YouTubehas unveiled more than 30 new products and features for creators, artists and viewers at its Made On YouTube 2026 event. The updates span video discovery, content creation, live streaming, music and creator monetisation. The company said the new tools are intended to give viewers greater control over the content they consume while helping creators produce, manage and earn from their work. While some of the features are set to roll out shortly, others are planned for a later date. Among the major announcements is Custom Feeds, a feature that will allow users to build dedicated content feeds around their interests, moods and daily routines. Users will be able to describe the kind of videos they want through simple prompts, including requests for content suited to a daily commute or longer documentaries to watch in the evening. YouTube will use these preferences to generate a personalised feed, which users can save and refresh as new recommendations become available. Custom Feeds will initially be rolled out to users in the US across the web, mobile devices and TV. YouTube is expanding its AI capabilities to Shorts and theYouTubeCreate app with conversational editing tools. Creators will be able to select their photos and video clips and use prompts to generate an initial version of their content. The AI tool can recommend changes such as cutting lengthy pauses, rearranging clips, improving the pace and adding text. Creators can then continue interacting with the tool through conversations to refine the video, while retaining the option to make changes manually. The feature is expected to start rolling out globally on Android and iPhone from early 2027. YouTube Studio is also receiving a range of additions designed to help creators improve their content both before and after publication. Creators will get personalised feedback on video drafts, with recommendations covering areas such as storytelling, structure and pacing. The platform is also introducing tools that can generate thumbnails in line with a creator's existing channel style. Another addition is video A/B testing, which will allow creators to experiment with up to three versions of a video and compare how effectively each version retains viewers. YouTube is launching Shorts Series, giving creators the option to group their short-form videos into seasons and episodes. Instead of encountering individual Shorts separately, viewers will be able to follow the videos as part of an organised series. YouTube said the feature could be particularly useful for episodic formats and microdramas. Shorts Series is being rolled out globally. YouTube is adding new features aimed at expanding live-streaming interactions. Live Showdowns will allow creators to face each other in head-to-head livestreams, while audiences can back their preferred creator through chats, gifts and Super Chats. The company is also testing real-time auto-dubbing for livestreams. The feature will convert a creator's speech i]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 16:41:44 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Nabventures-backed Aquapulse eyes 3x growth, Andhra expansion]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/46c707d5-4214-4479-a059-4f49f17396bf</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[Listen to this article in summarized format (Catch all theTechnology News News, andLatest NewsUpdates onThe Economic Times.)]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 15:09:35 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[PB Fintech crashes 36%, Turtlemint 20% as IRDAI overhaul rattles insurance stocks]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/5a07e8c2-8446-4caf-8552-6df5e64092dd</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[The insurance market experienced a sharp jolt on Thursday as investors scrambled to price in the sweeping changes proposed by the country’s insurance regulator. Shares across the sector tumbled after the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) released a consultation paper aiming to overhaul the commission structure for insurers and distributors, sparking fears of a sharp contraction in industry earnings. The hardest hit was PB Fintech, the parent company of digital aggregator Policybazaar. Its stock plummeted 36% in its worst single-day drop since listing, erasing more than Rs 31,000 crore in market value. The impact quickly spread to traditional players, with Max Financial Services, HDFC Life, and ICICI Prudential Life taking significant hits. Beyond pure-play insurance firms, the broader financial sector also felt the pinch; 12 financial stocks collectively lost about Rs 1.58 lakh crore in market capitalisation during the trading session as investors re-evaluated the profit outlook for financial intermediaries. At the heart of the panic is IRDAI’s plan to reinstate product- and channel-specific limits on commissions—a setup it had unwound only in 2023. Under the new proposal, payout structures would be tied to the specific product type, the distribution channel, and the actual effort involved in selling and servicing policies. For life and general insurers, the proposal offers tighter oversight over operating expenses. For brokers and online aggregators, however, it represents a direct threat to revenue. Digital platforms like Policybazaar, which rely heavily on upfront distribution fees, look particularly vulnerable. Market analysts suggest that even a 10% cut in new-business commission rates could shave 10% to 12% off PB Fintech’s earnings. The regulator is also pushing to tighten overall expense limits. For life insurers, IRDAI has outlined a phased reduction in the expense-of-management ceiling, steering it down towards 15% of gross direct premium income over two years, and eventually to 12.5% within five years. Additional proposals target health and motor segments, placing tighter guardrails on renewal commissions, prohibiting mandatory insurance bundling with bank loans, and banning dark patterns—design tactics on checkout pages that push consumers towards specific products or force data sharing. Highlighting the long-term structural implications of the move, Hanut Mehta, CEO of BimaPay, noted, "These reforms will separate insurtech models built on commissions from those built on customer value. The proposed market infrastructure institutions, with Bima Sugam as one of them, together with standardised product information and a ban on dark patterns, shift the market from sellers pushing policies to customers choosing them on neutral platforms. That is a fundamental change in how insurance will be bought online.” The immediate impact could be on platforms whose revenue depends mainly on high first-year commissions. ]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 15:09:27 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Startup news and updates: daily roundup (September 24, 2026)]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/88016542-46f1-473c-aa4b-2fba3c5f7e5e</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[The tussle at the Tata Group continues while AI surges ahead,YourStorybrings you today’s headlines with the latest developments across sectors. Regulatory filings reveal an arrangement in which TVS Motor is both the lessor of the underlying land and the customer for the facility Hanno is developing on it, with rental income projected to begin in November 2026. Google Cloud is expanding its agentic AI push in India through partnerships that demonstrate how AI is moving from assistance to action. At its first ‘Let’s Talk AI’ media tour stop in Bengaluru on Thursday, the company highlighted collaborations with boAt, Cropin and Pine Labs across consumer hardware, agriculture and commerce. Green Hermitage, founded by Gayatri Varun and Anubhav Pratap Rai, makes sustainable luxury accessories using plant-based materials. Enterprise AI startup Ema founded by former Google and Coinbase executive Surojit Chatterjee has raised $77 million in a Series B round of funding led by Creaegis. Lab-grown diamond jewellery startup ONYA has raised Rs 12.5 crore in a pre-Series A funding round led by Divisa Family Office, with existing investor Zeropearl VC doubling down on its initial investment. The company had earlier raised Rs 5.5 crore in seed funding. The new capital will be used to expand ONYA’s retail footprint, strengthen digital customer acquisition, enhance online personalisation and deepen research and development in product design and manufacturing. Founded by Gaurav Choudhary and Himani Yadav, ONYA has established eight flagship stores across Bengaluru, Pune and Hyderabad within 20 months of launch. The company said it has reached a monthly recurring revenue of Rs 3.5 crore and plans to expand through company-owned and franchise stores. ByteAsk, an AI coding startup founded by IIT Delhi graduates Anirudha Kulkarni and Pratyush Saini, has raised $1 million in pre-seed funding from Y Combinator, Entrepreneur First and angel investors from global quantitative trading firms. Founded in June 2026 and headquartered in San Francisco, the company operates across the US and India and is developing AI coding agents specifically for C and C++. ByteAsk is targeting developers working in defence, aerospace, robotics, high-frequency trading, finance, automotive and semiconductor industries, where reliability and performance are critical. The company has also been selected for Y Combinator’s Fall 2026 batch. The founders previously built legal AI startup LawSutra AI, which was acquired by Manupatra within four months of its launch. Nuvah, a technology-led footwear startup focused on comfort-engineered heels, has raised Rs 4 crore in a pre-seed angel round from investors including Amit Jain, Shantanu Deshpande and Ishendra Agarwal. Founded in October 2025 by Avni Jain, an IIM Ahmedabad alumna, the company plans to use the capital for research and development, advancing its proprietary comfort technology and testing go-to-market strategies. Nuvah’s core technology, Steady]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 14:08:54 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Daily Indian Funding Roundup & Key News - 24 September 2026: Ema Raises $77 Million, PB Fintech Crashes 36% On IRDAI Commission Cap Plan]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/c1bf8257-8260-4801-9682-5589277297f0</link>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/c1bf8257-8260-4801-9682-5589277297f0</guid>
    <description><![CDATA[Here's your daily dose of Indian startup funding roundup and key business news for 24 September 2026. Ema raises $77 million, and PB Fintech crashes 36% on IRDAI's commission cap plan. Four funding rounds closed on 24 September 2026, spanning enterprise AI, lab-grown diamond jewellery, AI coding agents and primary healthcare infrastructure. Creaegis, Divisa Family Office, Y Combinator and SteerX VC were among the day's lead investors. The headline raise is Ema's $77 million Series B round to scale its agentic AI Employee platform. Away from funding, PB Fintech crashed 36% and Turtlemint hit its lower circuit after IRDAI proposed sweeping insurance distribution reforms, NSE made a muted stock market debut, and Moneyview's IPO was subscribed 65% on its first day of bidding. Ema raised $77 million in a Series B round led by Bengaluru-based venture firm Creaegis, with existing investors Accel, S32 and Prosus all increasing their stakes. The round takes Ema's total funding to $140 million and more than quadruples its valuation from its $50 million Series A in 2025, though the company did not disclose the new figure. The funds will scale Ema's go-to-market organisation, with several senior leaders already hired, and continue investment in its platform. Founded by Surojit Chatterjee, San Francisco-based Ema builds an enterprise platform for agentic AI Employees thatautomate workacross HR, IT and finance functions. The company's AI Employees now handle more than 1 million IT service management tickets and 1 million calls across 15 languages annually, supporting an employee assistant used by more than 240,000 associates across 65 countries. ONYA raised INR 12.5 crore in a pre-Series A round led by Divisa Family Office, with existing investor Zeropearl VC doubling down after leading the startup's INR 5.5 crore pre-seed round in November 2025. The fresh funds will accelerate retail expansion into Pune and Hyderabad, strengthen digital customer acquisition and online personalisation, and deepen R&D in jewellery design and manufacturing. Founded in 2024 by Himani Yadav and Gaurav Choudhary, ONYA is a Bengaluru-based lab-grown diamond jewellery brand offering IGI-certified diamonds set in BIS-hallmarked gold, along with a lifetime exchange and buyback policy. The company has scaled to eight flagship stores across Bengaluru, Pune and Hyderabad within 20 months, with a monthly recurring revenue of INR 3.5 crore. ByteAsk raised $1 million in a pre-seed roundled by Y Combinator, with participation from Entrepreneur First and angel investors from global quantitative trading firms. The funds will go towards product and infrastructure development, hiring engineers in San Francisco and India, GPU compute and training data, and building enterprise-grade security, privacy and on-premises infrastructure for clients in sensitive industries. Founded in June 2026 by IIT Delhi alumni Anirudha Kulkarni and Pratyush Saini, ByteAsk is a San Francisco-based developer-tools compa]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:23:41 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Nykaa and L’Oréal’s venture fund BOLD join hands to invest in Indian beauty startups]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/889d58cf-7fc4-47ca-be0c-646eb423725d</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[Beauty and fashion retailer Nykaa has partnered with BOLD (Business Opportunities for L’Oréal Development), the corporate venture capital fund of global beauty giantL’Oréal, to jointly invest in emerging Indian beauty and personal care brands. The collaboration will focus on high-growth beauty and wellness startups with strong consumer traction and differentiated offerings, according to Nykaa’s regulatory filing with the stock exchanges. Under the partnership, Nykaa and BOLD will acquire minority stakes in emerging brands through financial investments. The founders will retain operational and creative control of their businesses and continue to operate independently with their existing teams and brand identities, the disclosure added. Beyond capital, the two companies will provide strategic mentorship and guidance to help startups scale their businesses. The partnership will also combine L’Oréal’s global beauty expertise with Nykaa’s omnichannel retail network, distribution capabilities and understanding of Indian consumers. Launched in 2018, BOLD invests in innovative, high-growth startups across the beauty value chain. Its investments span two verticals: beauty and wellness brands, and science and technology for beauty. Nykaa, meanwhile, has been expanding its portfolio of owned and acquired brands, including Dot & Key, Kay Beauty, and Earth Rhythm. As of June 30, 2026, the company served over 60 million customers through its online platforms and operated 324 offline beauty stores. Bareback Media has recently raised funding from a group of investors. Some of the investors may directly or indirectly be involved in a competing business or might be associated with other companies we might write about. This shall, however, not influence our reporting or coverage in any manner whatsoever. You may find a list of our investorshere.]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:08:00 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Nykaa, L’Oréal's venture fund tie up to invest in Indian beauty brands]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/6f8a028a-b456-4ef4-a491-79e7befdef73</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[Listen to this article in summarized format (Catch all theTechnology News News, andLatest NewsUpdates onThe Economic Times.)]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:07:45 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Amazon Pay India’s FY26 losses widens to Rs 1,149 Cr despite double digit revenue growth]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/81b8fa6a-372b-493a-bf33-16d5e67fc1e5</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[Amazon Pay India, the digital payments arm of e-commerce giant Amazon, continued to face profitability challenges in FY26, with its losses widening 33% despite a return to double-digit revenue growth after a decline in FY25. The company also witnessed intensifying competition in the UPI ecosystem, as newer players gained ground and its market share declined. Amazon Pay India’s revenue from operations rose 18.5% year-on-year to Rs 2,484.4 crore in the fiscal year ended March 2026 from Rs 2,096.6 crore in FY25, according to its standalone financial statements filed with the Registrar of Companies (RoC). Amazon Pay India enables users to make payments for shopping on Amazon and other services, including utility bills, mobile recharges, ticket bookings, and peer-to-peer UPI transfers. The company also offers digital wallets, insurance, and credit products. Revenue from payment processing fees and commissions constitute its primary sources of income. Amazon Pay also earned Rs 108.2 crore from non-operating activities like interest on current investments which took its total income to Rs 2,592.6 crore in FY26, compared to Rs 2,195.1 crore in the previous fiscal year. On the expense front, advertising and promotional costs remained the largest expenditure, rising 11% to Rs 1,767.6 crore in FY26. These costs included cashbacks, customer incentives, payments to banks for RuPay cards, advertising and publicity campaigns, B2B activities, and sponsorships. Payment processor fees surged 35% to Rs 1,140.6 crore, while employee benefit expenses increased 5% to Rs 224.9 crore, including Rs 55 crore in ESOP costs. Communication expenses grew 30% to Rs 193.2 crore, while legal and professional charges stood at Rs 171.2 crore. The company incurred an additional Rs 243.6 crore in other overheads, including sales commissions and miscellaneous expenses, during the fiscal year. Overall, Amazon Pay's total expenditure increased 22% to Rs 3,741.1 crore in FY26 from Rs 3,060.8 crore in FY25. The rise in expenses, particularly payment processing fees and marketing costs, outpaced revenue growth, resulting in a 33% increase in net losses to Rs 1,148.5 crore in FY26 from Rs 865.7 crore in FY25. Its EBITDA loss also widened to Rs 1,227.4 crore from Rs 952.1 crore, with a negative EBITDA margin of 49.4%. The company's return on capital employed (ROCE) stood at -53.7%. On a unit basis, Amazon Pay spent Rs 1.53 to earn every rupee of operating revenue during the fiscal year. Despite its presence within Amazon's e-commerce ecosystem, Amazon Pay has struggled to maintain its position in India's rapidly expanding UPI market amid growing competition from newer players such as Navi and Flipkart-backed super.money, CRED. According to NPCI data, Amazon Pay processed 95.93 million UPI transactions in August 2026, accounting for just 0.39% of the total transaction volume. PhonePe and Google Pay continued todominatethe market with a combined share of nearly 78%, while newer players have s]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 11:07:20 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Assam's startup ecosystem sees wider participation: Survey]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/4cc5c154-bf92-4938-afe3-568af9f36c44</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[The startup ecosystem in Assam is showing robust entrepreneurial participation across sectors, with half of such enterprises being run by women founders, a recent survey has found. The 'Assam Startup Ecosystem Report' of the IIM Calcutta Innovation Park (IIMCIP) covered 116 startups across the northeastern state and examined its emerging startup landscape, maturity of its ventures, opportunities and challenges faced by entrepreneurs and interventions required to build a stronger and more connected ecosystem. The startups surveyed were from a diverse range of sectors, including agriculture and food, IT and technology, handloom and handicrafts, manufacturing and logistics, healthcare, education, tourism and hospitality, and construction and real estate. The survey found strong participation of women, with 52.6% of the startups covered having women founders. A major challenge revealed in the survey was lack of access to institutional capital. A total of 67.9% of the startups surveyed identified a dearth of institutional funding as a major systemic challenge, pointing to the need to broaden funding pathways and improve connections between startups and sources of capital. At the individual level, 60.3% of entrepreneurs cited a lack of business knowledge, 58.6% highlighted limited awareness and exposure to the startup ecosystem, and 43.1% pointed to a lack of technical know-how. The report recommended addressing these areas through entrepreneurship education, stronger mentor and professional service networks, industry-academia collaboration, B2B networking and exposure platforms, improved technology infrastructure and local tech support, while strengthening market linkages for emerging ventures. IIMCIP chairman Ajay Jain said, "Assam's entrepreneurial ecosystem has gained tremendous momentum, and its future is very promising. As an impact-first startup incubator, IIMCIP has been a significant partner to entrepreneurship development in Assam." He said the aim of the report was to create the necessary awareness about the potential in the region for entrepreneurial growth and attract more ecosystem enablers. "It is heartening to see significant growth of women entrepreneurs, resulting in gender inclusiveness. Assam can now build further on such a strong entrepreneurial foundation, turning local opportunities into sustainable enterprises," Jain added.]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 11:06:58 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[PhonePe to hire 20k frontline sales person for Bharat market]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/25bfc942-87e4-4ba6-9e11-92af364fffd4</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[PhonePe on Thursday announced plans to accelerate the expansion of its merchant network and take digital payment infrastructure deeper into India's towns and villages. As part of the expansion, PhonePe plans to hire more than 20,000 frontline sales personnel on its rolls over the next year. The company will also deploy more than 50 lakh payment devices over the next 12 months, including SmartSpeakers and POS devices with approximately 50% of these devices in rural India, taking digital payment acceptance deeper into Tier 6 towns and rural geographies. The recently announced MDR framework allows the company to take a long view and invest in merchant expansion. Initiatives like a dedicated fund using 5% of the MDR amount collected earmarked for small merchant expansion, are further catalysing these investments, especially in deep rural geographies including tier six towns and villages. The new labour codes introduced last year, are also enabling the company to hire faster with streamlined compliances, helping onboard a large on-roll employment workforce seamlessly India has built one of the world's largest digital payments ecosystems. The next phase of this journey will require continued investment in the merchant acceptance infrastructure that enables small businesses in every part of the country to participate in the digital economy. PhonePe's planned expansion is aimed at precisely this opportunity. A significantly larger frontline on roll workforce will enable PhonePe to reach merchants in smaller towns and villages, onboard them onto digital payments, complete KYC, deploy payment devices and provide ongoing merchant support. The expansion will also help bring lakhs of small merchants further into the formal financial ecosystem. A digitally active and KYC-compliant merchant network can create greater visibility into business activity and enable eligible merchants to access a wider range of formal financial services, including credit offered by lending institutions.]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 11:06:57 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[India’s tech cos raise $10.3B in 2026: Tracxn]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/6ca3ab90-4c1c-4180-a12e-e197fdf8ec15</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[India’s tech companies raised a combined $10.3 billion in the first nine months of 2026, an increase of 6.18% from $9.7 billion raised in the same period a year earlier, and 3% above the $10 billion raised in the nine months of 2024, according to a report by data intelligence platform Tracxn. The 'India Tech 9M 2026 Report' also says these numbers are notable, given that the number of funding rounds, first-time funded companies, and soonicorn additions declined sharply. Enterprise applications, fintech, and enterprise infrastructure emerged as the top-performing sectors, together anchored by 18 rounds of $100 million or more. There were 1,134 funding rounds in the nine months of 2026, down 38% from 1,838 a year earlier. The period saw 18 rounds of $100 million or more, led by Nxtra’s $1B private-equity round, Neysa’s $600 million Series B, and CRED’s $540 million Series H. A chunk of these mega rounds were from from AI infrastructure, digital lending, and payments, signalling that capital is concentrated in fewer but larger, higher-conviction bets. However, at the top of the funnel, seed funding fell 37% to $698 million. Early-stage funding rose 27% to $4.2 billion, while late-stage held roughly steady at $5.4 billion. First-time funded companies dropped 30% to 338 and Series A+ rounds fell 23% to 409, pointing to a market that is backing proven companies over new entrants even as headline dollars edge higher. The report also said enterprise infrastructure was the fastest-growing sector of the period, with funding up 436% to $1.6 billion from $292 million in the same period a year earlier. Enterprise applications grew 49% to $3.5B, and finTech was up 13% at $2.2 billion. AI infrastructure was the single most-funded business feed at $1.2 billion, ahead of digital lending ($799 million) and payments ($773 million). India minted 6 new unicorns so far this year, up from 4 in the same period a year earlier. New unicorns raised an average of $101 million before their unicorn round, less than half the $205 million averaged in the first nine months of  2025. India Tech saw 29 IPOs in the nine months of 2026, alongside 91 acquisitions, down from 131. Fractal Analytics led with a $1.7 billion IPO market cap, followed by Molbio Diagnostics ($973 million) and Amagi ($858 million). Shiprocket also went public in the period. The average time from first funding to IPO fell to 8.5 years from 13.7 a year earlier, and the average time to acquisition dropped to 6.9 years from 14.7. On the acquisition side, Innovist's $434-milliom sale to LOréal was the period’s largest acquisition, ahead of Adani Energy Solutions' $319M purchase of IntelliSmart and UpGrad’s $218-million acquisition of Unacademy. Bengaluru remained India’s dominant funding hub in 2026, capturing 43% of all tech capital with $4.4 billion, up from 38% a year earlier. In Bengaluru, CRED ($540 million), Rapido ($240 million), and Sarvam ($234 million) were the top-funded companies of the period, reinfor]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 11:06:45 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[PhonePe to Add 20,000 Employees and 5 Million Payment Devices in a Year]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/222c994a-1de9-4376-883b-4085de1bd280</link>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/222c994a-1de9-4376-883b-4085de1bd280</guid>
    <description><![CDATA[PhonePe said it wants to engage more than 20,000 frontline staff and roll out over 5 million payment devices across India over the next 12 months. The company will focus on rural and Tier 6 regions. On September 24th,PhonePerevealed its intentions to speed up the growth of its merchant network and bring digital payment infrastructure to more rural areas of India. Over the next 12 months, PhonePe intends to add over 20,000 frontline salespeople to its workforce as part of its expansion. More than 5 million payment gadgets will be deployed by the corporation during the next 12 months. About half of these devices—which include smart speakers and POS devices—will be located in rural India. Consequently, expanding the acceptability of digital payments to more rural areas and Tier 6 municipalities. With the newly announced MDR framework, the corporation can invest in merchant expansion with a long-term perspective. Investments in deep rural areas, such as tier 6 towns and villages, are being accelerated by initiatives like a specialised fund that uses 5% of the MDR amount received for small merchant expansion. Due to simplified compliance requirements brought about by new labour regulations implemented last year, PhonePe is also able to hire more quickly. Thus, India has established one of the biggest digital payment ecosystems globally, facilitating the smooth onboarding of a massive on-roll employment population. Maintaining the merchant acceptance infrastructure is essential for the upcoming stage of this trip. All around the nation, small companies will be able to take part in the digital economy thanks to this upgraded infrastructure. This opportunity is the target of PhonePe's expansion plans. Merchants in smaller towns and villages will be able to be reached by PhonePe thanks to a much larger frontline on the roll crew. Additionally, it will facilitate the transition to digital payments for these retailers, finalise KYC, roll out payment devices, and offer continuing support for merchants. Another benefit of the expansion is that it will facilitate the entry of thousands of small merchants into the formal financial system. More oversight of company dealings and access to more formal financial services, such as loans from banks, can result from a merchant network that is both digitally engaged and KYC compliant. On September 22nd, PhonePe said that it has obtained two licences from the UAE central bank. The fintech firm has received one licence for retail payment services and the other for card schemes and stored value facilities. The approval follows initial regulatory due diligence, according to the fintech business funded by Walmart. Additionally, it was mentioned that the firm is still awaiting final approval from the central bank in order to launch its commercial activities in the Gulf state. The business expressed excitement at the prospect of teaming up with area financial institutions, certified payment processors, and local technology su]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 10:56:05 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[NSE makes muted debut, lists at Rs 1,800 with 0.84% premium]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/acd42b4f-b4f8-46b8-87c3-9368df7d5bee</link>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/acd42b4f-b4f8-46b8-87c3-9368df7d5bee</guid>
    <description><![CDATA[The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) made its stock market debut on Thursday, September 24, with its shares listing at Rs 1,800 on the BSE. This is a 0.84% premium over its IPO price of Rs 1,785. The listing comes after NSE’s Rs 22,561 crore IPO, which was subscribed5.71 timesduring the three-day bidding process. The issue received bids for 50.58 crore shares against 8.86 crore shares on offer. The IPO was priced in the range of Rs 1,700-1,785 per share, with the company fixing the final price at the upper end of the band. The minimum lot size was eight shares, taking the minimum investment to Rs 14,280. The issue was entirely an offer for sale (OFS), meaning existing shareholders sold their shares while NSE itself did not receive any funds from the IPO. The qualified institutional buyers (QIB) portion was subscribed 12.68 times, while the non-institutional investor (NII) category saw 6.55 times subscription. In comparison, the retail portion was subscribed 1.39 times. The much-hyped NSE IPO, however, did not deliver a big listing pop. The shares listed at Rs 1,800, just 0.84% above the issue price of Rs 1,785. This was lower than the premium indicated by grey market trends ahead of the debut, which had pointed to a listing price of around Rs 1,825-1,865. NSE is India's largest stock exchange and has a dominant share of the country's equity and derivatives trading. It had more than 129 million registered investors as of March 2026. The share price is currently tarded at Rs 1,862 (as of 10.26 AM), with the total market capitalization of Rs 4,60,845 crore. Bareback Media has recently raised funding from a group of investors. Some of the investors may directly or indirectly be involved in a competing business or might be associated with other companies we might write about. This shall, however, not influence our reporting or coverage in any manner whatsoever. You may find a list of our investorshere.]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 09:06:02 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Lab-grown diamond jewellery brand ONYA raises Rs 12.5 crore in pre-Series A round]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/9bce6969-1c90-4b17-acd8-2c5dd41e9c56</link>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/9bce6969-1c90-4b17-acd8-2c5dd41e9c56</guid>
    <description><![CDATA[Lab-grown diamond jewellery startup ONYA has raised Rs 12.5 crore in pre-Series A funding round led by Divisa Family Office, with existing investor Zeropearl VC doubling down on their initial investment following the startup’s initial Rs 5.5 Crore seed round. The startup also saw participation from other notable angel investors in its previous seed round, including MyGate founders, UrbanVault founder & others. The fresh funds will be deployed to accelerate  retail footprint, support digital customer acquisition, enhance online personalization, and deepen R&D to innovate into product design and manufacturing, ONYA said in a press release. Co-founded in 2024 by Gaurav Choudhary & Himani Yadav , ONYA is a contemporary lab-grown diamond jewellery brand that fuses art with science to create timeless, practical, and elegant pieces. The Bengaluru-based brand offers IGI-certified lab-grown diamonds set in BIS Hallmarked gold, emphasizing craftsmanship and personalized designs. The brand is committed to redefining value in fine jewellery by providing higher brilliance at approximately 20% of the cost of natural diamonds, backed by a Lifetime Exchange and Buyback promise. ONYA features its own patented ring setting called the ONYA Setting and an entire flagship line-the ONYA Signature Collection-inspired by Neoclassical architecture, establishing a new standard in modern fine jewellery. Since inception, ONYA states that it has a retail presence with 8 flagship stores across all major high streets of Bangalore, Amanora Gold Souk Mall Pune and Road no. 36, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. The brand has scaled to Rs 3.5 crore Monthly Recurring Revenue. The startup plans to expand into more markets with both Company owned stores as well as franchises. It competes with the other brands in this space such as Aukera, Limelight, Jewel Box, Fiona, and  others. Investor interest has also accelerated: nine pure-play lab-grown diamond startups collectively raised $26.4 million in 2025, up from $4.7 million in 2024. Recent fundraises include Aukera, which raised Rs 90 crore in debt funding in July this year after a $15 million equity round led by Peak XV Partners; Limelight Lab Grown Diamonds, which raised Rs 275 crore in a strategic round to expand manufacturing and retail; and GIVA, which operates the lab-grown diamond brand Heer and raised Rs 530 crore in a Series C round. Other funded players in the space include Jewelbox, Lucira Jewellery, True Diamond and Fiona Diamonds. Bareback Media has recently raised funding from a group of investors. Some of the investors may directly or indirectly be involved in a competing business or might be associated with other companies we might write about. This shall, however, not influence our reporting or coverage in any manner whatsoever. You may find a list of our investorshere.]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 09:06:02 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Enterprise AI startup Ema raises $77M in Series B round led by Creaegis]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/6cb5083d-4d02-4ff9-ad2d-ace54584ed47</link>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/6cb5083d-4d02-4ff9-ad2d-ace54584ed47</guid>
    <description><![CDATA[Enterprise AI startup Ema founded by former Google and Coinbase executive Surojit Chatterjee has raised $77 million in a Series B round of funding led by Creaegis. The funding round also saw participation from Accel, S32 and Prosus. The startup said this fund raise quadruples its valuation, though the value was disclosed. Ema will use the funds to scale its go-to-market operations and expand into new geographies, including APAC and EMEA. Founded in 2023, the company is headquartered in California with an office in Bengaluru. “Enterprises do not need more software. They need outcomes. Our latest funding round will help us drive agentic business transformation at enterprises still stuck in the pilot purgatory,” said Ema founder & CEO Surojit Chatterjee. Ema has built an agentic platform that allows enterprises to automate workflows across functions such as HR, finance, and HR. It says its product-led model allows enterprises to deploy and expand AI functionalities without a services-heavy implementation. The company has moved beyond the pilot and proof of concept stage to delivering AI agentic solutions for enterprises. Wipro, Hitachi and NTT Data are among its clients. For instance, at Wipro, Ema powers an employee assistant, supporting more than 2.4 lakh associates across 65 countries. It automates 100+ workflows and handles around 2.9 million employee queries a year. The company claims response times have dropped from days to seconds, and employee satisfaction has gone up 20%. Creaegis Managing Partner and CIO Prakash Parthasarathy said, “Ema's platform already supports millions of employee interactions at some of the world's largest organizations, delivering measurable outcomes with the governance enterprises require. Ema has built a scalable product platform with exceptional economics, not a services model dependent on bespoke implementations.”]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:04:54 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Amazon Rehires Former Employees for AI and Cloud Roles After Mass Layoffs]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/ec26db1c-e384-4206-98d1-00db4487e21d</link>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/ec26db1c-e384-4206-98d1-00db4487e21d</guid>
    <description><![CDATA[Amazon is expanding its AI efforts and hiring former employees, including some who were laid off, for positions in artificial intelligence, machine learning and cloud computing. Ex-employees have been approached by recruiters about potential roles and fast-tracked interview processes. For positions in cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning, Amazon is contacting laid-off workers and other former employees. According to emails obtained from recruiters, former employees were contacted last month for open roles in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning byAmazon's AI agent organisation, which is led by Amazon Web Services (AWS) Vice President Swami Sivasubramanian. The approach was dubbed "Swami's Boomerang Reengagement Initiative" by one recruiter. Another incident involved a recruiter from AWS Finance who contacted a previous employee with the possibility of a faster interview process, which could result in a job offer. Amazon has cut over 30,000 jobs in various rounds of layoffs, prompting the outreach. As it deepens its focus on AI, the corporation has kept hiring for positions relevant to the technology. Rehiring previous employees is something that Amazon has done for quite some time, according to the business. Former employees, even those who were laid off, may be considered for open positions depending on the company's employment needs, according to Haley Silva, a spokeswoman. The individual who departed due to Amazon's return-to-office policy was not the target of the outreach, she clarified. According to Silva, Amazon's policy on worker attendance has not changed. According to her, Amazon is constantly on the lookout for qualified individuals, both current and past employees, to fill available positions. According to a statement from Amazon, the business has opened its first fulfilment and sort centre in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, in the lead-up to the festive season. The sorting centre is 13,000 square feet in size, while the new fulfilment centre can hold one lakh cubic feet of storage, according to Amazon. Faster deliveries to clients in Varanasi and the surrounding areas would result from the facilities, which will also generate hundreds of new jobs in the area. According to the company's statement from 22 September, logistics sector partner firms are in charge of operating the new facilities. The development, according to the business, has allowed Amazon to establish a network of 170 last-mile delivery stations, five sort centers, and two fulfilment centers in the state of Uttar Pradesh. As part of its network growth across the country, which includes 150 last-mile delivery stations, 20 new fulfilment centers, and 6 sort centers, Amazon has announced that it will be expanding its operations to Varanasi. The extension has boosted the total storage capacity to 64 million cubic feet, a 50% increase. Further, its sorting space has reached three million square feet, a 25% increase, according to the busin]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 07:18:19 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Moneyview raises Rs 327 Cr from anchor investors ahead of IPO]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/5b94a3e3-7203-4d27-8a81-14de10a855c2</link>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/5b94a3e3-7203-4d27-8a81-14de10a855c2</guid>
    <description><![CDATA[Digital lending platform Moneyview has raised Rs 327.5 crore from anchor investors ahead of its Rs 1,092 crore initial public offering (IPO), which opens for public subscription today (September 24). The Bengaluru-based fintech allotted 9.63 crore shares at Rs 34 apiece, the upper end of its IPO price band, to anchor investors on September 23. The company raised the amount from 12 anchor investors, including several large mutual funds and institutional investors. Domestic mutual funds accounted for the bulk of the anchor allocation. SBI Mutual Fund, HDFC Mutual Fund, ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund, Motilal Oswal Mutual Fund, Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund and Quant Mutual Fund were among the investors participating in the anchor book. Goldman Sachs, Amundi Funds, 360 ONE, HDFC Life and India Acorn Fund also invested in the IPO. Moneyview's IPO comes with a price band ofRs 32-34 pershare and will remain open until September 28. The issue comprises a fresh issue of Rs750 croreand an offer-for-sale (OFS) of around 10.04 crore shares worth Rs 341.6 crore at the upper end of the price band. The company plans to use Rs 325 crore from the fresh issue to support loan disbursals under default loss guarantee (DLG) arrangements. Another Rs 250 crore will be invested in its NBFC subsidiary Whizdm Finance to strengthen its capital base. The remaining funds will be used for general corporate purposes. At the upper end of the price band, Moneyview is looking at a post-issue valuation of around Rs 6,000 crore. This is significantly lower than the valuation of about $1.2 billion it commanded after its last equity funding round in 2024, according to Inc42. The fintech reported Rs 3,351 crore in revenue and Rs 244 crore in profit in FY26. In the June 2026 quarter, its revenue rose 50.2% year-on-year to Rs 1,041 crore, while profit jumped 158.8% to Rs 173.8 crore. Moneyview, founded by Puneet Agarwal and Sanjay Aggarwal, offers financial products such as personal loans, insurance, credit cards, and digital gold through its network of banks, NBFCs, insurers, and other financial institutions. Bareback Media has recently raised funding from a group of investors. Some of the investors may directly or indirectly be involved in a competing business or might be associated with other companies we might write about. This shall, however, not influence our reporting or coverage in any manner whatsoever. You may find a list of our investorshere.]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 06:04:09 +0000</pubDate>
    <media:content url="https://img-cdn.publive.online/fit-in/1200x675/entrackr/media/media_files/2026/03/05/moneyview-2026-03-05-11-46-00.png" medium="image" />
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    <title><![CDATA[ByteAsk Raises $1 Mn Led by Y Combinator for C++ AI Agents]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/7d04be92-7d21-4f1a-9ea9-5f9aadd838ec</link>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/7d04be92-7d21-4f1a-9ea9-5f9aadd838ec</guid>
    <description><![CDATA[ByteAsk has raised $1 million from Y Combinator and Entrepreneur First to build AI coding agents for C and C++ in defence, trading, automotive and semiconductors. On the two programmes' published standard terms, roughly $375,000 of the round came from angels. ByteAsk, a San Francisco company building AI coding agents for C and C++, has raised $1 million inpre-seedfunding fromY Combinatorand Entrepreneur First, alongside angel investors who work at global quantitative trading firms. Both institutional backers publish standard terms. Y Combinator's is $500,000: $125,000 for a fixed 7% on a post-money SAFE, plus $375,000 on an uncapped SAFE with a most-favoured-nation clause. Entrepreneur First's India programme invests $125,000 for an 8% convertible. On those published terms the two programmes account for $625,000 of the round, which leaves roughly $375,000 coming from individuals. That is an unusually large angel component for a pre-seed, and it tracks with founders who spent their careers inside trading firms, where the people writing those cheques are also the people who would use the product. The company was founded in June 2026 and sits in Y Combinator's Fall 2026 batch, the cohort that runs October to December in San Francisco. Founders Anirudha Kulkarni and Pratyush Saini say it is one of five India-founded companies in that batch. Operations are split between the US and India. MostAI coding agentspropose a change and stop there. ByteAsk runs the change through the toolchain before a developer sees it. It compiles with the project's own flags and build system, runs the test suite, and puts the result through memory and threading sanitizers: AddressSanitizer, UndefinedBehaviorSanitizer, ThreadSanitizer and Valgrind. It attaches to live gdb and lldb sessions, runs clang-tidy and clang-format, and reads compiled output through objdump, nm and readelf. It works from a terminal or inside an editor, and covers the usual C++ build stack: Two details matter for the customers it is chasing. The agent ships a reference layer that cites the standards these engineers are actually held to, including AUTOSAR, MISRA and the STM32 and x86-64 manuals, rather than paraphrasing them. And it can run entirely on-premises, with a choice of ByteAsk-managed models, the customer's own API keys, or self-hosted models through vLLM, Ollama, llama.cpp or LM Studio, which are not metered. Read-only commands execute on their own; anything that changes state waits for approval. Code and prompts are deleted after processing, and there is a free tier. The gap ByteAsk is building against is real but thinly measured. SWE-bench, the benchmark most model releases quote, is built on Python repositories. Multilingual equivalents arrived much later and are far smaller: Multi-SWE-bench carries 1,632 instances across seven languages including C and C++, and SWE-Bench ProMax covers 170 refactoring instances across the same seven. A model can look strong on the headline coding benchmar]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 05:57:47 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Hacked FBI data has sensitive information about employees' intelligence roles]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/05ae7402-8606-4790-b2fa-7fcc60563302</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[Listen to this article in summarized format (Catch all theTechnology News News, andLatest NewsUpdates onThe Economic Times.)]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 04:02:44 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[VCs hungry for kitchen startups; Vala Afshar’s blueprint for India’s AI future]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/720ca8cc-e1b8-4faa-9128-be8e27f09b55</link>
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    <pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 02:01:33 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[AI coding startup ByteAsk raises $1 million from YC, Entrepreneur First]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/a7d171fc-b812-458c-a620-783ffa195786</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[Listen to this article in summarized format (Catch all theTechnology News News, andLatest NewsUpdates onThe Economic Times.)]]></description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 01:00:57 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[On-demand convenience platform TimBuckDo raises bridge round at Rs 150 Cr valuation]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/94ed9007-e324-454a-8d42-6953ad227fa6</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[On-demand convenience platform TimBuckDo has raised an undisclosed amount in a bridge funding round at a post-money valuation of Rs 150 crore. The round was backed by Srinath Setty through his family office Trasa Ventures and Adarsh Narahari. The Bengaluru-based startup is preparing to raise its Series A round in the coming months, TimBuckDo said in a press release. Prior to this, TimBuckDo had raised around Rs 6.6 crore in a seed round last year from Nandkishore Kalambi, Morton Meyerson, Arjun Vaidya, Anupam Bansal, Sandesh Sharda, Rukam Capital, IDEABAAZ, its founders and TurboStart. The fresh capital will be used to support the company’s next phase of expansion as it works towards its Series A round. Founded in 2022 by Mythri Kumar and Apoorv Sharma Prasad, TimBuckDo is building an on-demand convenience marketplace powered by verified college students, or “Doers”. The platform connects households and businesses with students for services including elder companionship, pet care, child support, home business assistance and other everyday needs. The company is also focused on creating flexible earning opportunities for college students alongside their education. It is targeting around Rs 400 crore in gross revenue and more than 10,000 household orders per day across India over the next three years. The broader on-demand convenience space has also seen investor interest. Pronto raised $25 million in a Series B round in March to expand its household-help platform, while AI concierge startup Hulp raised $2.6 million in a seed round in August to offer human-assisted support for household and lifestyle tasks. Bareback Media has recently raised funding from a group of investors. Some of the investors may directly or indirectly be involved in a competing business or might be associated with other companies we might write about. This shall, however, not influence our reporting or coverage in any manner whatsoever. You may find a list of our investorshere.]]></description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 16:56:25 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Ola Electric to consider rights issue as it looks to raise fresh capital]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/91222078-68a1-4659-aa66-f4bd7c32f4c0</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[Listen to this article in summarized format (Catch all theTechnology News News, andLatest NewsUpdates onThe Economic Times.)]]></description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 16:56:11 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Bessemer raises $5.75 billion in new funds, expands growth efforts]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/ff81185f-57bf-4ef0-babe-92c02dd56cfc</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[Listen to this article in summarized format (Catch all theTechnology News News, andLatest NewsUpdates onThe Economic Times.)]]></description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 14:55:03 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[D2C silver jewellery brand Unniyarcha raises Rs 10 crore led by Sauce VC]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/6da7b3ac-c1f0-4016-a2e3-0a1fe745c68d</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[Listen to this article in summarized format (Catch all theTechnology News News, andLatest NewsUpdates onThe Economic Times.)]]></description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 14:55:02 +0000</pubDate>
    <media:content url="https://img.etimg.com/thumb/width-1200,height-900,imgsize-201398,resizemode-75,msid-134441029/tech/funding/d2c-silver-jewellery-brand-unniyarcha-raises-rs-10-crore-led-by-sauce-vc.jpg" medium="image" />
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    <title><![CDATA[Amazon Pay India FY26 net loss widens to Rs 1,148.5 crore; revenue up 18%]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/bd4da0ce-6d8e-4df5-893f-cacad2b13a2b</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[Listen to this article in summarized format (Catch all theTechnology News News, andLatest NewsUpdates onThe Economic Times.)]]></description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 13:54:25 +0000</pubDate>
    <media:content url="https://img.etimg.com/thumb/width-1200,height-900,imgsize-11912,resizemode-75,msid-134439183/tech/technology/amazon-pay-india-fy26-net-loss-widens-to-rs-1148-5-cr-revenue-up-18-pc.jpg" medium="image" />
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    <title><![CDATA[AI-based drug developer Basecamp valued at $800 million after $140 million funding round]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/a9128708-32dc-4cae-be3e-5efbe3cf2256</link>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/a9128708-32dc-4cae-be3e-5efbe3cf2256</guid>
    <description><![CDATA[Listen to this article in summarized format (Catch all theTechnology News News, andLatest NewsUpdates onThe Economic Times.)]]></description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 13:54:24 +0000</pubDate>
    <media:content url="https://img.etimg.com/thumb/width-1200,height-900,imgsize-426606,resizemode-75,msid-134439253/tech/startups/ai-based-drug-developer-basecamp-valued-at-800-million-after-140-million-funding-round.jpg" medium="image" />
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    <title><![CDATA[RPS Ventures sells 0.9% stake in Meesho for Rs 899.7 crore]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/fce695c5-ca9c-4fae-a000-6362ac3dfeb8</link>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/fce695c5-ca9c-4fae-a000-6362ac3dfeb8</guid>
    <description><![CDATA[(Catch all theTechnology News News, andLatest NewsUpdates onThe Economic Times.)]]></description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 13:54:23 +0000</pubDate>
    <media:content url="https://img.etimg.com/thumb/width-1200,height-900,imgsize-34972,resizemode-75,msid-134439851/tech/technology/rps-ventures-sells-0-9-stake-in-meesho-for-rs-899-7-crore.jpg" medium="image" />
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    <title><![CDATA[Why human connections Still Matter in an increasingly digital fintech world]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/00a34367-f97c-4692-8c4e-60e1e65dd118</link>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/00a34367-f97c-4692-8c4e-60e1e65dd118</guid>
    <description><![CDATA[The fintech industry has made borrowing faster, simpler, and more accessible than ever before. Today, customers can apply for a loan, complete verification, receive approval, and access funds within minutes, all from their smartphones. Features such as paperless onboarding, instant disbursals, and digital servicing have become standard expectations across the industry. But as digital lending continues to grow, one question is becoming more important:Is technology alone enough to build long-term customer trust? As these digital experiences become increasingly similar, customer trust and engagement are emerging as the real differentiators. Customers today expect more than speed and convenience. They also value transparency, consistent support, and companies that take the time to understand their needs beyond the transaction. AtViva Money, the answer lies in building lasting customer relationships. This thinking shapes the company’s approach to customer engagement. Alongside its digital lending platform, the company has invested in initiatives that enable direct interactions with customers. Rather than viewing customer experience as something that ends after the application journey, Viva Money sees it as an ongoing relationship built through listening, engagement, and continuous improvement. The philosophy was reflected during the latest edition ofViva Gala in Bengaluru, onJuly 25, 2026. The event brought together Viva Money customers with their plus-ones, providing an opportunity to meet the company's leadership team in person. The conversations extended to financial goals, careers, businesses, everyday life, and the experiences that shape how customers manage their money. For the company, the event was not simply a customer gathering. It was an opportunity to listen without a screen between the customer and the team. The conversations also reflected how customers have experienced Viva Money beyond the app, with many sharing stories about how the platform had supported them during different financial situations. Gowtham J, a Viva Money customer for the past one year, said, "I came across Viva Money through a friend when I was looking for a loan with a 0% interest period. The entire process was smooth, and the funds were credited to my account in about 13 minutes. Over the past year, the experience has been consistent, which is why I continue using the app." Another customer,Shreyas H A, who has been using Viva Money for one and a half years, said, “I first used Viva Money during a cash crunch, and it really helped me when I needed funds quickly. The app is easy to use, the process is completely paperless, and everything has been hassle-free. That's what has kept me coming back whenever I need it.” Face-to-face conversations often reveal details that structured feedback forms cannot capture. Customers talk about the financial decisions they make every day, the goals they are working towards, and the small challenges they face while managing money. T]]></description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 13:54:17 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[China chipmaker CanSemi seeks to raise up to $918.5 million in Shenzhen listing]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/73298a08-8e54-468e-b787-4b4d66383063</link>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/73298a08-8e54-468e-b787-4b4d66383063</guid>
    <description><![CDATA[Listen to this article in summarized format (Catch all theTechnology News News, andLatest NewsUpdates onThe Economic Times.)]]></description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 12:53:47 +0000</pubDate>
    <media:content url="https://img.etimg.com/thumb/width-1200,height-900,imgsize-110200,resizemode-75,msid-134435931/tech/technology/china-chipmaker-cansemi-seeks-to-raise-up-to-918-5-million-in-shenzhen-listing.jpg" medium="image" />
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    <title><![CDATA[Verizon to invest $70 million in AI training effort]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/84ce75cc-5cc3-48d5-863e-3df958e52cbc</link>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/84ce75cc-5cc3-48d5-863e-3df958e52cbc</guid>
    <description><![CDATA[Listen to this article in summarized format (Catch all theTechnology News News, andLatest NewsUpdates onThe Economic Times.)]]></description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 12:53:46 +0000</pubDate>
    <media:content url="https://img.etimg.com/thumb/width-1200,height-900,imgsize-7464173,resizemode-75,msid-134436429/tech/technology/verizon-to-invest-70-million-in-ai-training-effort.jpg" medium="image" />
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    <title><![CDATA[Indian Walker Raises Pre-Seed at ₹20 Crore Valuation]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/c0ce0bf8-9ee2-4684-87c9-a4fa96541290</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[Indian Walker, started by a former Rapido captain who could not find a bag that survived Delhi's roads, has raised a pre-seed from Palette Wealth Management at a ₹20 crore post-money valuation. The round size has not been disclosed. Md. Sakib lost his job during Covid and started driving forRapidoon Delhi's roads. His bag went with him through monsoon rides, pillion seats and packed metro coaches, and nothing he could afford survived it while looking like something he wanted to be seen carrying. In July 2025 he started making the bag he could not find. Indian Walker has now raised a pre-seed round from Palette Wealth Management at a post-money valuation of₹20 crore. How much was actually raised has not been disclosed. A valuation without a round size tells you what a slice is worth but not how big a slice changed hands. At ₹20 crore post-money, ₹1 crore buys 5% and ₹4 crore buys 20%, and those are different companies afterwards with different amounts of runway. It is a reasonable thing for a young company to keep to itself, and it also means nobody outside can work out how long this money lasts. What is known is where it goes: inventory first, then more product lines and additions to the Level Up collection, then hiring across marketing, social and operations. Indian Walker says its Stride backpack has sold more than 10,000 units since launching in July 2025, with core backpacks priced between ₹2,000 and ₹4,000. Over the next 24 months it is targeting ₹100 crore in annual recurring revenue and a community of more than one lakh customers. Put those two numbers beside each other. Ten thousand units across roughly fourteen months is somewhere near 700 bags a month. ₹100 crore a year is about ₹8.3 crore a month, which at a ₹3,000 average price means selling close to 28,000 bags a month. That is roughly forty times the current pace, inside two years, and it is the single hardest thing in the announcement. It is not an unreasonable ambition for a brand this young, because small bases move fast, but it is worth being clear about the size of the jump rather than letting "₹100 crore ARR" pass as a round number. The distribution plan is what has to carry it. The brand sells only through its own website today and will add Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra next quarter, followed by quick commerce. That is the step that turns a D2C brand into a retail one, and it is where most of the volume would have to come from. Every physical consumer brand at this stage turns most of its funding into stock sitting in a warehouse. Bags have one structural advantage over most of them: there are no sizes. A shoe brand launching one design in one colour has to make seven or eight of them, because a half size out is unwearable, and the unsold sizes at the end of a season are the write-down that quietly kills small footwear labels. A backpack is one item. One design in one colourway is one thing to manufacture, hold and sell, and it fits every customer who wants it. That makes the i]]></description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 11:54:07 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Definedge Raises ₹22 Crore to Scale Its Trading Tools]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/1f56c9a4-aaeb-4fbf-9bc9-bf5d93969f24</link>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/1f56c9a4-aaeb-4fbf-9bc9-bf5d93969f24</guid>
    <description><![CDATA[Definedge has raised ₹22 crore in a Pre-Series A, taking total funding to ₹30 crore. The Pune firm built trading tools and an education community before it took a broking licence, and says its Momentify platform has crossed ₹1,000 crore in assets under management. Most brokers start with a licence and then go looking for customers. Definedge did it the other way round, spending years building trading tools and an education community before it became a broking firm at all. The Pune company has raised₹22 crorein a Pre-Series A round, taking the total it has raised to ₹30 crore. Existing backers Nitin Agarwal and D. Prasad returned, joined by new investors Anant Jain and Sachin Kasera. The round is entirely equity. Prashant Shah and Rajesh Badiye founded the company, which now runs more than a dozen platforms including Opstra for options analytics, Zone for technical analysis, Algostra for no-code algorithmic trading, Momentify for rule-based investing and Gurukul for education. Work the two disclosed numbers against each other. If the total stands at ₹30 crore and this round is ₹22 crore, the first institutional and angel round, which closed in November 2025, was about ₹8 crore. Returning investors are the part worth noticing. Ten months later the company has raised close to three times that in one go, with both original backers coming back in. An angel who writes a second and larger cheque has seen the numbers between the two rounds, which an outsider has not. Definedge says Momentify has crossed ₹1,000 crore in assets under management in roughly 15 months, and that it is targeting ₹5,000 crore within 24 months. It is worth being precise about what that figure is, because assets under management get read as company size and they are not. The ₹1,000 crore belongs to the users. It is their money, sitting in their accounts, following the platform's rules. What accrues to Definedge is a fee on that money, which in rule-based investing products is typically a small percentage. A platform can run a very large AUM number alongside a modest revenue line, and both statements are true at once. The distinction matters most when comparing companies, because a business with ₹1,000 crore of assets under management and one with ₹1,000 crore of revenue are not remotely the same size. The target implies five times growth in two years, after the first ₹1,000 crore took about fifteen months. That is the number to hold the company to, and it comes with a date attached rather than being a vague ambition. Buried in the use of funds is margin funding, which is the least glamorous item on the list and possibly the most consequential. When a broker offers margin funding it lends its own money to clients against their securities. That is not a software cost that scales cheaply, it is a balance sheet that has to be funded, and every rupee lent to a trader is a rupee the firm has to have. It is one of the clearest reasons a broking business needs equity in a way a pure softw]]></description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 11:54:00 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Ola Electric shares soar 10%, stock rallies 86% in 6 months. More upside ahead?]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/ab6de311-9517-4a00-a931-d5baf18fb503</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[Listen to this article in summarized format (Catch all theTechnology News News, andLatest NewsUpdates onThe Economic Times.)]]></description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 11:53:12 +0000</pubDate>
    <media:content url="https://img.etimg.com/thumb/width-1200,height-900,imgsize-2349719,resizemode-75,msid-134432637/tech/startups/ola-electric-shares-soar-10-stock-rallies-86-in-6-months-more-upside-ahead.jpg" medium="image" />
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    <title><![CDATA[betterhood Raises ₹11.5 Crore Led by Sauce for Pain Care]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/43e5001d-2db2-4c14-b03b-8b4cdc6f892e</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[betterhood has raised ₹11.5 crore led by Sauce for preventive pain care. Musculoskeletal pain affects 53.5% of Indians over 45, but 62.3% of women against 48.9% of men, and the company's 7,000-strong physiotherapist community is the channel that matters. More than half of Indians over 45 live with musculoskeletal pain. Among women it is closer to two thirds. betterhood has raised₹11.5 crorein a seed round led by Sauce, with existing investor Kairon Capital following on. Vikram Kadam and Neha Zade founded the company and launched it in October 2024, selling posture and ergonomic supports, orthotic soft goods for back, knee, ankle and wrist, and recovery products. Yash Dholakia of Sauce puts it at more than half of Indian adults over 45, which is right. A nationally representative survey of older Indians puts overall musculoskeletal disorder prevalence at53.5%for the 45-and-over population, rising to 60.4% past 60. The split underneath it is the part worth knowing. Prevalence among women is62.3%. Among men it is 48.9%. Joint pain, at 41.9%, is more common than back pain at 32.6%. A thirteen-point gap between women and men is not a rounding difference, and for a consumer brand it is close to a strategy document. It tells you who the buyer most likely is, which body parts to lead with, and which of the two problems in the name of the category actually shows up more often. betterhood says it is building Physio Circle, a community of physiotherapists that has passed 7,000 members, alongside articles, forum answers and podcasts it runs itself. It is better understood as a channel than as content marketing. Nobody buys a knee support on brand affinity. They buy it because it hurts and somebody credible told them which one to get, and in this category that somebody is almost always a physiotherapist. A brace recommended in a clinic converts at a rate no advertisement matches, because the person recommending it has just examined the knee. Seven thousand physiotherapists is not an audience, it is a referral network in a category where referral is the purchase trigger, and it is considerably harder for a competitor to copy than a product range. Building one takes years of turning up with material useful enough that clinicians who can spot a sales pitch instantly choose to stay. Whether that community is active or merely enrolled is the question the number does not answer, and it is the one that decides whether this works. Sauce is a consumer-focused fund whose portfolio includes The Whole Truth,Mokobaraand Hocco. The pattern there is brand-led companies in crowded categories, selling against incumbents on trust and clarity rather than on price or distribution muscle. betterhood fits that shape. Braces and supports are not a new product. They are sold today by pharmacy chains, unbranded manufacturers and a handful of global names, and what betterhood is proposing is that the category has never had a brand people recognise or a reason to trust one over another]]></description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 11:24:43 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Sauce leads seed round in preventive pain care brand betterhood]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/41de4e0e-f8bc-4200-8257-5e8a7e783d1f</link>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/41de4e0e-f8bc-4200-8257-5e8a7e783d1f</guid>
    <description><![CDATA[Preventive pain care brand betterhood has raised Rs 11.5 crore in a seed funding round led by Sauce. Existing investor Kairon Capital also participated in the round. Prior to this, the Bengaluru-based startup had secured Rs 5 crore in the same round led by Kairon Capital, with participation from Yogesh Kabra, Rishubh Satiya, Rohit Chawla, Sifat Khurana and Shayamal Vallabhjee in March this year. The proceeds will be used to deepen its product portfolio, expand distribution across quick commerce and modern retail, and scale its content and physiotherapist community, betterhood said in a press release. Founded in October 2024 by Vikram Kadam and Neha Zade, betterhood is building a preventive pain care brand focused on early signs of back, neck and joint discomfort. Its product range includes posture and ergonomic supports, orthotic soft goods such as back, knee, ankle and wrist supports, along with pain relief and recovery products. According to market research cited by the company, these categories represent a market of around Rs 20,000 crore in India and are growing at a low to mid-teens rate. betterhood is also building Physio Circle, a nationwide community of physiotherapists focused on awareness around posture, pain prevention, movement and recovery. The community currently has more than 7,000 physiotherapists, the company said. The startup has also launched The Physio Edge, a certification programme for early-career physiotherapists aimed at bridging the gap between academic training and clinical practice. Since its launch, betterhood claims to have served more than 2 lacs customers and published 1,500 pieces of educational content across platforms covering posture, pain prevention, movement and recovery. Recent funding activity in the segment includes Nivaan Care, which raised $7 million to scale its non-surgical chronic pain management clinics. CURAPOD, a wearable pain management device from Litemed, raised Rs 20 crore in a pre-Series A round to expand its photobiomodulation-based technology, while Heatronics raised Rs 1.8 crore for its preventive pain management and heat therapy devices. Zanskar raised Rs 2.8 crore in 2025 to expand its pain care portfolio and invest in R&D around chronic pain and recovery. Stance Health also raised $1 million to build its tech-enabled musculoskeletal care model combining diagnosis, physiotherapy and recovery programmes. Bareback Media has recently raised funding from a group of investors. Some of the investors may directly or indirectly be involved in a competing business or might be associated with other companies we might write about. This shall, however, not influence our reporting or coverage in any manner whatsoever. You may find a list of our investorshere.]]></description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 10:52:52 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[AgInvest 2026 in Coimbatore puts farm economics at the centre of AgriTech investment]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/c708f8fc-6635-4bc1-a626-2de1af323494</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[Coimbatore-based FounderPassion Foundation will host AgInvest 2026, an investment summit for revenue stage agriculture startups, on 26 September 2026. The event will bring AgriTech founders, investors, research institutions and agricultural bodies onto one platform at a time when AgriTech investment in India has become cautious and selective. Its message to founders is direct: build technology that solves agriculture's biggest economic problems, rather than adding to the long list of farm apps. FounderPassion Foundation is a not-for-profit Section 8 Startup Accelerator set up in 2018. It works with agriculture and  sustainability startups, with a particular focus on ventures from Tier 2 and 3 cities that can influence the rural economy. The summit arrives as Indian AgriTech works through a prolonged slowdown. According to Tracxn data, AgriTech companies in India raised $134 million in equity funding across 41 rounds up to July 2026, down from $198 million across 77 rounds in the same period of 2025. Annual funding in the sector had peaked at about $1.19 billion in 2021. Capital has not disappeared, but it has become far more selective about which models it backs. The summit looks well beyond farm-management software. Focus areas identified by the organisers include food supply chains, preservation and storage, post-harvest technology, farm-to-market systems, precision and predictive agriculture, water technology, soil health, Agri-FinTech, agri-biotech, animal husbandry, sustainable feed, residue management and agro forestry. Technologies such as IoT, AI, drones, robotics and decision-support systems cut across these categories. According to the organisers, invitations have gone out to investors including Indian Angel Network, IvyCap Ventures, Ankur Capital, TIH IITB, Chennai Angels, Mudhal Partners and some more VC’s. Institutional invitees include a-IDEA at ICAR-NAARM, Pusa Krishi at ICAR-IARI, the Technology Innovation Hub at IIT Bombay, Agrinnovate India and NABI. The organisers frame the event around a clear change in investor priorities. Instead of rewarding the number of farmers reached, investors are now asking who the paying customer is, what measurable problem is being solved, how often that problem occurs, what return the buyer gets from adopting the technology, and whether the business can turn profitable without repeated rounds of external capital. Recent industry commentary points the same way, with investors describing the slowdown as a structural reset linked to a global shift towards profitability, rather than a retreat from the sector. For founders, the organisers argue that the market is wider than farmers alone. Some of the most scalable businesses may sell to banks, insurers, farmer producer organisations (FPOs), processors, exporters and equipment operators, opening up B2B and B2B2F models. Extraction for the pharma, nutrition and wellness industries is flagged as another high-potential segment. Led by Founder and Managing D]]></description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 10:52:32 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Airtel Money Plans Potential $800 Million London IPO]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/263c70bf-1660-4211-8b73-5e9b18209ee5</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[Airtel Money has applied for a potential London IPO that would value the company at a minimum of $800 million, one of the largest listings in the UK in recent years. Airtel Africa’s mobile payments operation processed $213 billion in the year to June, with over 53 million monthly active users. In preparation for a possible IPO in London,AirtelMoney has filed the necessary paperwork. Although smaller than anticipated, this initial public offering (IPO) has the potential to be one of the biggest in the city in recent years. Listed on the London Stock Exchange is being considered by the mobile payments provider, which is a part of Airtel Africa Plc, according to a statement made on 23 September. According to the business, the offering would be comprised of holders selling their current shares. Despite the projected sale size of at least $800 million—lower than the $1.5 billion to $2 billion it had hoped for earlier—the offering would still be the biggest in the UK since 2021. Since the London stock market has been hit hard by a lack of first-time share sales for some time, the announcement of Airtel Money's offering is good news for the market. According to its website, Airtel Money has a network of branches and kiosks all throughout Africa where customers may pay bills, apply for microloans, and make purchases. In the twelve months leading up to June, the company processed $213 billion and had around 53 million customers who were active on a monthly basis, according to the statement. The majority of its customers are located in East Africa, but the brand also has a sizable following in Nigeria and French-speaking Africa, according to the data. Following a rule change earlier this year by the Financial Conduct Authority to shorten the time it takes to launch an initial public offering (IPO) by one week, the UK market is now more competitive, prompting the IPO announcement. During a conference call following first-quarter results, Sunil Taldar, CEO of Airtel Africa, mentioned that London was chosen as the listing location due to the city's grasp of fintech and payments, as well as its emerging-market investor base. The offering of the Uzbek national investment fund UzNIF accounted for the majority of the volume, with London IPOs raising less than $700 million thus far this year, according to statistics collated by Bloomberg. With the addition of Airtel Money, the total would surpass one billion dollars. Utmost Group Plc, a wealth management firm, is among several other companies considering initial public offerings (IPOs) before year's end. Financial institutions such as Citigroup, Barclays Plc, Bank of America Corp., Goldman Sachs Group Inc., and JPMorgan Chase & Co. are working together to arrange the offering. According to Airtel Money, more information about the offer, such as the amount of shares to be offered and an estimated price range, will be revealed in early October.]]></description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 08:07:32 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[MSME lending opportunity seen at Rs 2.4–2.6 lakh crore in H2 2026: FlexiLoans Report]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/71abc2cc-6821-4041-9839-447f3a27571f</link>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/71abc2cc-6821-4041-9839-447f3a27571f</guid>
    <description><![CDATA[Biogas found its ethanol moment this month. Can it now find scale? Gold prices: Caught in a three-way tug-of-war Nobody's money? The fortune Indian families forgot they had Forget the UPI fee fight. Do we know how India pays today? Has the US Fed and AI created a costlier world? And has the queue got longer for India? Gold rush on Dalal St as regional jewellers bid to be the next Tanishq]]></description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 07:50:58 +0000</pubDate>
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