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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>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 17:53:55 +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>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/76e77f4a-d478-47cd-805a-e4841b0cf34f</guid>
    <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[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>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/94ed9007-e324-454a-8d42-6953ad227fa6</guid>
    <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>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/91222078-68a1-4659-aa66-f4bd7c32f4c0</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 16:56:11 +0000</pubDate>
    <media:content url="https://img.etimg.com/thumb/width-1200,height-900,imgsize-15286,resizemode-75,msid-134442024/tech/startups/ola-electric-to-consider-rights-issue-as-it-looks-to-raise-fresh-capital.jpg" medium="image" />
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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>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/ff81185f-57bf-4ef0-babe-92c02dd56cfc</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 14:55:03 +0000</pubDate>
    <media:content url="https://img.etimg.com/thumb/width-1200,height-900,imgsize-35394,resizemode-75,msid-134440010/tech/startups/bessemer-raises-5-75-billion-in-new-funds-expands-growth-efforts.jpg" medium="image" />
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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>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/6da7b3ac-c1f0-4016-a2e3-0a1fe745c68d</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 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>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/c0ce0bf8-9ee2-4684-87c9-a4fa96541290</guid>
    <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>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/ab6de311-9517-4a00-a931-d5baf18fb503</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 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>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/43e5001d-2db2-4c14-b03b-8b4cdc6f892e</guid>
    <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>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/c708f8fc-6635-4bc1-a626-2de1af323494</guid>
    <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>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/263c70bf-1660-4211-8b73-5e9b18209ee5</guid>
    <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>
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    <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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    <title><![CDATA[AI startup Sol raises $4M from General Catalyst, Kunal Shah and others]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/d93e99eb-45ac-430b-ba6e-23d6cacb7f11</link>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/d93e99eb-45ac-430b-ba6e-23d6cacb7f11</guid>
    <description><![CDATA[Artificial intelligence (AI) startup Sol, founded by former executives of Cred, has raised $4 million in funding from General Catalyst, Nexus Venture Partners, DeVC, Peercheque and Kunal Shah. Sol will primarily use this funding for R&D and go to market initiatives. Founded in August 2025 by Anish Karan, Prateek Srivastava and Ranjith Nair, Sol primarily automates the whole process of e-mail management where the work can include researching, creating documents, building slides, scheduling time and drafting replies. The startup further claimed that its tech platform is not limited to drafting replies as once it identifies a commitment and its context, it can create the supporting work the commitment calls for: documents, presentations, research and meeting coordination. The product is designed for the difference between an unanswered email and a finished outcome, it noted. Though, it added that the user retains the final approval. “People whose work runs through email often have to repeat themselves: first in email, then again when they ask an AI tool to act. There’s no good reason for that. AI should learn how to use the right tools and skills behind the scenes, so people can focus on the work they’re uniquely good at while Sol does the heavy lifting and gives them a simple way to approve or edit the work,” said Sol CEO Anish Karan. Sol said its tech platform is designed for people whose work runs through high volumes of email, including founders, executives and professionals in sales, marketing, consulting, recruiting, and agencies. The company says it operates in its own computer environment where the user can use a browser and draws on a growing library of more than 100 specialist skills. This is initially available through selective access and a waitlist with plans to extend general access soon.]]></description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 06:50:16 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[MathCo’s revenue crosses Rs 620 Cr in FY26, profit tumbles 94%]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/94871b5a-d2fc-4259-9a2c-66256d3437f4</link>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/94871b5a-d2fc-4259-9a2c-66256d3437f4</guid>
    <description><![CDATA[Data and analytics solutions firm MathCo reported a 23.7% year-on-year growth in revenue in FY26, although its profit declined sharply by 94% during the year as expenses grew at a much faster pace. MathCo’s revenue from operations increased to Rs 621 crore in FY26 fromRs 502 crorein FY25, according to its annual financial statements sourced from the Registrar of Companies (RoC). The company had reported flat revenue growth in FY25. MathCo, formerly known as TheMathCompany, is an artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions provider that helps organisations use data and analytics to generate business insights and make data-driven decisions. Revenue from these services remained the company’s sole source of operating income during FY26. Apart from its operating revenue, the company earned Rs 29 crore from other income in FY26, primarily through interest income. This took MathCo’s total revenue to Rs 650 crore, compared with Rs 523 crore in FY25. For the AI and analytics company, employee benefit expenses continued to be the largest cost head during FY26. MathCo spent Rs 497 crore on employee-related expenses, up 33% from Rs 374 crore in FY25. Employee costs accounted for around 80% of the company’s total expenses during the year. Meanwhile, spending on technology, travel, legal expenses, depreciation, and other overheads also increased during the year. As a result, MathCo’s total expenses rose 41.4% to Rs 628 crore in FY26 from Rs 444 crore in FY25. The increase in expenses significantly outpaced the growth in revenue, putting pressure on the company’s profitability. MathCo’s profit after tax plunged 94% to Rs 3.83 crore in FY26 from Rs 63.7 crore in FY25. Its return on capital employed (ROCE) stood at -2.78%, while its EBITDA margin was 1.81% during the year. On a unit economics basis, MathCo spent Rs 1.01 to generate every rupee of operating revenue in FY26, indicating the pressure created by the higher cost base. At the end of FY26, MathCo’s total current assets stood at Rs 493 crore. This included cash and bank balances of around Rs 14.9 crore. The company has raised around $53 million in funding to date. Brighton Park Capital and Patni Wealth Advisors are among its key investors, holding around 16% and 13% stakes, respectively, in the company. 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 05:50:07 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Exclusive: Rio.ai raises Rs 43 Cr in pre-Series A led by Version One Ventures]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/e896a10e-bac9-4f7b-aa01-1a7cf3a37a46</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[Healthtech startup Rio.ai, which is building an AI-powered quick-commerce platform for medicines and healthcare essentials, has raised Rs 43.08 crore in a pre-Series A funding round led by new investor Version One Ventures, with participation from existing investors Xeed Ventures, Good Capital and Amplify Partner.According to its regulatory filings accessed byEntrackr, Rio.ai’s board has approved the allotment of 7,130 compulsorily convertible preference shares (CCPS) at an issue price of Rs 60,415 per share to raise the aforementioned amount.Version One Ventures led the round with an investment of Rs 21.30 crore, followed by Xeed Ventures with Rs 11.84 crore and Good Capital Fund II with Rs 9.47 crore, while Amplify IV PCC invested Rs 47 lakh.According toEntrackr’sestimates, the company’s post-money valuation stood at around Rs 170 crore.Following the latest allotment, Xeed Ventures holds a 21.11% stake in Rio.ai, followed by Good Capital at 17.07% and Version One Ventures at 12.86%. Co-founders Ankur Agrawal and Amit Ahuja hold 17.50% each. The fresh capital will be used to meet general operating and working capital requirements, fund capital expenditure, strengthen the company’s capital base, and support the expansion of its business operations.. A Moneycontrol report had earlier said that Rio AI was in talks to raise around $5 million from Binny Bansal, Canada-based funds, and other investors. Founded by Ankur Agrawal and Amit Ahuja, healthtech startup Rio.ai is building an AI-powered quick-commerce platform for medicines and healthcare essentials. Its Rio Health platform enables users to order medicines and other healthcare products via WhatsApp, with deliveries in 15–30 minutes. 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 04:49:34 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Banks warn AI shopping bots raise scam, fraud and data-privacy risks]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/ec3e8f65-eb3b-4bec-93e3-2cd520c3be68</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 03:48:40 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Meet Nuvr, the bootstrapped startup managing Rs 1,200 Cr of ecommerce sales for brands]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/9bca77bd-e59a-42d9-b2bb-74dee2c77022</link>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/9bca77bd-e59a-42d9-b2bb-74dee2c77022</guid>
    <description><![CDATA[In 2023, Pulkit Chhabra was pitching an ecommerce analytics product to a consumer brand founder when the conversation took an unexpected turn. If Nuvr’s software could identify what was going wrong, the founder asked, why didn’t Chhabra’s team simply run the business? Chhabra did not have a good answer. That conversation pushed Nuvraway from selling software and towards managing ecommerce and quick-commerce operations for brands. The Bengaluru-based company calls itself an ecommerce and quick-commerce “growth accelerator”, working across pricing, advertising, inventory planning, catalogues, supply chains and relationships with online platforms. More than three years later, Nuvr says it manages over Rs 1,200 crore in online sales for partner brands. That is not Nuvr’s revenue. The company calls the metric revenue under management, or RUM, borrowing from the asset management industry’s use of assets under management. Nuvr says its RUM has increased from around Rs 125 crore in its first year and is targeting approximately Rs 1,800 crore by the end of FY27. The company itself crossed $1 million in revenue in FY26 and is on track to roughly double that in FY27, according to Chhabra. He says Nuvr is bootstrapped and profitable, though it does not disclose margins publicly. Chhabra had spent several years building consumer businesses and operating marketplace brands before starting Nuvr. He initially planned to turn that experience into software and took the SaaS proposition into Antler’s residency programme. Conversations with brands, however, changed his mind. Many established consumer companies understood manufacturing and offline distribution, but ecommerce required them to manage changing prices, advertising and inventory across fulfilment centres and dark stores. Analytics solved only part of the problem. They also needed people to interpret the information, make decisions and act on it. Nuvr’s first major brand partner was tissue and hygiene products maker Origami. Chhabra’s team began by visiting its factory to understand its products, manufacturing capacity and which stock-keeping units could be scaled online. Nuvr saysOrigami’s online businessdoubled in the first 12 months. According to Chhabra, Origami’s monthly revenue run rate is now almost 10 times what it was when the partnership began about three and a half years ago. Nuvr now works with brands including Origami, Medimix, Nilon’s and CLEAR. Unlike a conventional agency, Chhabra says Nuvr takes responsibility for running much of a brand’s online P&L rather than only advising it on marketing or advertising. The company charges a management fee, with part of its compensation tied to the revenue outcomes it delivers. Much of Nuvr’s growth has come through referrals and word of mouth rather than a traditional outbound sales operation, Chhabra says. The company has around 65 employees, with roughly 35 to 40 based in Bengaluru, around 20 in Kolkata and a smaller number working remotely. In Nuvr]]></description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 03:48:35 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[From pits and walkie talkies to AI: Angel One Founder Dinesh Thakkar charts the 30-year-old stock broking company’s stellar growth]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/63d24aba-8872-4177-9502-5ad32262fbbe</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[The year was 1996 when Angel One made its debut. Back then, stock broking was a high-adrenaline game that happened in a “pit” where brokers yelled and used complex hand signals to buy and sell shares. Angel One pioneered the use of walkie talkies that enabled investors to know the stock trades that were executed on their behalf. Cut to 2026, outcry pits have given way to silent algorithms that make trades in milliseconds. Retail investors can now access real-time analytics via a smartphone screen. Despite the vast technological disruptions that have sidelined legacy companies, Angel One has managed to remain relevant. Today, Angel One has a user base of 3.95 crore despite intense competition from new players such as Zerodha and Groww. It is now actively exploring AI to further improve user experience. In an interview withYourStory, Founder, Chairman and Managing Director Dinesh Thakkar and Group CEO Ambarish Kenghe discuss Angel One’s journey, its plans for the future and, more pertinently, its approach to AI. “Today, through AI, one can think about personalising every journey the way a person wants it, which I cannot imagine otherwise,” he says. Dinesh Thakkar (DT):Before Angel One was really incorporated, we were reading about computers in the mid-1980s, when India was getting ready to open up the market for the use of computers. That is where a thought came to my mind that this is a powerful instrument. How can we use it in any business? I borrowed some money from my friends and entered the stock market but got badly bruised, losing 50% of my capital. For a newcomer, there was a lag in getting information on how and when stock trades were executed. The first thing I wanted to see was how the whole process could be made transparent, where one could get confirmation of a stock purchase or sale in real time. This was when I introduced the walkie-talkie, through which a customer’s order could be confirmed within five to 10 minutes. We also built software on our computers so that customers were given the contract note by the end of the day. My point was to always look at what users want. My philosophy is: don’t get too fascinated by technology; use it to solve a problem. When screen-based trading started, we started investing in routers, VSATs and modems to extend our services to other terminals. When I heard about internet trading becoming popular in the US, that is when I started working on how I could bring this experience to people here. In 2000-01, I went very aggressive because I was very excited by this technology. This was the first time I made a mistake in terms of not realising that technology was there, but not for other users. We invested heavily in internet trading, but our vendor could not provide the software as its parent company had different priorities. We suffered huge losses, with a lot of unused hardware. That is where I realised that I was too attracted towards technology while users did not have a personal desktop to do inter]]></description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 02:47:58 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Accelevation targets up to $5.4 billion valuation in US IPO]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/56cb6a6f-c44a-45d1-8e49-d0208942905c</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>Tue, 22 Sep 2026 18:43:01 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Cred alumni’s Sol raises $4 million from GC, Nexus Venture Partners, Kunal Shah]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/cbacab9a-fdb3-4d00-bcec-8c55d55c3649</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>Tue, 22 Sep 2026 17:42:21 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Proactive AI startup Sol raises $4 Mn from General Catalyst, Nexus VP, and others]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/d0475b42-3a93-4368-9358-c15ad4ee206b</link>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/d0475b42-3a93-4368-9358-c15ad4ee206b</guid>
    <description><![CDATA[Proactive AI startup Sol has emerged from stealth with $4 million in a funding round led by General Catalyst and Nexus Venture Partners, with participation from DeVC, Peercheque and Kunal Shah. The proceeds will be used for research and development and go to market initiatives. The R&D spend will cover LLM processing and tooling costs, talent, and work with customers across geographies. Founded in August 2025 by Anish Karan, Prateek Srivastava and Ranjith Nair, Sol is building an AI assistant that identifies commitments in emails and works on the tasks required to fulfil them, while keeping users in control of the final outcome. The startup can handle tasks such as research, document creation, presentation development, meeting scheduling and drafting replies. For instance, a commitment to send an analysis can trigger research and document creation, while a request to align with someone can lead to a meeting being scheduled. Sol said its product is aimed at professionals who manage large volumes of email, including founders, executives and people working in sales, marketing, consulting, recruiting and agencies. It identifies commitments and their context from emails instead of requiring users to manually create tasks or repeatedly prompt an AI assistant. The startup operates in a dedicated computer environment and can use a browser to work across tools. It currently has a library of more than 100 skills to handle tasks linked to different commitments. Users retain approval before anything is sent, scheduled or shared. Indian agentic AI startups raised about $60 million in the first 4.5 months of 2026, compared with $144 million raised in 2025. Other funded startups in the space include Composio, which raised $24 million in Series A funding to help AI agents execute workflows across software tools, and Kapture, which raised $10 million in a pre Series B round for its enterprise agentic operating system. 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>Tue, 22 Sep 2026 16:42:01 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Oil tankers earn $1 million a day as war leaves ship shortage]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/84876cd8-ecac-45b5-8ead-25534c2140cf</link>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/84876cd8-ecac-45b5-8ead-25534c2140cf</guid>
    <description><![CDATA[Listen to this article in summarized format Vessels hauling oil from inside the Persian Gulf to China were being hired at $1.035 million a day, according to data from the Baltic Exchange in London on Monday. 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 A different kind of buyback. Is this the beginning of these kinds of buybacks?]]></description>
    <pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 2026 16:41:47 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Cred alumni’s Sol raises $4 million from GC, Nexus Venture Partners, Kunal Shah]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/69d2286a-145f-46ba-b6f9-45584b3f826e</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>Tue, 22 Sep 2026 15:41:15 +0000</pubDate>
    <media:content url="https://img.etimg.com/thumb/width-1200,height-900,imgsize-1805174,resizemode-75,msid-134415534/tech/startups/cred-alumnis-sol-raises-4-million-from-gc-nexus-venture-partners-kunal-shah.jpg" medium="image" />
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    <title><![CDATA[Adani Group Firms Reach INR 1.5 Crore Settlement with SEBI Over Disclosure Issues]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/bbdbadc9-a9d8-498d-8f5c-dcd8b96ddfd3</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[SEBI has completed adjudication proceedings against five entities comprising four Adani Group companies and levied a total fine of INR 1.50 crore. The proceedings were preceded by the regulator’s examination of matters of corporate governance and claims in the Hindenburg report. On September 22, five companies, including fourAdaniGroup firms, were settled in adjudication proceedings by market regulator SEBI. Together, the companies paid INR 1.50 crore to satisfy claims that they failed to disclose certain related-party transactions. These actions were initiated as a result of SEBI's review of the corporate governance issues and claims brought up in the Hindenburg report. These concerns included potential violations of the listing laws and the previous listing agreement. Based on the settlement decision from SEBI, the entities in question are Adani Enterprises, Adani Total Gas, AWL Agri Business (formerly Adani Wilmar), Adani Green Energy, and Adani Energy Solutions (previously Adani Transmission). In the wake of the Hindenburg report, the markets regulator began investigating claims involving the Adani Group's corporate governance, transparency, and related-party transactions (RPTs). Seven entities in the Adani Group, including Adani Power and Adani Ports & SEZ, were investigated by the regulator. Adani Enterprises, Adani Total Gas, AWL Agri Business, Adani Green Energy, and Adani Energy Solutions were each recommended and eventually approved settlement amounts of INR 76.05 lakh, INR 9.75 lakh, INR 45.50 lakh, and INR 9.75 lakh, respectively, by SEBI's High Powered Advisory Committee. In two separate orders reported in September 2025, the regulator SEBI rejected claims of related-party transactions involving Adani Power, Adani Ports, Rajesh Adani, and stock manipulation, fraud, or unfair trading practices. These procedures are distinct from those orders. There was a failure to establish the claims in those procedures, according to the market's regulator. Adani Estates Pvt Ltd is a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL). SEBI claimed that Adani Enterprises failed to disclose related-party transactions involving Vakoder Investment Ltd (a related party) in its 2012–2013 annual report, which was required by the relevant accounting standard. Audit firms without current peer review certificates were also pursued by AEL for over-audit and limited-review reports. Adani Total Gas and AWL Agri Business were also accused of having submitted reports with insufficient evaluation. Dharmesh Parikh & Co LLP was accused by SEBI of signing audit reports for 2018–19 and limited-review reports for specific quarters in 2018 and 2019 without a valid Peer Review Certificate, leading to proceedings against Adani Green Energy. For comparable reasons, Adani Energy Solutions (formerly Adani Transmission) was subject to proceedings concerning its limited-review report from June 2015. Following this, the businesses notified SEBI that the funds had been sent, and the r]]></description>
    <pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 2026 14:57:53 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Nothing to spin off CMF as standalone Indian business; Optiemus to acquire 51.1% controlling stake; details here]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/b69f5da3-3a01-4f95-95f6-46636902c253</link>
    <guid isPermaLink="true">https://ventureos.website/news/b69f5da3-3a01-4f95-95f6-46636902c253</guid>
    <description><![CDATA[Nothing has expanded its strategic partnership with the Optiemus Group, a move that could transform CMF from a Nothing sub-brand into an independent smartphone company with majority Indian ownership. Optiemus Infracom will acquire a 51.1% stake in the proposed joint venture with Nothing Electronics, giving the Indian company majority ownership of the CMF business in the new structure. Nothing unveiled the news on Tuesday, just one day after founder and CEO Carl Pei announced plans to split off CMF into a separate company. The expanded cooperation will bring together manufacturing, ownership, and research and development (R&D) of CMF smartphones in just one location in India. The announcement follows India's move towards becoming a leading global manufacturer of smartphones and a push for more innovative consumer technologies within the country. The proposed joint venture will focus on the sale and commercialisation of CMF smartphones and related components, while combining Optiemus’ manufacturing capabilities with Nothing’s technology and product expertise. Optiemus will initially hold a 51.1% stake in the new entity, making it the majority shareholder, while the partnership will also support CMF’s plans to build an end-to-end smartphone R&D ecosystem in India. The companies aim to develop capabilities across industrial design, mechanical engineering, camera engineering, software, connectivity and component engineering, taking the partnership beyond manufacturing to product development and commercialisation. The Optiemus Group will be involved in a Series A round of funding byCMF, which will further expand its involvement in the brand's future. The amount is part of the company's larger plan to make CMF an independent smartphone maker that is majority-owned by Indian investors. Nothing added that the new arrangement builds on the manufacturing joint venture announced with Optiemus in September 2025. That partner helped to promote local manufacturing of Nothing devices and CMF devices in India. Nothing will still be a shareholder in the company after the restructuring, but will not be involved in the company's management, CMF confirmed. On Monday,Carl Peisaid that India can become a country of global brands in consumer technology. He emphasised creating an integrated research and development ecosystem in the country instead of only manufacturing. India has already become a leading centre for manufacturing smartphones, said Pei. He said that approximately 99% of smartphones sold in India are produced domestically, and India has emerged as the second-largest smartphone maker in the world. The relocation is part of the government's overall strategy to boost local electronics manufacturing. The Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme (MPSE) was approved by the Union Cabinet earlier this year with an outlay of₹62,500 crore to support the production of smartphones and boost smartphone brands from India. Nothing said bringing manufacturing, ownership and R&D u]]></description>
    <pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 2026 14:39:56 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Snorkel AI valued at $3.5 billion amid surging demand for complex AI training data]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/7b9d9037-f14c-42b0-8b91-77122a35fe94</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>Tue, 22 Sep 2026 13:40:07 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Binance buys $100 million stake in Circle, expands partnership]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/36c688ac-3fce-4646-84ea-3c4262657837</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>Tue, 22 Sep 2026 12:39:32 +0000</pubDate>
    <media:content url="https://img.etimg.com/thumb/width-1200,height-900,imgsize-804983,resizemode-75,msid-134411618/tech/technology/binance-buys-100-million-stake-in-circle-expands-partnership.jpg" medium="image" />
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    <title><![CDATA[Nuvah Raises ₹4 Crore to Engineer Heels That Don't Hurt]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/b0f00f44-9474-4b0a-99af-5e8afec7f530</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[Nuvah has raised ₹4 crore in a pre-seed angel round backed by CarDekho's Amit Jain, Bombay Shaving Company's Shantanu Deshpande and GIVA's Ishendra Agarwal, for heels engineered around a footbed the company redesigned 24 times. Nuvah sells heels that start at ₹4,000 and are built around a footbed the company says it redesigned 24 times before it was satisfied. It has raised₹4 crorein a pre-seed angel round. Founder Avni Jain started the company in October 2025, which makes this a round closed inside the first year, and she came to it from venture capital, McKinsey and Goldman Sachs by way of IIM Ahmedabad. The money goes into research and development, the footbed technology, and testing ways to reach customers. The release names three angels and leaves it there. Who they are says more than the amount does. Amit Jainis co-founder and chief executive of CarDekho.Shantanu Deshpandefounded Bombay Shaving Company and has built an angel portfolio concentrated in consumer and retail.Ishendra AgarwalfoundedGIVA, the D2C jewellery brand. Agarwal is the one whose company most resembles what Nuvah is attempting. GIVA started in 2019 selling silver jewellery to Indian women online, in a price band that begins around ₹1,000, and has since grown into hundreds of physical stores. That is close to the path a D2C footwear brand at ₹4,000 a pair would need to walk. Two of the three are already connected. Amit Jain sits on Bombay Shaving Company's board alongside Deshpande, so this is less a set of three independent verdicts than a cluster of consumer operators who know each other. The company says SteadyForm, its footbed, went through 24 prototypes and more than 900 hours of wear testing, and that it responds to shifting pressure across the foot. Those are measures of effort rather than measures of outcome. They tell you a team took the problem seriously and iterated, which is genuinely more than most fashion brands do. They do not tell you whether a woman wearing the shoe for nine hours finds it comfortable. Comfort is a claim only the wearer can settle. The numbers that will answer it are return rates and repeat purchase. In footwear both are unusually revealing, because a shoe that hurts gets worn once and never again, and the customer rarely complains, she simply does not come back. If Nuvah's engineering works, that will show up as a return rate below the category norm long before it shows up in a press release. This is where ₹4 crore starts to look thin, and the reason is arithmetic rather than ambition. A single heel design is not one product, it is a size run. Seven or eight sizes for one style in one colour, each an individual stock-keeping unit that has to be manufactured, held and eventually sold or discounted. Add a second colourway and the count doubles. A proprietary footbed makes it heavier still, because a custom component means tooling paid for upfront, before a single pair is sold, and tooling costs the same whether the style succeeds or fails. I]]></description>
    <pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 2026 12:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[PhonePe Gets Initial UAE Central Bank Nod for Payment Licences]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/39de9437-31f5-4f17-a41e-1834ad61f042</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[PhonePe has got first permission from the UAE Central Bank for two payment licenses for retail payment services, card schemes and stored value facilities. The fintech has yet to commence commercial operations in the UAE and is seeking final regulatory permission. On September 22nd,PhonePe, a digital payment platform, 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 suppliers after it had received final regulatory clearance. Launched in 2016, PhonePe is a mobile app for making in-app purchases, bill payments, and recharges using the Unified Payments Interface network in India. Citing geopolitical unpredictability and unpredictable global market conditions, PhonePe has postponed its highly anticipated initial public offering earlier this year. Once market stability is restored, the listing process will be revived, according to the business. During the IPO, PhonePe hopes to raise between $9 billion and $10.5 billion. Ritesh Pai, CEO and executive director of International Payments at PhonePe, said that the country's vision and regulatory environment make it an ideal setting for its international journey. The IPO filing revealed that Walmart plans to cut its stake in the fintech firm by about 12% through the offering, while existing investors Tiger Global and Microsoft intend to fully exit. Pai went on to say that PhonePe plans to bolster the robust trade and commercial corridors between the United Arab Emirates, India, and global markets by integrating technology with local initiatives. PhonePe is already available in the UAE via UPI. PhonePe enables Indians to pay at NEOPAY and Network International terminals by scanning local QR codes through a collaboration with NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL). On 20 August, PhonePe said that it has inked an MoU with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to include PulsePro, its business data intelligence platform, into the PM GatiShakti framework. The technology generates market signals from aggregated and anonymised transaction data. This paves the way for businesses to make better, data-driven decisions by giving them access to actual activity trends across different regions and types. According to the company's announcement, the partnership will help with national infrastructure planning, economic research, and comprehensive urban and rural development by providing hyperlocal, granular data. The agreement states that]]></description>
    <pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 2026 11:54:34 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Indian founders account for $560B unicorn valuation overseas: report]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/b3b4dc35-084b-4239-b143-56d6cdd9961c</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[Founders who grew up in India account for $560 billion of founder-share-attributed company value in current and former unicorns abroad, according to the new Indian Diaspora Index from Prosus and Dealroom. Based on the methodology used by the index, the value is an indicative figure and not based on actual shareholding of the individual founders. "Founders who grew up in India account for $560 billion of founder-share-attributed company value in current and former unicorns abroad," the index report said. To arrive at the valuation, the index took each company’s valuation and divided it equally among the founders, then counted the slice attributable to qualifying Indian-origin founders, regardless of their actual ownership. "In contrast, 102 unicorns based in India account for approximately $349 billion on a founder-share basis, led by Flipkart ($36 billion), Zomato ($30 billion), and Groww ($16 billion)," the report said. The Index showed that 70 unicorns worth $243 billion were built by all-Indian founders such as Jay Chaudhry (Zscaler), Arvind Jain, Arvind Nithrakashyap, Bipul Sinha and Soham Mazumdar (Rubrik), Ajeet Singh, Dheeraj Pandey and Mohit Aron (Nutanix), and Deepak Pathak and Abhinav Gupta (Skild). Another 135 unicorns with Indian-origin founders in the core team, such as Palo Alto, Bloom Energy, Astera Labs and Perplexity, contributed $317 billion on this founder-share basis. Prosus India Principal Investor Saurav Jain said that Indian founders have the ability to turn technology, ingenuity and deep local insight into businesses that can fundamentally change how people live and work. "Indian Diaspora Index measures something we have seen and experienced first-hand in India: exceptional talent density with the ambition to build at enormous scale, often by solving some of the country's most complex and consequential problems. That is what has kept us investing in the country for nearly two decades," he said. The report said that a separate, broader birth-origin analysis shows that 62 per cent of its companies are based in the United States, making it the dominant ecosystem for Indian-origin founders building high-value companies. "In total, 200 of the 323 companies in this broader cohort were either started (178) or relocated (22) to the United States. This birth-origin analysis includes founders who left India as children and companies based in India. It is separate from the narrower overseas index of founders who grew up in India," the report said.]]></description>
    <pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 2026 11:38:55 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Auxilo reports Rs 676 Cr revenue and Rs 117 Cr profit in FY26]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/be50b2c2-3b24-41ec-920b-84b6404629a1</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[After crossing Rs 500 crore in revenue in FY25, education-focused NBFC Auxilo continued its growth momentum with 28% year-on-year growth in the fiscal year ended March 2026, while its net profit remained largely stable at Rs 117 crore despite higher finance and employee costs. Auxilo's revenue from operations rose to Rs 676 crore in FY26 from Rs 528 crore in FY25, according to its consolidated financial statements filed with the Registrar of Companies (RoC). The Mumbai-based NBFC provides education loans to students pursuing higher studies in India and abroad. Its offerings cover tuition fees, pre-visa expenses, travel and other education-related costs. Interest income remained Auxilo's primary revenue source, contributing Rs 610 crore in FY26, a 28% increase from Rs 477.5 crore in FY25. However, fees and commission income declined 13% to Rs 32.4 crore during the year. The company also recorded Rs 21.3 crore in net gains from fair value changes and Rs 14 crore from non-operating activities, which took its total income to Rs 690 crore in FY26, compared to Rs 544 crore in FY25. For the NBFC firm, finance costs accounted for the largest expenditure, rising 36% to Rs 384.7 crore from Rs 282.2 crore in FY25. Its employee benefit expenses surged 47% to Rs 82.5 crore during the year. Other expenses such as IT expenses, advertisement, business sourcing, legal & professional drove overall Auxilo's total expenditure by 35% to Rs 533 crore in FY26, compared to Rs 394 crore in the previous fiscal year. Despite the rise in operating revenue, higher finance and employee costs weighed on the company's profitability. Auxilo's profit after tax increased marginally to Rs 117 crore in FY26 from Rs 112 crore in FY25. The company held cash and bank balances of Rs 412 crore at the end of FY26, compared to Rs 544 crore a year earlier. The Mumbai-based firm has raised over $200 million in equity and debt to date from Tata Capital, Balrampur Chini Mills, ICICI Bank, and others. Auxilo competes with education financing players such as Avanse Financial, Grayquest, Propelld, Financepeer and Leap Finance. 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>Tue, 22 Sep 2026 10:38:42 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[Lavni Ventures floats early stage deep-tech impact Funds II]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/cebc535d-6514-40e2-aa45-165fbce69e73</link>
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    <description><![CDATA[The early-stage VC firm Lavni Ventures has announced Fund II, the second of its early stage deep-tech impact funds, has closed its Rs 200 crore (approx. $21 million) target in committed capital, a year after first  close in August 2025. The fund structure retains a green-shoe option of Rs 100 crore. Fund II follows in the footsteps of the fully invested Fund I with both funds resting on a single proposition that  Indian deep-tech founders can build globally scalable health and climate solutions in a capital efficient manner  while delivering meaningful returns. With the target corpus committed, the firm’s focus turns to deployment:  finding and backing exceptional founders in India to innovate and help to scale their venture for global impact. Fund II has already made its first three investments: Padcare Labs, which recycles sanitary waste; Monitra  Healthcare, which builds remote cardiac monitoring devices; and Vidcare, which develops portable at-home  diagnostic tests. These deployments extend a track record of hands-on, long-term partnerships built through  Fund I. Fund II backs foundational technologies in health and climate, deploying Rs 2–6 crore ($210k – 630k) per  opportunity at Seed, and Rs 8–15 crore ($850k – 1.5 million) follow-ons, fresh Series A and beyond. Lavni Ventures was founded in 2020 and its  Fund II is a scheme of Lavni Ventures Trust, a SEBI-registered Category II Alternative  Investment Fund, investing in foundational technologies in the health and  climate sectors. 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>Tue, 22 Sep 2026 09:38:09 +0000</pubDate>
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    <title><![CDATA[PhonePe's Ritesh Pai explains what the platform will offer consumers, merchants in UAE]]></title>
    <link>https://ventureos.website/news/30058b0c-6c75-451d-9d2a-9285c69c91a2</link>
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    <pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 2026 09:37:57 +0000</pubDate>
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