Former Dunzo co-founder Kabeer Biswas is raising ₹102 crore (around $11 million) for his new consumer AI startup M, with Peak XV Partners leading the round. The funding round also sees participation from Blume Ventures and CRED (Dreamplug Technologies, led by Kunal Shah). Co-founded by Kabeer Biswas and Kartik Mishra, M is building a consumer AI platform aimed at reducing friction in managing everyday home operations by automating decisions, coordination, and services. Incorporated in 2025 as Curious Digital Pvt Ltd, the company has approved issuing 54,956 Series Seed CCPS at ₹18,577 each to raise the planned capital, as per regulatory…
Author: Adarsh Kumar
Stock broking firm Zerodha has shut down its creator focused initiative Zero1, marking a quiet exit from its experimental content and media play. Launched as part of its broader education push, Zero1 was designed as a creator partnership program, supporting storytellers producing content across finance, health, and climate. The initiative ran for over a year and achieved notable reach. However, Zerodha cited regulatory uncertainty as the primary reason for winding down the program. “There was a lot of regulatory uncertainty around the entire initiative and we took a call to wind this down,” the company said. Zero1 stood out for…
Digital banking infrastructure company M2P Fintech has appointed Vivek Seshadri as its Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO), as the company strengthens its leadership for the next phase of growth. In his new role, Seshadri will lead the company’s global finance organization, overseeing finance, investor relations, capital strategy, and M&A initiatives. He is also expected to play a key role in preparing M2P Fintech for a potential public market debut in the coming years. Seshadri brings over 15 years of experience across strategic finance, capital markets, business leadership, and mergers & acquisitions, having worked with global technology and financial services firms.…
Wealth-tech platform PrimeInvestor has raised ₹19.5 crore (around $2 million) in its first external funding round, led by Rainmatter, the investment arm of Zerodha. The company clarified that Rainmatter’s participation is a purely financial investment, with no strategic involvement, ensuring that PrimeInvestor continues to operate independently. Founded in 2020 by the team behind FundsIndia, PrimeInvestor initially focused on research and curated portfolio insights. However, the firm identified a gap between advisory and execution, prompting it to expand into portfolio management. To address this, the startup has launched a discretionary Portfolio Management Services (PMS) offering for investors with a minimum investment…
Audio series platform Pocket FM has elevated Lalit Gangwar to the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) as the company strengthens its leadership structure to support global expansion. In his new role, Gangwar will oversee the company’s global audio business, including market expansion, growth, monetisation, and execution. A founding member of Pocket FM, Gangwar played a key role in building its India growth playbook, helping scale the platform to 150 million users within its first year. He later led the company’s US expansion, setting up teams and driving growth in international markets. The appointment comes as Pocket FM focuses on…
South Korean tech giants KRAFTON Inc. and Naver Corporation have partnered with Mirae Asset Venture Investments to officially launch a ₹6,000 crore India focused Unicorn Growth Fund, marking one of the largest Asia backed capital pools for Indian startups. The launch follows a high level meeting attended by Piyush Goyal, Republic of Korea’s Trade Minister Jung Kwan Kim, and senior leadership from KRAFTON, Naver, and Mirae Asset. The fund will target growth stage Indian startups across four key sectors: The initiative aims to back category leading Indian startups with global ambitions, while leveraging KRAFTON and Naver’s expertise in gaming, platforms,…
India’s economy is projected to grow at 6.4% in 2026 and 6.6% in 2027, according to a report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). The report noted that India’s growth reached 7.4% in 2025, supported by strong rural consumption, GST rate cuts, and export frontloading ahead of US tariff changes. However, economic activity moderated in the second half of 2025 as exports to the United States declined by 25% following the imposition of higher tariffs. Despite this, the services sector remained a key growth driver. Inflation in India is projected at 4.4%…
Amazon.com Inc. will invest an additional $5 billion in AI startup Anthropic, with the potential to scale investments up to $20 billion, as part of a broader $100 billion cloud and infrastructure partnership. Anthropic, the company behind the Claude AI chatbot, plans to spend over $100 billion over the next decade on Amazon’s cloud technologies, including its Trainium AI chips and infrastructure through Amazon Web Services (AWS). The move deepens ties between the two firms as competition intensifies in the global AI race. Amazon had already invested $8 billion in Anthropic prior to this round. For Amazon, the partnership strengthens…
India’s largest private sector lender HDFC Bank has indicated a measured outlook for FY27, citing geopolitical uncertainties, even as it aims to sustain the growth momentum achieved in FY26. The bank reported 12% year-on-year credit growth in FY26, a significant improvement over 5.4% growth in FY25, although slightly below its earlier guidance of matching system wide credit growth. Managing Director and CEO Sashidhar Jagdishan said the bank remains focused on “responsible growth”, avoiding excessive expansion that could create future risks. Deputy MD Kaizad Bharucha added that while growth momentum is expected to continue, the bank will remain cautious given evolving…
Personal care startup Clarity Labs has raised over ₹4 crore in a seed funding round led by Artha Venture Fund II, with participation from angel investors, at a pre-money valuation of ₹20 crore. The company plans to use the funds to accelerate product development, expand into new categories, and scale its omnichannel distribution across D2C, marketplaces, and quick commerce platforms. Founded in November 2025 by Karan Dokras, Clarity Labs focuses on functional, daily-use skincare solutions tailored for Indian consumers, with an emphasis on simplicity and effectiveness. The brand aims to address challenges in India’s personal care market, where consumers often…