Ola’s AI arm Krutrim has taken its consumer facing assistant Kruti AI offline, with the service currently inaccessible across both web and mobile platforms, according to multiple reports. The Kruti app has been removed from app stores, while its web interface is also non-functional. Users visiting the website are shown a message stating: “We’ll be back soon. Kruti AI is currently under maintenance,” indicating a service disruption. The assistant also appears to be non-operational within Ola’s ecosystem. Launched in 2025, Kruti was built on Krutrim’s in-house model Krutrim V2, a 12-billion parameter AI model, and was designed to handle tasks…
Author: Adarsh Kumar
Quick-service home platform Snabbit has appointed Abhinav Ankur as its Chief Business Officer (CBO) to lead business expansion as the company scales its presence in India’s fast growing home services market. Ankur brings experience across consumer internet and logistics platforms, having held leadership roles at OYO and WheelsEye, where he drove business growth, operational scale, and category expansion. He joins Snabbit at a crucial stage as the company transitions from early traction to structured market leadership in a largely underpenetrated segment. Founded in 2024, Snabbit connects households with trained professionals for services like cleaning, dishwashing, and laundry, with providers available…
Polaris Smart Metering Private Limited has raised ₹710 crore (around $80 million) from British International Investment (BII) for its subsidiary Hooghly Smart Metering Private Limited. The funding will be used to deploy over 2.2 million smart meters in West Bengal and expand Polaris’ advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) footprint. Polaris, a portfolio company of I Squared Capital, provides end-to-end smart metering solutions, including manufacturing, deployment, communications infrastructure, and software platforms. The company currently has an order book of around $1.1 billion, covering projects across Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Manipur, with a total of 7.5 million electric meters. It also operates…
Backpacker hostel chain The Hosteller has raised ₹150 crore (around $16 million) in a Series B funding round co-led by PROMAFT Partners and V3 Ventures, with participation from ITI Growth Opportunities Fund and Merisis Wealth Trust, along with several family offices. The Mumbai-based startup had earlier raised $5.7 million in Series A (November 2024) led by V3 Ventures, and $1 million in pre-Series A (November 2021) from FAO Ventures. The fresh capital will be used to accelerate expansion across key travel destinations, while also strengthening operational efficiencies and brand building. Founded in 2014 by Pranav Dangi, The Hosteller focuses on…
Aliste Technologies, an energy management and IoT solutions startup, has raised ₹30 crore ($3.2 million) in a pre-Series A round led by Big Global JSC, with participation from YourNest Venture Capital and HBeon Labs. The round includes a mix of equity and debt, marking an early growth push for the startup. Aliste will use the fresh funds to strengthen research in energy focused solutions and expand distribution of its enterprise offerings. Founded in 2021 by Anant Ohri, Aakarsh Nayyar, Bhavya Kansal, Konark Gautam, and Shreyansh Jain, the company provides energy monitoring and optimisation solutions for commercial spaces. The startup currently…
The Government of India has officially notified the ₹10,000 crore Startup India Fund of Funds (FoF 2.0), aimed at boosting access to venture and growth capital for deep tech startups, early stage companies, and tech driven manufacturing ventures. The new fund builds on the success of the earlier Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS 1.0), launched in 2016 under the Startup India programme. Managed by the Small Industries Development Bank of India under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), FFS 1.0 operates as an “investor for investors,” deploying capital into SEBI registered Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs).…
AI software platform Emergent is bringing its flagship hackathon, VibeCon, to India with a high-stakes opportunity for builders. The two-day event, scheduled for April 16–17 in Bengaluru, will offer the winning team a direct interview with a partner at Y Combinator. Positioned just ahead of Y Combinator’s first in-person Startup School India on April 18, the event creates a high energy week for founders, engineers, and operators to collaborate, build, and validate ideas rapidly. VibeCon India stands out for its selective format. Unlike traditional hackathons, it follows a rigorous application process to identify high potential participants capable of turning ideas…
Digital documentation and e-signature platform Leegality reported strong growth in the fiscal year ended March 2025, crossing ₹80 crore in revenue while more than doubling its profit. The Gurugram-based company’s operating revenue rose 30.3% year-on-year to ₹81.08 crore in FY25 from ₹62.22 crore in FY24. Including ₹5.52 crore from other income, its total revenue stood at ₹86.6 crore. Leegality has scaled consistently over the past two years, growing from ₹33.5 crore in FY23 to over ₹81 crore in FY25, reflecting a 2.4X increase driven by rising adoption of digital documentation and compliance solutions. The company offers digital document logistics and…
India’s roadways infrastructure has entered a high-growth phase, driven by large-scale investments, faster execution, and a strong policy push toward building world class connectivity. Over the past decade, the country has significantly expanded its national highway network under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, with total highway length crossing 1.45 lakh km. The focus has shifted from basic connectivity to high-speed, access controlled corridors that improve both efficiency and travel experience. A key driver of this transformation has been flagship programs such as Bharatmala Pariyojana and PM Gati Shakti, which aim to develop economic corridors and integrated infrastructure networks.…
Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Maharashtra government to explore investments worth $6.5 billion across multiple sectors in the state. The proposed investments will be focused on the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and other high growth areas in Maharashtra. Multi-Sector Investment Plan According to the agreement, Vingroup plans to explore opportunities across: The move marks a significant expansion of Vingroup’s India strategy after its earlier engagements in Telangana and Tamil Nadu. $5 Billion for Urban Development A major portion of the investment around $5 billion will go into developing integrated urban townships across nearly…