Drug discovery startup Peptris has raised ₹70 crore (approximately $7.7 million) in a Series A funding round co-led by IAN Alpha Fund and Speciale Invest. The round also saw participation from Tenacity Ventures, BYT Ventures, and other investors. The Bengaluru based company will deploy the fresh capital to advance its existing drug development programs toward clinical readiness over the next 24 months. The funding will also support pipeline expansion and strengthen its teams across biology, chemistry, data science, and artificial intelligence. Founded in 2019 by Narayanan Venkatasubramanian, Shridhar Narayanan, Anand Budni, and Amit Mahajan, Peptris is building an AI-powered drug…
Author: Adarsh Kumar
Asset manager ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund has crossed the 5% shareholding mark in Brainbees Solutions, the parent company of FirstCry, following a fresh purchase of shares through its mutual fund schemes. According to a regulatory filing, the fund acquired 2,00,210 equity shares of Brainbees on February 16, 2026, for approximately ₹4.6 crore. Post-acquisition, ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund’s total holding increased to 2,62,47,897 shares, representing a 5.028% stake in the company. Prior to this transaction, the mutual fund held 2,60,47,687 shares, or 4.990% of Brainbees’ paid-up capital. The latest purchase accounts for an incremental 0.038% stake in the company, taking it…
Bootstrapped wearables brand GoBoult Audio delivered a sharp improvement in profitability in FY25, even as India’s broader wearables market slowed after years of hyper growth. While several large players reported flat or declining topline performance, GoBoult managed to post double digit revenue growth alongside a tenfold jump in net profit. According to its filings with the Registrar of Companies (RoC), GoBoult’s revenue from operations rose 10% year-on-year to ₹763 crore in FY25 from ₹697 crore in FY24. Though growth moderated compared to the previous fiscal, sustaining expansion in a cooling market highlights the company’s disciplined approach. Cost Control Drives Margin…
ValueQuest Investment Advisors has raised a ₹2,000 crore private equity fund focused on advanced manufacturing sectors including aerospace, defence, and energy transition, marking one of the largest rupee denominated sector focused pools in this space. The Mumbai-based investment firm said its new fund, ValueQuest Tristar, surpassed its initial target corpus of ₹1,500 crore and activated a ₹500 crore greenshoe option, taking the total size to ₹2,000 crore. The fund is backed entirely by domestic limited partners (LPs) and is expected to complete fundraising within the current calendar year. Focus on Advanced Manufacturing and Strategic Sectors The fund will invest in…
Frissly began with a simple insight: most packaged foods claiming to be “healthy” were actually full of refined ingredients, synthetic additives, and factory driven processes. Consumers were being sold marketing, not nutrition. This gap inspired Frissly to build a certified organic brand grounded in transparency, clean labels, and kitchen made integrity. Commitment to Quality, No Shortcuts From day one, Frissly prioritized quality over speed. Building a certified organic supply chain in India came with hurdles limited certified farms, inconsistent raw materials, and supply volatility. Achieving taste, shelf-life, and affordability without preservatives required over two years of R&D, testing thousands of…
FMCG major Dabur has elevated its Group Chief Executive Officer Mohit Malhotra to the position of Global CEO, while appointing Herjit Bhalla as Chief Executive Officer for its India business. The leadership transition marks a strategic shift aimed at strengthening Dabur’s international footprint while sharpening focus on its core domestic operations. Bhalla, currently Vice President Canada & Global Customers at The Hershey Company, will assume the India CEO role effective April 15. With extensive experience in global confectionery and consumer brands, Bhalla is expected to drive growth across Dabur’s India portfolio amid evolving consumption trends and increasing competitive intensity in…
Wealthtech startup Stable Money has secured $25 million in a pre-Series C funding round led by Peak XV Partners at a valuation of $175 million. The round also saw participation from Z47 (formerly Matrix Partners), RTP Global, and Fundamentum Partnership, reinforcing continued investor confidence in India’s fast growing digital savings ecosystem. Founded in 2022 by Saurabh Jain and Harish Reddy, the Bengaluru based company operates a fixed income investment platform enabling users to invest in bank fixed deposits, bonds under its Stable Bonds offering, and other low-risk instruments. The platform allows individuals to digitally compare, invest in, and manage fixed-income…
Venture capital firm Peak XV has invested in five early-stage artificial intelligence startups at the Impact AI PitchFest, organised as part of the India AI Impact Summit 2026. The announcement was made during the pitch event where selected founders presented their products before a gathering of investors, operators, and ecosystem leaders. The startups that secured backing include Companion Labs, Kello, Memfold AI, Round1, and Zoop each building AI-first products targeting distinct but high growth use cases across consumer, enterprise, and workforce automation segments. AI Across Consumer, Hiring and Knowledge Work Companion Labs is focused on building interactive, entertainment driven AI…
Digital lending platform Fibe (formerly EarlySalary) delivered a strong financial performance in FY25, with operating revenue rising 49% year-on-year to ₹1,228 crore, compared to ₹824 crore in FY24. The company also reported a 13% increase in net profit to ₹114 crore during the fiscal year ended March 2025. The performance precedes the impact of its recent $35 million Series F funding round led by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which is expected to reflect in FY26 growth metrics. Interest Income Drives Growth Founded in 2015 by Akshay Mehrotra and Ashish Goyal, Fibe offers personal loans, long-term loans, loans against mutual…
Delhi based venture capital firm Udtara Ventures has announced the launch of a ₹250 crore Udtara Growth Fund aimed at scaling defence, aerospace, and deep-tech companies with global ambitions. The newly launched fund will focus on taking meaningful ownership stakes in growth stage startups building patented and commercially deployable technologies. The fund plans to invest in 8 to 10 companies operating across defence, aerospace, and dual use technology domains. Udtara will target startups that have achieved product market fit (PMF), secured confirmed order books, and are seeking a structured mix of equity and debt capital to scale operations efficiently. Focus…