In a major boost to India’s rapidly expanding artificial intelligence ecosystem, Haptik co-founder Aakrit Vaish and Together Fund’s former principal Pratyush Choudhury have launched Activate, a $75 million venture fund dedicated to backing early stage AI startups. The fund aims to empower founders building at the earliest stages, including those still at the ideation phase. Activate will invest between $500K and $3 million per company, reflecting the founders’ belief that India is entering a generational AI wave where early technical innovation needs strong capital and hands on mentorship. The fund has attracted a global roster of influential LPs from the…
Author: Adarsh Kumar
Deepinder Goyal, the founder and CEO of Zomato, is one of India’s most remarkable entrepreneurs. His journey from a small town in Punjab to building a multi billion dollar food tech giant has inspired millions of young founders and startup dreamers. Today, Zomato is not just a food delivery company. it’s a global brand known for innovation, customer first thinking, and continuous reinvention. Early Life and the Birth of Zomato Deepinder graduated from IIT Delhi and started his career at Bain & Company. While working there, he noticed how employees struggled with physical restaurant menus during lunch hours. This simple…
Wonderchef, the premium kitchenware and home appliances brand co-founded by Ravi Saxena and celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor, recorded steady financial growth in FY25 with an improvement in profitability, according to its filings with the Registrar of Companies. The company’s operating revenue rose 11% to Rs 421 crore in FY25, compared to Rs 378 crore in FY24, driven by strong omnichannel sales across retail outlets, e-commerce marketplaces, and quick-commerce platforms. Wonderchef’s broad portfolio spanning non stick cookware, pans, air fryers, chimneys, flasks, and other kitchen appliances remained its sole source of revenue. An additional Rs 2 crore in interest income pushed…
Subscription-based furniture rental company Furlenco has raised Rs 125 crore ($15 million) in a fresh funding round led by Sheela Foam Limited, with additional investment from Whiteoak and Madhu Kela. The capital infusion marks Sheela Foam’s first follow-on investment since acquiring a 35 percent stake in Furlenco in July 2023 for Rs 300 crore. The newly raised funds will enable the Bengaluru based company to expand its product portfolio, strengthen omnichannel distribution, and scale operations as it moves toward public-market readiness. Furlenco confirmed that it is preparing for a potential IPO in the coming years, supported by improving business fundamentals…
The government has defended its directive requiring smartphone manufacturers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app, stating that the mandate involves no privacy or surveillance risks and is backed by strong legal provisions under the Telecom Cybersecurity Rules 2024, notified through the Telecommunications Act 2023. Government officials said the app has seen an explosive rise in adoption, recording a tenfold jump in daily downloads from nearly 60,000 to 6 lakh per day following the order issued on November 28. Even before the mandate, 1.5 crore users had already downloaded Sanchar Saathi, reflecting rising public interest in fraud protection and mobile number…
Fireside Ventures has announced the final close of its fourth fund at Rs 2,265 crore ($253 million), strengthening its position as one of India’s most influential early-stage consumer-focused venture capital firms. The fund was raised through a combination of a GIFT City feeder fund and an India master fund, and will support founders building innovative, scalable consumer brands across diverse categories. Fund IV has attracted commitments from a strong mix of Indian and global investors, including major names such as Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD), US university endowments, HarbourVest, Waterfield, Fidelity International, Sharrp Ventures, Mirabilis,…
Moonrider, the Bengaluru based electric tractor startup, has secured $6 million in its Series A funding round led by pi Ventures, with participation from Singularity AMC and existing backers Advantedge Founders and Micelio Fund. The fresh capital marks a significant milestone for the young agritech company as it prepares to scale from pilot projects to full fledged commercial deployment. This funding follows Moonrider’s earlier $2.2 million seed round raised in January 2024, co-led by Advantedge Founders and Micelio Technology Fund, along with several angel investors. The combined investment strengthens the company’s ability to build and deploy next generation agricultural machinery…
Aravind Srinivas, the CEO and co-founder of Perplexity AI, is redefining the way the world searches for information. Born and raised in Chennai, Aravind showed early brilliance, eventually cracking IIT Madras, one of India’s most competitive engineering institutes. Driven by a fascination for Artificial Intelligence and machine learning, he went on to pursue his PhD at UC Berkeley, one of the world’s top research universities. His journey inspires millions of Indians dreaming of building world-class tech startups. Learning From the Best AI Labs Before Perplexity AI, Aravind worked at Google DeepMind, OpenAI, and Anthropic, where he gained deep insights into…
The IPO of Exato Technologies witnessed extraordinary investor demand on the final day of bidding, with the issue receiving a massive 731.28 times subscription as of 2:30 pm, according to data available on the BSE SME platform. The overwhelming response places Exato among the most aggressively subscribed SME IPOs of the year. Meanwhile, the grey market premium (GMP) for Exato Technologies continued its sharp upward trajectory. Platforms tracking grey market activity indicated a strong premium of ₹150 per share. Data from Investorgain pegs the GMP at ₹150, signalling potential listing gains of just over 107%, while IPO Watch reported a…
Home loan startup ambak has initiated its Series A funding round, seAmbak Raises ₹69 Crore Series A Led by Peak XV & Z47; Valuation Jumps 76%curing ₹69 crore (approximately $7.84 million) in a tranche co-led by existing investors Peak XV Partners and Z47 (formerly Matrix Partners). The round also saw participation from DeVC, Advantage Technology Fund, Calabasas Ventures, AngelList, and a group of prominent angel investors. This fresh capital infusion comes shortly after Ambak announced a $7 million Seed and Pre-Series A round in January 2025, also led by Peak XV Partners. The continued backing from institutional investors highlights sustained…