Online kids essentials platform Basil has raised $2 million (approximately Rs 16.6 crore) in a pre-Series A funding round led by Prime Venture Partners, with participation from existing investors Appreciate Capital and IIMA Ventures. The round comes two years after Basil raised Rs 3.6 crore in seed funding in February 2024. The fresh capital will be used to expand into new product categories such as bags and water bottles, strengthen supply chain operations, and hire leadership and product talent. The company is targeting Rs 100 crore in annual recurring revenue (ARR) by FY27. Building a digital-first platform for kids essentials…
Author: Aman Atulya
Funding led by Vertex with strong investor backing Creator commerce startup Wishlink has raised $17.5 million (approximately Rs 145 crore) in a Series B funding round led by Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India, with participation from existing investors Fundamentum and Elevation Capital. The round comes two years after Wishlink raised $7 million in February 2024, following its $3 million seed round in October 2022. The fresh capital will be used to expand creator and brand partnerships while strengthening its technology infrastructure across consumers, creators, and brands. Building infrastructure for influencer-led shopping Founded in 2022 by Shaurya Gupta, Divyansh Ameta,…
As many as 86 countries and two international organisations have signed the declaration at the India AI Impact Summit, marking broad global support for a coordinated and responsible approach to artificial intelligence development. The declaration was endorsed by major economies including the US, UK, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Egypt, and Indonesia, highlighting growing international alignment on AI governance. Global Endorsement of Human-Centric and Inclusive AI Principles Ashwini Vaishnaw, India’s Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, said the declaration reflects global acceptance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s human-centric AI vision. He emphasised that democratising AI access and ensuring its benefits reach…
Zscaler and Bharti Airtel have partnered to launch the AI & Cyber Threat Research Centre – India, a national initiative aimed at strengthening cyber resilience and accelerating the adoption of trusted artificial intelligence across critical sectors. The centre will focus on protecting industries such as telecommunications, banking, and energy, which are essential to India’s economic and national security. National Collaboration Platform to Build Cybersecurity Ecosystem The research centre will serve as a multi-stakeholder collaboration platform involving private companies, public institutions, academia, and government agencies. The initiative is designed to strengthen India’s cyber defense capabilities while building a future-ready cybersecurity talent…
Microsoft has appointed Indian-origin executive Asha Sharma as Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of its gaming division. She will succeed longtime Xbox head Phil Spencer, who is retiring after nearly four decades at the company. Sharma will report directly to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and lead the company’s global gaming strategy, platform expansion, and content ecosystem. Focus on Strengthening Xbox Platform and Global Gaming Presence Sharma said her leadership will focus on recommitting to core Xbox users, empowering game studios, and investing in iconic franchises. She emphasised expanding into new markets and categories while prioritising meaningful gaming experiences.…
Peak XV Partners has closed $1.3 billion in fresh capital commitments across its India Seed, India Venture, and Asia Pacific funds. This marks the firm’s first major fundraise since separating from Sequoia Capital and reinforces its commitment to backing startups across early, venture, and growth stages. Focus on supporting category-defining founders The firm said the new capital, along with uninvested funds from its existing growth vehicle, will strengthen its ability to support founders building category-defining companies. Peak XV has maintained a long-term investment strategy focused on identifying outlier founders and supporting them across multiple growth stages. AI driving new investment…
Inflection Point Ventures Backs SaaS Platform Powering Rapid Loan Launches SaaS-based lending infrastructure startup Roopya has raised ₹4 crore in a seed funding round led by Inflection Point Ventures. The company plans to use the capital to strengthen its Lending-as-a-Service platform and expand embedded finance capabilities for NBFCs and fintech lenders. The funding comes at a time when financial institutions are increasingly adopting infrastructure-led platforms to accelerate loan deployment and improve operational efficiency. No-Code Lending Stack Enables Rapid Loan Deployment Founded by Sudipta Kumar Ghosh and Raman Vig, Roopya offers a no-code, AI-powered Lending-as-a-Service stack that enables lenders to launch…
Pilot Enables Users to Shop on Zomato, Swiggy, and Zepto via AI Conversations Razorpay and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) have partnered to introduce Agentic Payments on Claude, enabling users to complete purchases directly within AI conversations. The offering, unveiled at the India AI Impact Summit, is currently in pilot with a limited set of users. The integration allows users to order food, groceries, and daily essentials from platforms such as Zomato, Swiggy, and Zepto without leaving the AI interface. UPI Reserve Pay Enables Secure Agent-Led Transactions The platform combines Razorpay’s Agentic Payments infrastructure with NPCI’s UPI ecosystem…
$5 billion commitment announced at India AI Impact Summit US-based venture capital firm General Catalyst has announced plans to invest $5 billion in India over the next five years. The announcement was made during the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, signalling one of the largest long-term capital commitments by a global venture capital firm in the Indian startup ecosystem. Focus on AI, healthcare, fintech, defence, and industrial tech General Catalyst CEO Hemant Taneja said the investment will be deployed across sectors including artificial intelligence, healthcare, fintech, defence, and industrial technology. Beyond funding startups, the firm also plans to…
In many rural and semi-urban schools across India, teaching still competes with paperwork. Attendance registers are manual. Fee records sit in physical files. Communication flows through fragmented messaging apps. Teachers often spend more time managing operations than mentoring students. This operational imbalance rarely makes headlines, but it shapes student outcomes every day. A Founder’s Realisation and the Birth of Inkrant The founder, a Computer Science graduate who completed his Master’s degree in the United States, began reflecting on his own academic journey. He recognised that his growth was shaped by teachers who had the time to guide him. However, in…