India’s messaging landscape is seeing a fresh challenger: Arattai, a homegrown messaging app by Zoho, is gaining momentum amid growing interest in digital sovereignty. But how does it stack up against established giant WhatsApp? Here’s a breakdown. Feature Comparison User Reach & Momentum WhatsApp is entrenched — billions of users globally, with deep penetration across India’s digital fabric. Arattai, meanwhile, has surged in downloads, briefly topping India’s app store charts amid a wave of local support and visibility. Choosing Between Them For users prioritizing privacy, local control, and civilian support for domestic tech, Arattai presents a compelling alternative — especially…
Author: Aman Atulya
VBAP Holdings Private Limited has sold a 23.6% stake in co-working solutions provider Awfis, according to a corporate disclosure on the National Stock Exchange. The investment and holding firm offloaded 9,96,307 shares at Rs 570.12 per share, raising Rs 56.8 crore in the transaction. As of March 2025, VBAP held 42,17,712 shares, constituting 5.92% of Awfis’ total captable. The sale marks another liquidity move from institutional investors in the co-working segment, following QRG Investments’ bulk deal last week, which involved shares worth Rs 22 crore. Founded as one of India’s early co-working operators, Awfis has been expanding its footprint across…
Creative solutions firm Wit & Chai Group has closed its seed funding round at a valuation of Rs 40 crore. While the investment amount remains undisclosed, the round saw participation from leading industry figures including Rohan Vijay Mantri (Promoter, Mantri Landmarks), Sanjay Katkar (MD, Quickheal Technologies), Monish Darda (CTO & Co-Founder, Icertis), and Satyen Patel (MD, Sahyadri Industries). Funding Snapshot The fresh capital will be directed towards scaling Wit & Chai’s presence across global markets, expanding service verticals, and building proprietary intellectual property. Strategic Roadmap The company has outlined a three-pillar growth plan. Founders’ Edge Co-founder Nahush Gulawani emphasized that…
The Karnataka Commercial Court has issued an interim injunction restraining consumer electronics brand Boult from using its recently launched “GoBoult” mark, following a complaint filed by DPAC Ventures LLP, the owner of brands GoBold, GoJolt, and Govo. DPAC argued that “GoBoult” was deceptively similar to its registered trademark “GoBold,” which is valid until 2031, creating the risk of consumer confusion and amounting to infringement and passing off. The company also alleged that Boult manipulated online search results to divert queries for “GoBold” toward its own “GoBoult” products. Boult secured the “GoBoult” trademark in 2023, but DPAC said it only discovered…
GrowXCD Finance, a startup lender serving micro, small, and marginal enterprises (MSMEs) as well as salaried employees, has raised Rs 200 crore in a fresh funding round led by Blue Earth Capital and Prosus Ventures. Blue Earth Capital contributed Rs 105 crore, while Prosus invested Rs 70 crore. This marks GrowXCD’s second equity infusion this year. In January, the company raised Rs 50 crore from Lok Capital and UC Impower. Lok Capital, which first invested in November 2023, increased its stake with Rs 21 crore, bringing its total investment to approximately Rs 93 crore, making it the largest shareholder. UC…
Aajjo Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd., India’s largest and fastest-growing B2B marketplace, has taken a bold step forward with a refreshed brand identity and a new corporate office in Delhi. The company announced the launch of its modernized logo, symbolizing innovation, connectivity, and trust, along with a state-of-the-art workspace designed to support its rapid expansion. Since its inception, Aajjo has been a pioneer in transforming the way businesses trade in India, connecting manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and buyers through a secure and user-friendly platform. The rebranding reflects the company’s evolution, future vision, and its promise to continue empowering Indian businesses with smarter…
Building materials marketplace Infra.Market has filed its initial public offering (IPO) papers confidentially with SEBI, signalling plans to raise around ₹5,000 crore ($563 million) through a mix of fresh issue and offer for sale (OFS). The move follows Infra.Market’s recent Series G raise of ₹731.58 crore at a valuation of $2.8 billion. Infra.Market, founded in 2016 by Souvik Sengupta and Aaditya Sharda, operates a B2B marketplace for construction materials, and increasingly also manufactures under private label brands. Over the years, the firm has backed its expansion via acquisitions; in July, it acquired a majority stake in ceramic tiles maker Metro…
Aravind Srinivas, CEO and cofounder of AI search startup Perplexity, urged Indian entrepreneurs to reimagine their role not just as managers of global firms, but as builders of companies that start in India and scale worldwide. Srinivas made these remarks in an interview with The Economic Times. An IIT-Madras alumnus, Srinivas leads one of Silicon Valley’s most closely watched AI ventures, valued at $20 billion, and backed by investors including Jeff Bezos, SoftBank Vision Fund, and Nvidia. Perplexity’s Indian market has seen rapid adoption, partly driven by a partnership with Bharti Airtel bundling its Pro service with telecom plans. Srinivas…
SuperFam, a privacy-first family management platform, has raised $400,000 in a pre-seed funding round led by Fundamental VC, with participation from Untitled Ventures and SSV Fund. The capital will be used to accelerate user acquisition, expand product features, and integrate an AI co-pilot to complement its core platform. Founded in 2024 by Jozzire Lyngdoh and Mohit Agrawal, SuperFam offers a comprehensive solution for modern family life, combining household finances, location tracking, safety tools, and essential family information management on a single secure platform. The app uses end-to-end encryption and on-device storage, ensuring privacy while providing a smart digital layer that…
Enterprise messaging platform Fyno has secured $4 million in a seed funding round co-led by Arkam Ventures and 3one4 Capital. The Bengaluru-based startup had previously raised $3.89 million in the same round from 3one4 Capital. Founded in 2022 by Aniketh Jain and Ashish Agarwal, Fyno provides a compliance-first communication infrastructure for banks, NBFCs, and financial services firms. The platform integrates, orchestrates, and analyzes messages across eight+ channels, including SMS, WhatsApp, email, push notifications, and voice. By unifying communications, Fyno enables personalized, timely, and regulatory-compliant customer experiences. The funding will be deployed to enhance AI capabilities, scale go-to-market operations in India…