As oil prices rise amid the Iran conflict, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to reduce fuel use, gold buying, and foreign travel signals a larger shift in India’s economic priorities. Why is India suddenly talking about cutting consumption? India’s economy has long depended on strong domestic consumption to sustain growth. But rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are now exposing one of the country’s biggest vulnerabilities: dependence on imported energy. With the Iran conflict disrupting global oil sentiment, crude prices have surged, placing pressure on inflation, the rupee, and India’s fiscal stability. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently urged citizens…
Author: Aman Atulya
India’s IT employee body NITES has urged the Labour Ministry to mandate work-from-home for the country’s 5.8 million IT workforce, aligning its demand with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent call for austerity measures to reduce fuel consumption and non-essential travel amid global uncertainties. The organisation argued that encouraging remote work can significantly cut fuel usage, traffic congestion, and commuting costs while also supporting employee well-being and productivity. Remote Work Debate Gains Fresh Momentum NITES has reportedly asked the government to introduce a formal framework enabling flexible and remote work policies for the IT and IT-enabled services sector. The body believes…
SaveIN, one of India’s fastest-growing fintech platforms, has announced its expansion into the premium sleep and wellness segment through a strategic partnership with Duroflex, a leading sleep solutions brand. The move marks another step in SaveIN’s evolution beyond healthcare financing into high-value, aspiration-led categories. Through this collaboration, customers across Duroflex’s experience centres and retail network in 50+ cities can purchase mattresses, beds, furniture, and sleep accessories—including the newly launched Airboost mattress range—using instant No-Cost EMIs. The financing process is enabled through a 30-second digital approval, fully paperless, and completed in-store via a QR-based checkout, eliminating purchase friction. Extending Embedded Finance…
SportVot has raised Rs 32.7 crore in a funding round led by IAN Alpha Fund, with participation from Anicut Capital, Let’s Venture, Capital A, Succeed Innovation, Garima Vohra, and Gaurav Chanana. The Mumbai-based startup had earlier raised Rs 9.4 crore in February 2024, reflecting continued investor confidence in its growth trajectory. Capital to drive global expansion and AI capabilities The fresh funds will be used to expand internationally and further invest in AI-led production and distribution capabilities, strengthening its position in the sports streaming ecosystem. Building infrastructure for grassroots sports streaming Founded in 2019 by Sidhhant Agarwal, Shubhangi Gupta, and…
In an era where digital connectivity is at its peak yet meaningful direction remains scarce, KonnectX is positioning itself as a purpose-led platform designed to reshape how India’s students learn, connect, and grow. Built with a deep understanding of Gen Z behavior and aspirations, the platform aims to solve a growing gap between access to information and access to real opportunities. Founders’ Vision: Solving the Direction Gap Founded by Kundan Singh Rajput along with co-founder Kunal Kumar Singh, KonnectX is not just another social networking app. It is envisioned as a unified ecosystem that combines social interaction, skill development, mentorship,…
Indians lost ₹22,495 crore to cyber fraud in 2025 in officially reported cases and I4C projects the true scale at over ₹1.2 lakh crore, roughly ₹1,000 crore drained from Indian citizens every month. The threat surface is expanding faster than the country’s defenses can adapt. Fraud no longer targets institutions alone it reaches every smartphone, every UPI transaction, every regional-language SMS. The technology layer that should sit between Indian users and this threat does not yet exist at national scale. IronTrex CyberTechnology, the Hyderabad-based deep-tech company founded by 2 friends Tarun Y & Aakhil M and led by CEO Aakhil…
Oolka has raised Rs 130 crore (nearly $14 million) in a Series A round, led by Accel India, with participation from Lightspeed and Z47 (formerly Matrix Partners). The round also saw participation from Meesho co-founders Vidit Aatrey and Sanjeev Barnwal. The Bengaluru-based startup is now valued at around Rs 730 crore ($87.6 million) post-money. Capital to drive expansion and platform growth The funds will be used to support expansion, capital expenditure, and general corporate purposes, as the company scales its AI-led credit platform. Regulatory filings show Accel invested Rs 87.22 crore, while Lightspeed and Z47 contributed ~Rs 20.8 crore each.…
Rocklink India has established its first integrated recycling facility at the UPSIDC industrial area in Uttar Pradesh, focusing on processing lithium-ion batteries, rare earth magnets, and metal-bearing industrial waste. The facility is designed to support material recovery and strengthen circular supply chains for critical raw materials, an area gaining strategic importance as India scales electric mobility and electronics manufacturing. Capacity Expansion Across Batteries and Rare Earth Processing The plant has an initial lithium-ion battery recycling capacity of 10,000 tonnes per year, along with rare earth magnet dismantling and processing capacity of 60 tonnes per month. Rocklink also plans to commission…
STCH has raised $7 million (around Rs 66 crore) in a pre-Series A funding round led by Omnivore, with participation from Kae Capital and WVC. The funding highlights rising investor interest in AI-led transformation of textile manufacturing and supply chains. Capital to build R&D and expand AI capabilities The proceeds will be used to expand AI capabilities, set up a fabric R&D lab, deepen manufacturing partnerships, and scale delivery across key global markets. The company is focusing on strengthening both its technology and supply-side infrastructure. Building a CDMO platform for fashion brands Founded in 2025 by former Zetwerk executives Narahari…
LightFury Games has raised $11 million (approx. Rs 103 crore) in a pre-Series A round led by Blume Ventures, V3 Ventures, MIXI, and Times Internet, with participation from cricketers including MS Dhoni, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and others. The company had earlier raised $8.5 million in April 2024, reflecting strong investor conviction in India’s emerging AAA gaming ecosystem. Capital to build flagship title and live ops stack The fresh funds will be used to complete development of its flagship game, eCricket, and build a live operations stack, including post-launch content pipelines—critical for sustaining engagement in modern gaming ecosystems. Building AAA…