Sydney, July 30 – Sometimes, revolutions begin in silence. For Dr. Akram Ahmad, it began in the backseat of an Uber in Australia. He was pursuing his PhD in pharmacy in Sydney when he struck up a conversation with the driver an Indian man who had taken a ₹40 lakh education loan to study abroad. But after graduation, he was driving cabs. Not because he lacked skill. But because he didn’t know how to navigate the licensing system to become a pharmacist in Australia. That conversation stuck. It wasn’t just one man’s struggle. It was a systemic blind spot. Indian…
Author: Aman Atulya
New Delhi | July 30, 2025: Open-source billing platform FlexPrice has raised ₹4.1 crore ($500K) in a pre-seed round led by TDV Partners, with participation from angels including the co-founders of Magicpin, Innovaccer, and Aftershoot. Problem/SolutionB2B SaaS pricing has long been a blind spot manual, messy, and hard to scale. FlexPrice, founded in 2024, is tackling this by building an open-source, developer-first billing and metering platform for modern, usage-based SaaS. It offers APIs that support flexible models like seat-based, pay-as-you-go, and credit-based pricing critical for emerging AI-native and agentic platforms. Use of FundsThe fresh capital will be used to expand…
New Delhi, July 2025 — Health-focused VC firm W Health Ventures has announced the launch of its second fund, targeting $70 million (₹585 crore) to invest in early-stage healthtech startups across India and the US. The fund aims to deepen W Health’s commitment to tech-driven healthcare delivery, building on the firm’s previous $30 million Fund I. Funding Snapshot Solving Systemic Health Gaps W Health Ventures is founded by Sunil Wadhwani, co-founder of Mastech Digital and IGATE. The firm backs startups addressing critical healthcare challenges—access, affordability, and quality of care. In India, this often translates to virtual care delivery, chronic disease…
Gurugram, July 2025 — Travel-tech major MakeMyTrip has partnered with Premier Inn, the UK’s largest hotel chain, to list over 900 properties across Britain for Indian travellers. The strategic alliance strengthens MakeMyTrip’s outbound hotel inventory at a time when long-haul travel from India is sharply rebounding. Targeting Trust in Cross-Border Travel With rising demand from Indian tourists to the UK and Europe, MakeMyTrip is enhancing its direct contracting model to offer verified, value-driven accommodation options. Premier Inn, known for its standardised mid-market stays, operates 800+ hotels and around 77,000 rooms across the UK. The partnership ensures that MakeMyTrip users can…
New Delhi, July 2025 — Electric mobility startup Baaz Bikes has raised ₹19.08 crore (approx. $2.2 million) in a follow-on Series A round from existing investors Big Capital, Rakuten Capital, Kalaari Capital, and Panjrath Group, valuing the company at approximately ₹278 crore post-money. Building an EV System for Gig Workers Launched by IIT Delhi alumni, Baaz Bikes is building a full-stack ecosystem for gig delivery workers combining purpose built electric scooters, battery-swapping stations, and a controlled hardware-software loop. The goal: reduce downtime, remove charging friction, and improve unit economics for India’s growing delivery workforce. The startup previously raised $8 million…
After 36 years of building from within, an IIM-Lucknow grad just stepped into one of the biggest CEO chairs in the world. Shailesh Jejurikar, a Mumbai native and IIM Lucknow alumnus, will take over as the Global CEO of Procter & Gamble (P&G) starting January 1, 2026 making him the first Indian-born leader to helm the $400B consumer goods giant in its 187-year history. Jejurikar joined P&G in 1989 as an assistant brand manager in India. Over the next three decades, he held key roles across North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America, eventually becoming Chief Operating Officer (COO) in…
While most edtech platforms chase students, Finalrope is empowering the real decision makers schools. In a bold, Bharat-first move, Finalrope has launched a 100% free Smart School ERP to help Indian schools go paperless, error-free, and fully digital with zero upfront cost. Designed to streamline how schools manage students, staff, fees, classes, and exams, this all-in-one platform offers a scalable solution for institutions across Tier 1 to Tier 3 cities. “We’re not just building software. We’re rebuilding the school experience from the inside out with trust, not transactions,” says the Finalrope team. Thousands of schools have already adopted the ERP…
From pitch decks to playbooks Sharpsell.ai is scripting a new chapter in sales automation. In a significant move for the sales enablement sector, Sharpsell.ai, a SaaS-based sales playbook automation platform, has raised ₹30 crore in a Series A funding round. Leading the investment is Equentis Angel Fund, contributing ₹10 crore to the round. What’s Sharpsell.ai? Founded in 2022, Sharpsell.ai offers AI-driven tools designed to enhance the performance of frontline sales teams. Their platform provides: These tools are already in use by lakhs of field sales representatives across more than 30 Indian companies, including notable names like LIC, Axis Bank, IDFC…
From startup story to stock market debut Lenskart is ready to go public. India’s leading omnichannel eyewear brand Lenskart has officially filed its DRHP with SEBI, aiming to raise ₹2,150 crore via fresh issue, while existing investors will offload up to 13.2 crore shares through an Offer for Sale (OFS). The IPO will also serve as a partial exit for major global investors:SoftBank will offload 2.55 Cr shares, Temasek 78.5 lakh, and Schroders Capital, PI Opportunities Fund, Kedaara Capital, and Alpha Wave will also trim stakes. Among the promoters, Peyush Bansal will sell 2.05 Cr shares, while co-founders Neha Bansal,…
Your Story Is the First Product: Founders in the early days of a startup, no one knows what you’re building.No one cares about your pitch deck.And no one’s Googling your startup name. But they might Google you. That’s why in 2025, personal branding is not a nice-to-have — it’s a non-negotiable. Before Your Product Gets Noticed, You Have To Let’s say you’re building a B2B SaaS product in stealth.You’ve got a lean MVP. You’ve onboarded 12 test users.But your next customer? Your next investor?They’re not going to find you through search. They’re going to find you through signal — and…