Author: Shashank Prakash

In a major boost to India’s venture capital landscape, Physis Capital has raised ₹200 crore in the first close of its debut fund—setting the stage to invest in more than 15 high-growth startups by mid-2025. With a sharp focus on bridging the gap between seed and Series A funding, Physis Capital is positioning itself as the go-to growth partner for emerging founders in India.This fresh capital is part of a ₹500 crore target fund, backed by prominent family offices, high-net-worth individuals, and institutional investors from India and abroad. The VC firm plans to deploy between ₹8 crore and ₹24 crore…

Bengaluru-based NBFC Techfino has raised ₹65 crore in a fresh equity round led by Stellaris Venture Partners and Saison Capital, the venture arm of Tokyo-listed Credit Saison. This capital infusion marks a major step in Techfino’s mission to strengthen financial access for micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in India’s underserved regions.The startup, founded in 2019 by former banking veterans Rajesh Panda, Jayaprakash Patra, and Ratikant Satapathy, operates across two core lending verticals: education financing and secured loans against property (LAP) for small business owners. With a sharp focus on tier 2 and 3 cities, Techfino is now doubling down on…

Gurugram-based startup Darwix AI has raised $1.5 million in a seed funding round to further its mission of transforming enterprise sales and customer service through a powerful generative AI platform. Founded in 2022 by Ajay Sethi and Hanit Awal, both IIM alumni, Darwix is building a next-gen, AI-first stack that reimagines how businesses interact with customers across channels.The investment round was led by Rebalance, Inflection Point Ventures (IPV), and JITO Incubation and Innovation Foundation, alongside Growth Sense, Growth91, and respected angel investors including Ankit Nagori, Sanjay Suri, Amit Lakhotia, and Mekin Maheshwari.Darwix AI’s platform, Transform+, offers enterprises an all-in-one generative…

Richa Srivastava is a name that shines brightly across multiple fields—Intellectual Property (IP), writing, public speaking, entrepreneurship, and even spiritual guidance. With a strong background in IP and content, Richa has already founded two startups in these domains. Her deep expertise in law and content has helped her build a solid professional identity. But her journey doesn’t stop there.In 2019, she was a finalist in an international beauty pageant, and even traveled to Greece for the grand finale, proving that beauty and brains go hand in hand. She is also a published author with an eBook on Kindle and has…

Made in India. Made for the Planet.Meet Chewie, the world’s first AI-native home appliance—engineered not in Silicon Valley, but right here in India. At a time when global giants talk about sustainability, a homegrown company, Mankomb, is building it from the ground up, one home at a time. If you’ve ever rooted for Indian innovation to take on the likes of LG and Bosch, this is your moment.A New Chapter in Indian InnovationMankomb isn’t just launching a product—it’s starting a movement. In a world facing climate urgency, Mankomb brings a breakthrough solution that makes sustainable living effortless.Chewie is more than…

Climate-tech startup Stride Green has raised $3.5 million in a seed funding round, aiming to revolutionize financing in India’s growing clean energy and electric mobility sectors. The round was led by Micelio Technology Fund, Incubate Fund Asia, and a few other strategic investors.Stride Green is building a tech-enabled asset financing and lifecycle management platform, specifically designed for climate-positive businesses. It offers leasing and financing solutions to startups and enterprises working in electric mobility, battery storage, and renewable energy. With this funding, the company plans to expand its team and strengthen its in-house technological capabilities.Founded by Ishpreet Gandhi and Vivek Jain,…

Crypto exchange platform Gemini, founded by the Winklevoss twins, has officially filed to go public, marking a major milestone in the recovery of the global cryptocurrency market. The company submitted its confidential S-1 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), signaling its intent to list on a public stock exchange in the coming months.Founded in 2014 by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, Gemini has been a key player in the digital asset ecosystem, offering cryptocurrency trading, custody, and wallet services. The move to go public comes at a time when crypto sentiment is improving globally, and regulatory clarity is…

Wealthtech platform Syfe has raised $80 million in its Series C funding round to boost its presence in the Asia-Pacific region. The latest investment includes $53 million in a new C2 tranche and adds to the $27 million raised earlier in August 2024 during its C1 round. This brings Syfe’s total funding to $132 million.The new round was led by two UK-based family offices and supported by existing investors Unbound and Valar Ventures. The company did not reveal the exact valuation but confirmed it has increased significantly.This funding comes shortly after Syfe’s acquisition of Selfwealth, one of Australia’s largest retail…

In a city that never stops building, a new kind of founder-investor experience is making itsmark.Founders x Investors Connect, happening this Sunday, 8th June at NMIMS, Vile Parle(W), Mumbai, is more than just another startup meet-up. It’s a sharp, focused, high-energyevening crafted to spark real conversations and real connections — between those buildingthe future and those backing it.The event brings together a handpicked group of founders with investors from India’sleading VC, PE, and banking networks — all in one room, all with purpose.What to Expect:This isn’t a panel-heavy, pitch-deck-watching, buzzword-buzzing kind of evening. It’saction-first and founder-focused.30-Second Founder IntroductionsEvery selected founder…

KiranaPro, a rising startup in the quick commerce space, has been hit by a big cyberattack that completely wiped out its servers and deleted sensitive customer data. The startup, which lets people order groceries from local kirana shops through a voice-based app, was preparing for major expansion — but now, it’s dealing with a serious tech crisis.The cyberattack happened between May 24 and 25. Hackers managed to break into KiranaPro’s Amazon Web Services (AWS) and GitHub accounts. All their virtual machines (used to run the app and backend systems) were deleted. Even the app code and user data — including…