Short News

Yuvrit Ayurveda bags $800K seed funding led by Incubate Fund Asia

Yuvrit Ayurveda, founded by Puroo Soni and Rahul Jhawar, raised $800K in seed funding led by Incubate Fund Asia. The investment supports Bengaluru expansion, medical training, and awareness of evidence-based Ayurveda. Combining traditional methods with modern diagnostics, Yuvrit treats chronic conditions using herbal care, Panchakarma, and lifestyle therapy. With 14 staff, it plans 30 by 2026. Competitors include Kerala Ayurveda, Jeena Sikho Lifecare, and Jiva Ayurveda.

BatteryPool raises $960K to scale its battery fleet and expand its presence across India

BatteryPool raised $960K in pre-Series A funding led by Inflection Point Ventures to scale its EV battery fleet and expand across India. Founded by Ashwin Shankar in 2020, it runs a pay-as-you-go model with IoT-enabled battery management. Managing 2,000 batteries in six cities, it monetizes battery lifecycles. With India’s EV count doubling to 4 million by FY25, demand for such solutions is rising.

Square Yards raises $35M valuing the company at $935M

Square Yards raised $35 million led by Smile Gate Group, valuing it at $935 million ahead of a ₹2,000 crore IPO in 2026. Another $100 million is expected via debt and equity. Founded in 2014, it offers real estate and mortgage services through its fintech arm, Urban Money. With ₹1,410 crore FY25 revenue and ₹46 crore EBITDA, Square Yards saw a 51% CAGR. NoBroker became a unicorn in 2021.

Ace International raises $35M to expand its dairy tech operations in Andhra Pradesh, fostering agri-partnerships & global reach

Ace International raised $35 million led by FMO, joined by ResponsAbility, Incofin, and Fiedlin Ventures. The funds will build a new manufacturing unit in Andhra Pradesh and improve its supply chain. The Kuppam facility will partner with 40,000 farmers, including women. Producing dairy ingredients, Ace exports to Bangladesh and the Philippines, with plans to expand to Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the U.S.

LightSpeed Photonics raises $6.5M to boost R&D and partnerships

LightSpeed Photonics raised $6.5M in pre-Series A funding led by pi Ventures with 500 Global, totaling $8.5M. Founded in 2021 by Rohin Y and Ramana Pamidighantam, it builds compact optical interconnects using short-wavelength lasers for faster, energy-efficient data transfer in AI and HPC. The funds will set up an R&D center and accelerate product commercialization and pilot deployments.

Mirana Toys raises $6.9M to fuel a new factory & global expansion

Mirana Toys raised ₹57.5 crore ($6.9M) in Series A funding led by Arkam Ventures, with Accel , Info Edge , and Riverwalk Holdings joining. The funds will build a factory with injection-molding, die-casting, and packaging units to scale domestic and export production. Founded in 2021 by Devansh Sharma and Ravi Yadav, Mirana makes AI- and AR-enabled educational toys, with exports to the US and plans for the Middle East and Africa.

Enerzi secures $2M seed funding led by Capital-A

Enerzi Founded by Kirankumar Hittalmani and Prakash Mugali has raised ₹16.5 crore ($2M) in seed funding led by Capital-A and 8x Ventures to expand manufacturing and engineering teams. Its methane-to-hydrogen platform uses microwave plasma reactors to produce clean hydrogen and carbon nanopowder for batteries and composites. Based in Belagavi, Enerzi also builds microwave-plasma and industrial heating systems. It is part of Maxcel, the Capital-A and SanchiConnect accelerator.

3ev Industries bags INR 120Cr in Series A to fuel EV manufacturing & innovation for last-mile mobility

3ev Industries, a Bengaluru-based EV maker, raised ₹120 crore in Series A funding led by Mahanagar Gas , with Equentis Angel Fund, Bestvantage Investments, and Thackersey Group. The funds will expand manufacturing, launch its 3C division, and boost R&D in regenerative braking and solar EV tech. Co-founded by Peter Hartmut and CG Krishna Bhupathi, it targets affordable mobility with integrated BaaS and financing.

Arctus Aerospace raises $2.6M to Revolutionize Geospatial Intelligence with High-Altitude Drones

Arctus Aerospace founded by Shreepoorna S Rao raised $2.6M in pre-seed funding led by Version One Ventures and South Park Commons. It’s developing unmanned aircraft flying at 45,000 feet for 24 hours, carrying 250kg payloads for real-time geospatial intelligence. Supporting SAR, hyperspectral, EO, and IR sensing, it cuts imaging costs to $500 per 500 sq km and serves energy, infrastructure, and security sectors.

Fintech AxiTrust raises INR 23.5Cr led by General Catalyst

AxiTrust, a fintech startup, raised ₹23.5 crore in seed funding led by General Catalyst to modernize India’s surety bond market. Founded by Aditya Tulsian, Rajeev Chari, and Mukund Daga, it replaces bank guarantees with digital, insurance-backed bonds, boosting liquidity and trust. Partnering with insurers and lenders, AxiTrust empowers MSMEs with scalable, secure surety solutions in public and private supply chains.

Primebook raises $250K to advance its PrimeOS and AI

Primebook raised $250K from Ekamya Capital after a $2M pre-Series A to enhance its PrimeOS and AI. Founded by Aman Verma and Chitranshu Mahant, it will upgrade its OS, AI, and Cloud PC systems to expand accessibility in India. PrimeOS, an Android-based system, offers a desktop-like experience for students, supporting multitasking and AI search to transform modern. computing.

PM Modi Inaugurates Safran’s INR 1,300 Crore Aircraft Engine MRO Facility in Hyderabad, Cementing India as a Global Aviation Hub

Prime Minister Modi inaugurated Safran’s ₹1,300 crore SAESI MRO facility in Hyderabad, India’s first global hub for CFM LEAP engines used in Airbus  A320neo and Boeing  737 MAX aircraft. Situated in GMR Aerospace Park, it can service 300 engines yearly, creating 1,000+ jobs and bolstering “Make in India.” Safran’s Bengaluru expansion further strengthens India’s aerospace MRO ecosystem.

Microsoft to discontinue its Copilot AI assistant on WhatsApp by January 15, 2026

Microsoft  will end its Copilot AI assistant on WhatsApp by January 15, 2026, following Meta’s new restrictions on general-purpose chatbots. Users must switch to Copilot’s native apps on iOS, Android, web, or Windows for full features like voice and vision. Chat histories won’t auto-transfer. The move shows Meta’s tighter control and Microsoft’s focus on centralizing AI within its ecosystem.

AI Sourcing Startup Zinit Raises $8M; Eyes India as Key Growth Market

Zinit, an AI sourcing platform, raised $8M led by AltaIR Capital with DVC, valuing it at $48M. It automates sourcing, bids, and RFPs with AI. Operating in five countries with 100+ clients and 100,000+ suppliers, it named Naveen Suri Regional Director for India. CEO Anton Buzdalin plans expansion in India to boost its AI procurement stack and tap automation demand.

Girnar Finserv Strengthens Its Tech Ecosystem with Acquisition of AI Platform SeedsAI

Girnar Finserv Private Limited, linked to InsuranceDekho, acquired SaaS firm SeedsAI to strengthen AI and LLM orchestration capabilities. Founders Vansh Miglani and Shubham Khatri join GFPL to enhance efficiency, underwriting accuracy, fraud detection, and customer experience. The move supports InsuranceDekho’s tech-driven insurance vision and positions SeedsAI to lead AI innovation across GFPL operations.

ED Freezes Rs 520 Crore Assets Linked to WinZO and Gameskraft Amid Real-Money Gaming Probe

The Enforcement Directorate froze over ₹520 crore in assets linked to WinZO and Gameskraft after a PMLA probe into alleged cheating and fund diversion post India’s real-money gaming ban. WinZO allegedly withheld ₹43 crore and redirected ₹490 crore to a US shell firm, while Gameskraft and Pocket52 faced ₹18.57 crore freezes, underscoring tougher action on illegal gaming.

Riverline AI raises $825K to fuel its advance AI memory systems, enhance multilingual support, and scale its platform

Bengaluru fintech startup Riverline AI raised $825K in pre-seed funding led by South Park Commons to enhance AI memory systems, multilingual support, and platform scaling. Founded by Ankit Sanghvi, Jayanth Krishnaprakash, and Abhishek Gupta, it builds AI debt counselors aiding distressed borrowers. Its agents manage over Rs 100 crore in bad loans monthly with partners like CRED and Freo.

CrisprBits raises $3M to scale its PathCrisp diagnostics & expand manufacturing

Bengaluru-based biotech startup CrisprBits raised $3 million in Pre-Series A funding led by Spectrum Impact, valuing it at $12 million. Existing and new investors joined, including Vijay Alreja Family Office and HBL Engineering. Funds will scale its PathCrisp diagnostics platform, manufacturing, and CRISPR-based biofuel strain engineering, with plans for global diagnostic expansion.

Anthropic Unveils Claude Opus 4.5 with Groundbreaking Chrome and Excel Integrations

Anthropic launched Claude Opus 4.5, an advanced AI model improving coding, automation, and agent workflows. It surpasses GPT-5.1 and Gemini 3 in benchmarks and integrates with Chrome and Excel for streamlined data tasks. With enhanced long-context memory and “infinite chat,” it supports autonomous coding, document analysis, and advanced workflows for Max, Team, and Enterprise users.

OpenAI Launches Shopping Research Tool to Make Online Buying More Personalised

OpenAI’s ChatGPT has launched a Shopping Research feature powered by a GPT-5 mini model to offer AI-assisted e-commerce support. It creates unbiased, personalized buyer guides using public data, comparing features, prices, and reviews. Available across all tiers for the holiday season, it uses memory for tailored recommendations and will later integrate with Instant Checkout.

Google & Accel Launch Joint Push to Back India’s Earliest AI Startups

Google and Accel will co-invest up to $2 million per company in early-stage Indian AI startups through Accel’s Atoms program and Google’s AI Futures Fund. The initiative, open to all sectors, targets AI-native products and aims to strengthen India’s AI ecosystem as firms like OpenAI and Anthropic expand there, leveraging India’s talent and user base.

Meta Partners with Sify Technologies for ₹15,266 Crore, 500 MW AI Data Centre in Andhra Pradesh

Meta Platforms  is leasing a 500-MW hyperscale AI data center in Visakhapatnam, built by Sify Technologies  with a ₹15,266 crore investment. This is Meta’s first major data infrastructure lease in India to support AI workloads for the next decade. Part of Andhra Pradesh’s 6 GW data center plan, it aligns with Google  and Reliance  investments, boosting jobs and connectivity.

Wealthy bags $14.5M in Series B to boost advisor network & tech

Wealthy raised $14.5M in Series B funding led by Bertelsmann India Investments, with Shepherd’s Hill Group and Alpha Wave Global participation, totaling $30M raised. Founded in 2015, Wealthy runs a digital marketplace for financial products, serving 6,000 distributors and 100,000 clients. AUM rose from Rs 200 crore to Rs 5,000 crore in three years. Peers include Dezerv and Stable Money.

FinReach secures $2.6M to expand credit access for underserved MSMEs

FinReach Solutions raised Rs 21.9 crore ($2.6M) led by Colossa Ventures, with participation from Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Omidyar Network, and Caspian SME Impact Fund. Founded in 2020 by Suvalaxmi Chakraborty, FinReach supports underserved MSMEs through its Credit Guarantee Program. Funds will expand operations and risk tech. The platform links guarantors and lenders, aiding 14,150+ borrowers, including 2,050+ women.

FAE Beauty Raises INR 17 Crore to Scale Inclusive, Skin-First Makeup Up in India

FAE Beauty raised INR 17 crore ($2M) led by Spring Marketing Capital to boost innovation and omni-channel presence. Founded by Karishma Kewalramani, it redefines color cosmetics for Indian skin tones with skincare-infused products like Lip Whip and Eye-Deal Kajal. Focused on hydration and anti-pigmentation, FAE sells via its D2C site, Amazon , and Nykaa .

Pontaq Ventures doubles down on Indian deeptech, investing $660K in Dweepi & Edgehax

Pontaq Ventures invested Rs 5.5 crore ($660K) in Indian deeptech startups Dweepi and Edgehax for product development and global expansion. This is Pontaq’s second round in both. Based in Chennai, Pontaq backs over 190 startups in AI, IoT, and robotics. Dweepi focuses on AI-led railway inspection, while Edgehax builds Edge AI platforms. The funds will enhance engineering, deployment, and tech.