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Swiggy has launched Toing, a budget-focused food delivery app offering meals from ₹49, with most under ₹250. The app ensures transparent pricing with no hidden charges and capped delivery fees, even during peak hours. Toing features local favorites, biryanis, Indian staples, and restaurant chains, organized into smart categories like “Under ₹99” and “Value Combos.” With Toing, Swiggy targets India’s growing value-driven food delivery market. Currently serving select locations in Pune.

After 13 years, Hike founder Kavin Bharti Mittal shut down the company. Once boasting 40M Messenger MAUs and later scaling gaming app Rush to 10M users and $500M+ revenue, Hike couldn’t overcome regulatory hurdles and market constraints. Mittal admitted RMG showed traction but wasn’t his vision. Thanking stakeholders, he said he’ll now focus on three frontiers AI, energy breakthroughs, and self-mastery.

The Indian government may offer 20-year tax exemptions for data center developers under the draft National Data Centre Policy 2025. Proposals include GST input tax credit on construction and equipment, with reliable power support from the energy ministry. Backed by the ₹10,000 Cr IndiaAI Mission, the move aims to attract investments from global tech majors like OpenAI and Google, as India’s data center market heads toward $11.6 Bn by 2032.

MyNaksh, an AI astrology startup founded by Nitesh Salvi, Devaang Agarwalla, Gaurav Mohta, and Piyush Nagle, raised ₹7.5 Cr in pre-seed funding from Eximius Ventures and Gemba Capital. The funds will drive product development and personalized experiences. Combining AI predictions with human astrologers through subscriptions and consultations, MyNaksh’s “AI-first, human-in-the-loop” model competes with Astrotalk and AstroSage, aiming to modernize astrology as a self-awareness tool.

Elon Musk’s xAI laid off 500 data annotators, shifting focus to hiring domain-specialist AI tutors in STEM, coding, finance, and personality modeling for its Grok chatbot. Calling the generalist roles “not needed,” xAI plans to hire 10x more experts to boost training quality and character development. The restructuring reflects Musk’s push for Grok as an “unfiltered” AI rival.

Myntra and SUGAR Cosmetics launched Molten Beauty, a Gen Z-focused vegan, cruelty-free brand blending skincare and makeup. The range debuts with 15 products, priced ₹250–₹400, including lip tints and moisturizers, with plans to expand to 50+ SKUs. Available on Myntra, moltenbeauty.com, and M-Now, the launch targets 25M Gen Z shoppers during festive sales, tapping India’s fast-growing online beauty market.

SEBI revised IPO norms to ease listings for large firms. Companies above ₹5 lakh Cr market cap must now offer a minimum ₹15,000 Cr, while those between ₹1–5 lakh Cr need ₹6,250 Cr, and ₹50,000 Cr–₹1 lakh Cr require ₹1,000 Cr. The move reduces dilution burdens, encouraging more IPOs. SEBI also expanded anchor investor rules to include insurers and pension funds, raising anchor reservation to 40%.

TRAI is probing Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel for scrapping affordable ₹249 data plans, sparking concerns over digital accessibility. DoT flagged the issue after Jio limited sales to stores and Airtel withdrew entirely. While TRAI sees no urgent intervention, the move raises minimum data costs for low-income users. JM Financial projects Jio’s ARPU may rise ₹11–13, with analysts expecting wider tariff hikes.

RBI fined PhonePe ₹21 lakh for non-compliance with PPI regulations, citing escrow balance shortfalls and failure to report them after an inspection (Oct 2023–Dec 2024). The penalty, under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, comes as Walmart-owned PhonePe readies its IPO with Kotak, JPMorgan, Citi, and Morgan Stanley. PhonePe’s FY24 net loss fell 29%, while revenue surged 74%.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal, at ACMA’s 65th Annual Session, said India-EU FTA talks hold unprecedented momentum, targeting year-end closure per commitments by Modi and von der Leyen. He stressed gains for the auto component sector through tech transfer and global integration. Goyal lauded GST cuts to 18% and 5% for tractors, boosting affordability, and urged resilience, quoting Ratan Tata on turning challenges into opportunities.

The Karnataka High Court ordered the state’s commercial taxes department to refund ₹16.11 Cr to Flipkart India, with interest, in a dispute over mobile charger classification and a ₹23.01 Cr tax demand. Flipkart had deposited ₹6.90 Cr in cash and ₹16.11 Cr via ITC. The HC ruled refunds must be in cash. Flipkart Internet posted FY25 revenue of ₹20,493 Cr, with losses down 37%.

FirstCry (Brainbees Solutions Ltd) invested ₹73 Cr in Globalbees Brands Pvt. Ltd as part of its Series C2 round, raising its stake to 51.51%. Globalbees also secured ₹100 Cr from existing shareholders. FirstCry’s Q1 FY26 revenue rose to ₹1,862.56 Cr from ₹1,652 Cr, while losses narrowed 13% to ₹66.5 Cr. With ₹75 Cr positive EBITDA, the move aligns with its Series C2 Share Subscription Agreement.

FarmDidi, a D2C pickle brand empowering rural women, raised ₹7 Cr seed funding led by Samved Ventures, LetsVenture, and others. Founded in 2022 by Manjari Sharma, Anukrit Johari, and Asmita Ghodeshwar, it will expand its ‘Didi’ network from 2,000 to 5,000+. With ₹18 Cr ARR, top-selling Amazon pickles, and presence on Blinkit, Zepto, and Instamart, FarmDidi targets empowering 1M rural women via traceable foods.

WeHouse, formerly Hocomoco, raised $2.8M Series A led by Anthill Ventures to expand into Coimbatore, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Surat, and Chandigarh. Founded in 2017 by Sripad Nandiraj and Rohan Vinayak Reddy, the prop-tech startup offers tech-driven home construction solutions, linking architects, contractors, and suppliers. With 400+ projects, a ₹150 Cr order book, and real-time project monitoring, WeHouse rivals Brick&Bolt in India’s $373B residential market projected by 2030.

PeakAmp, co-founded by Vijay Gond and Aditya Sudhanshu, raised $1.37M seed funding led by Caret Capital to transform EV battery recycling. The startup is building a full-stack solution for safe collection, second-life repurposing, and high-purity recovery of lithium, nickel, and copper with >99% efficiency. With India’s EV market set to hit $111B by 2029, PeakAmp aims to set global standards in sustainable resource recovery.

Quick commerce startup Inamo raised $3M seed funding led by Shastra VC, with Antler India, Gemba Capital, and Scope Promoters participating. Founded by Sumit Anand and Rupesh Thakare, Inamo powers dark store management and last-mile delivery, operating 50+ stores across six metros. Funds will expand its tech and network. With the market projected to hit $40B by 2030, Inamo competes with Blinkit, Instamart, and Zepto.

Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi unveiled a ₹100 Cr R&D scheme for green hydrogen startups, offering up to ₹5 Cr per pilot project. Part of the National Green Hydrogen Mission (₹19,744 Cr), it targets 5 Mn tonnes annual output by 2030, drawing ₹8 Lakh Cr investments and creating 6 Lakh jobs. The $34 Bn market is seeing innovations from startups like Amara Raja Infra and Newtrace.

Knot.dating, India’s viral matrimony startup, has expanded to the US, UK, UAE, Singapore, and Australia, catering to marriage-focused users. Unlike casual dating apps, it ensures trust through ID, income, and background verification plus AI-driven conversation flows. CEO Jasveer Singh highlights privacy and commitment, targeting the global Indian diaspora with its tagline: “Tired of dating? Now tie the knot.”

Amazon Now has expanded its 10-minute delivery service to Mumbai, after rapid adoption in Bengaluru and Delhi. Backed by 100+ micro-fulfilment centers, it delivers groceries, electronics, personal care, and festive supplies. Orders grew 25% monthly, with Prime members tripling shopping frequency, says VP Samir Kumar. Using advanced inventory systems for speed and reliability, Amazon plans further expansion across existing and new cities.

Klaar launched in the U.S. with $5M Series A funding led by Prime Venture Partners to transform performance management. Its AI-driven platform tackles HR dissatisfaction, offering OKRs, reviews, calibrations, IDPs, and surveys with real-time insights. Early adopters like Zenwork see benefits. Co-founders Sharthok Chakraborty and Atri Roy stress user-friendliness, while leaders Lana Peters and Amit Somani highlight its potential for delivering a 23% performance boost.

Ember raised $3.2M seed funding from HNIs and family offices, including Yogabar’s Suhasini Sampath. Chef Saransh Goila also invested and will lead Ember’s Innovation Lab for Indian kitchen solutions. Founded in 2024 by Siddharth Gadodia and Himanshi Tandon, Ember offers premium cookware with Arcilla ceramic coating and Thermoclad tech, designed in California and made in Italy. It targets ₹30 Cr ARR in a year, competing with GreenPan and Tefal.

Biokraft Foods, founded by Kamalnayan Tibrewal, raised ₹2 Cr pre-seed funding led by GVFL to scale cultivated meat tech. The funds will support R&D, product development, and regulatory efforts. Using biotechnology and 3D bioprinting, Biokraft develops structured cultivated meat with food-safe blends for affordability and texture. After 400+ consumer trials, it targets sustainability-driven markets, with plans for cultivated seafood and pet food, competing with Eat Just and Upside Foods.

Crion Technologies raised ₹3.5 Cr led by SIG Tattva to scale its Clonos digital twin platform. Founded by Rahul K, Karthik Pondugula, and Rathees Paneerselvam, Crion combines AI, IoT, and AR/VR for industrial asset optimization. CEO Vishnuvardhan Jayachandran highlights its impact on manufacturing and infrastructure. SIG Tattva, backing deep-tech, SaaS, and clean tech, also launched its ‘Pilot Before Pitch’ program with partners like Huddle Ventures and TVS Capital.

Snap-E Cabs raised $2.5M in bridge funding led by Inflection Point Ventures to scale its EV fleet. Founded in 2022 by Mayank and Mahendra Bindal, it runs 1,112 EVs and plans 1,000 more, supported by in-house leasing and charging. After a $2.5M pre-Series A, it partnered with Rapido in Delhi. With BluSmart exiting, Snap-E pursues a supply-led model as India’s EV market heads toward $132B by 2030.

Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL) and Punjab National Bank (PNB) signed an MoU on Sept 3, 2025, to boost PNB’s IT infrastructure and digital transformation. TCIL will offer consultancy, project management, and system integration, ensuring regulatory compliance. CMD Sanjeev Kumar and GM Manish Agrawal led the delegations, emphasizing modernization of PNB’s IT solutions and aligning with the Digital India vision.

Bengaluru-based BacAlt Biosciences raised $2M in pre-seed funding from Avaana Capital and Lubrizol InnoVentures. Founded in 2024 by Shruti Kutmutia and Pranav Nair, the biotech startup makes biopolymers from post-harvest waste to reduce petrochemical use. The funds will expand R&D and production. Serving home care, personal care, and pharma sectors, BacAlt aims to position India as a bio-manufacturing hub within a $300B bioeconomy by 2030.

RevRag.AI has acquired GenStaq.ai, a modular LLMOps startup, to strengthen its AI agent platform and enterprise GenAI capabilities. The deal integrates GenStaq’s RAG pipelines and session-based APIs into RevRag.AI, enhancing control across the AI stack. Founder & CEO Ashutosh Prakash Singh highlights the need to go beyond the application layer. The GenStaq team will join RevRag.AI, driving enterprise partnerships and agentic workflows.

TERN Group raised $24M Series A led by Notion Capital, taking total funding to $33M. Founded by Avinav Nigam and Krishna Ramkumar, TERN runs an AI-powered Clinical Workforce platform active in 13 countries with 650K+ professionals. Partnering with NSDC and TNAI, it enables zero-fee recruitment for Indian nurses and care workers. Reporting nearly ₹200 Cr revenue, TERN competes with AMN Healthcare and MedPro International.

EndureAir Systems raised $2.85M led by IAN Alpha Fund to boost UAV capabilities for defense, enterprise, and disaster response. Founded in 2018 by Dr. Abhishek, Rama Krishna, and Chirag Jain, it builds in-house drones like Sabal, Vibhram, and Alakh. With partnerships including BEL and DHI Bhutan, EndureAir targets high-altitude innovation while competing with IdeaForge and Garuda Aerospace in India’s growing UAV sector.

TraqCheck raised bridge funding at a $17M valuation, led by Alok Oberoi and Siddharth Mehta, to expand AI-driven HR solutions in India and Europe. Founded by Jaibir Nihal Singh, Armaan Mehta, and Rishabh Jain, its deterministic LLMs automate background checks for 200+ enterprise clients in BFSI, staffing, and healthcare. Competing with HireRight, First Advantage, and Checkr, TraqCheck targets tripling revenue by 2025 amid surging demand for automated HR.