BUSINESS
The $100 million ARR rush: Inside the metric being rewritten in the AI boom
AI startups are making money in very different ways. Revenue now comes from usage as much as subscriptions, and is often annualised from recent activity. That shift is changing how companies present ARR and how investors read it.
BUSINESS
Licious closes FY26 with a revenue of Rs 1,166 crore, net loss remains flat
The Bengaluru-based firm is now targeting Rs 1,800 crore in revenue for FY27, driven by repeat consumption and expansion across micro markets in key cities.
BUSINESS
Startup funding falls over 10% in FY26 as investors shift to early-stage AI bets from late-stage deals
Indian startups have raised around $10.16 billion across 969 deals this fiscal against $11.34 billion in 1,020 deals in the previous year
COMPANIES
Urban Company’s quick home services vertical InstaHelp crosses 1 million monthly bookings in March
The milestone comes weeks after the vertical crossed 50,000 daily bookings, with rivals Snabbit and Pronto also scaling up volumes as instant home services emerge as a high-frequency urban use case
BUSINESS
From chores to cheques: InstaHelp, Snabbit and Pronto hit funding sprint after scaling up
Moneycontrol has reported that Snabbit is in talks to raise up to $70 million from Mirae Asset, existing backers like Lightspeed and others, as early signs of scale in dense micro-markets are drawing investor interest in the quick services space
ARTIFICIAL-INTELLIGENCE
Comfortably dumb: Why AI support at Swiggy and Zomato frustrates users
As platforms tighten support through chatbot-led systems to curb costs and misuse, customers say resolving complaints has become slower, more rigid, and harder to escalate.
STARTUP
Costly gas but steady gigs: Food delivery worker earnings hold firm amid LPG crunch
Despite restaurants grappling with soaring LPG costs, supply disruptions and menu cuts, delivery partners for platforms like Swiggy and Zomato report little to no impact on order volumes or earnings, with demand largely stable after an initial dip
STARTUP
Startup IPO reality check: 8 of 15 listings from 2025 now trade below issue price
Market volatility triggered by the Iran war, aggressive IPO pricing and tighter scrutiny of financial performance have pushed most of last year’s venture-backed listings below their issue price
BUSINESS
Snabbit in talks to raise $70 million from Mirae, SIG as quick services wars heat up
The round could value the startup at $350–$400 million, sources told Moneycontrol
STARTUP
Restaurants add ‘LPG surcharge’ to bills as cooking gas concerns hit kitchens
Eateries have introduced temporary charges and revised prices as the ongoing West Asia war has disrupted LPG supply and pushed up commercial cylinder costs.
BUSINESS
Eternal injects Rs 450 crore into Blinkit via rights issue as quick commerce battle intensifies
The capital infusion follows Rs 2,600-crore investment in 2025 as Eternal continues funding Blinkit’s expansion amid rising competition from Zepto and Instamart
BUSINESS
TIDCO to invest in Raptee, Agnikul Cosmos, iVP Semiconductor as Tamil Nadu positions itself as startup hub
The state-run industrial agency has invested Rs 25–30 crore each in electric motorcycle startup Raptee Energy and spacetech firm Agnikul Cosmos and around Rs 10–15 crore in chip design startup iVP Semiconductor
STARTUP
Iran war: Trade routes disrupted, exporters delay shipments as freight costs surge
Exporters and logistics executives told Moneycontrol that shipments to the Gulf are being delayed, cargo is piling up at major air hubs and freight rates have surged as the US and Israel–Iran war disrupts key trade routes linking India to West Asia
STARTUP
The Israel–Iran war is coming for your masala dosa
Cooking gas shortages linked to the Israel–Iran war has had a ripple effect through restaurant kitchens across India, pushing up LPG prices, forcing menu changes and prompting industry bodies to seek government intervention.
BUSINESS
IPO-bound Captain Fresh secures Rs 288 crore debt from Blue Earth Capital
Debt financing from the Switzerland-based investor will be used to expand the seafood startup’s global distribution network and strengthen its supply chain operations, sources told Moneycontrol.
STARTUP
NRAI flags LPG supply disruption at restaurants, urges govt to ensure availability of commercial cylinders
The restaurant body has written to Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, warning that a halt in commercial LPG supply could impact restaurant operations and food availability.
STARTUP
Startup hiring to rise 8-15% in FY26 as AI talent demand surges
Recruitment firms told Moneycontrol that growth-stage startups are stepping up hiring across AI, product and engineering roles, while quick commerce and fintech also contribute to demand.
STARTUP
Flipkart lets go of 300 employees as part of annual performance review
The Walmart-owned e-commerce firm’s latest round of exits impacts about 1.5 percent of its roughly 20,000-strong workforce
BUSINESS
Practo founder, former Lenskart and Ola executives raise $5 million from South Park Commons for healthcare startup Cent
The AI-led early detection platform backed by South Park Commons said it is at $2 million annualised revenue and plans dedicated screening centres across major metros
BUSINESS
Rozana raises Rs 290 crore led by Bertelsmann, to expand rural commerce network
The rural commerce startup plans to expand across new states in the Gangetic belt, deepen product assortment and build private labels, co-founder Ankur Dahiya has told Moneycontrol
BUSINESS
Pronto raises $25 million in funding led by Epiq Capital as 10-minute home services scales up
The round values the company at $100 million post-money; with Pronto now clocking 18,000 daily bookings across 10 cities, founder Anjali Sardana told Moneycontrol.
STARTUP
The Whole Truth’s slow-burn rise: How a label-reading blog built an unlikely food brand
In a D2C market chasing quick exits and faster growth, The Whole Truth is betting on in-house manufacturing, discipline and consumer trust — not just protein hype — to build a lasting food brand
BUSINESS
AI rollout far more complex than it appears, says Wipro COO Sanjeev Jain
Jain told Moneycontrol that enterprise AI requires integration across client and internal systems along with responsible-AI layers, even as automation improves productivity in select functions.
BUSINESS
AI not plug-and-play, enterprises need open-heart surgery, says Infosys’ Satish HC
Execution challenges, legacy tech stacks and data readiness — not model capability — are the biggest barriers to scaling AI in enterprises, Infosys chief delivery officer tells Moneycontrol
